There will be a subtle change to the Pitt sideline this season, with offensive coordinator Kade Bell calling plays from the field. Frank Cignetti was upstairs last season, but Mark Whipple before him was on the field where he had constant, face-to-face communication with quarterback Kenny Pickett.

“I’m not micro-managing that. I like both. It doesn’t really matter,” coach Pat Narduzzi said Friday morning. “It’s where you feel comfortable. If I want him to be in the box and he wants to be on the field, mistake. Bad.

“He loves being on the field. To me, there’s a lot of merit to that. I love being up there so I can see. But I miss the emotional part of the game and getting in guys’ faces. He gets that. If he can do it from the field, that’s great. You have to have great eyes up above that you can trust.”

As Michigan State’s defensive coordinator, Narduzzi famously opened games in the coaches’ booth, but often raced to the sideline in the fourth quarter to rally the troops.

In the 2015 Cotton Bowl — Narduzzi’s last game with the Spartans — his players actually called him on the phone and asked him to join them in the third quarter when they were down to Baylor by 20 points. Narduzzi, of course, obliged and Michigan State rallied for a 42-41 victory.

Room for a freshman

Freshman Francis Brewu has shaken off the hamstring problems that bothered him in the spring and entered the fray for playing time at defensive tackle.

“Francis is a big, strong, athletic guy,” Narduzzi said of Brewu (6-foot-1, 280 pounds). “He’s really gotten his body together, more balanced. It’s a work in progress. There’s a lot of competition going on inside there. Francis has a chance to fight for playing time. It’s a position you can play young. It’s not like the offensive line.”

Depth at wide receiver?

There are plenty of bodies at wide receiver, but when Narduzzi was asked if he has seen depth there, he said, “Kinda.”

“We’re a little bit banged up there for some reason. We got depth. We’ll be two-deep when the season starts, for sure. We’ll see more when the pads come on.”

It’s better outside

Narduzzi woke up Friday morning and was met by heavy rain. But when Pitt opened practice a few hours later, the rain had moved off the South Side and players were stretching, running and going through drills on the Beano Cook outdoor fields.

Having an indoor facility is important in the winter and spring, but coaches and players are less confined outdoors.

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