Pitt notebook: Putting on pads will give Pat Narduzzi opportunity to 'see what we really have'

Coach Pat Narduzzi and staff will get serious Saturday when Pitt’s players strap on full gear for the first full live practice of the spring. The closed session — scheduled for Acrisure Stadium, weather permitting — will consist of more than 100 plays, the coach said.

“Full live is an awesome opportunity,” said tight end Jake Overman, who is in line to inherit NFL prospect Gavin Bartholomew’s spot in the starting lineup. “We get to fly around, have fun, be physical. That’s what we love as tight ends. That’s what we love as offense. We know our defense loves that, too.”

Added Narduzzi, “We’ll see what we really have that day.”

Pitt returns to the Beano Cook fields on the South Side on Thursday. Saturday’s session will be the sixth of 15 this spring. The Blue-Gold game is scheduled for April 12 at Acrisure.

Narduzzi said the team went through “a really heated … intense, back-and-forth” practice last Saturday. Along with the intensity, he said it was a “clean” practice.

That was after a Thursday session last week that was “a little sloppier than I would like.”

When the players returned Tuesday, he said the offense “came out strong, then started to fade a little bit. Defense finished strong.”

Narduzzi, who is entering his 11th season at Pitt, is reluctant to make many judgements before players put on full pads, but he did praise the run game.

“I feel like we’re running the ball better than we did a year ago. Is that good for the offense, bad for defense? You really find out when it’s live.”

Continuity matters

Narduzzi also said he’s pleased that all 10 assistants returned to the staff this season, with contract extensions.

“We’re fortunate to have our entire staff intact,” he said. “I don’t know how often that’s happened. To have all 10 assistant coaches come back and get extensions is a good thing.”

This is the third year in the past six that all 10 assistants returned (2020 and 2023).

At QB, too

Eli Holstein, who spent part of the winter months with a quarterback trainer in Dallas, enters his second season under offensive coordinator Kade Bell. He is Pitt’s first regular starting quarterback since Kenny Pickett (2017-2021) to return for the next season.

“The more time you spend with coach Bell, you’re able to go out there and make quicker decisions, make the right decisions, most importantly,” Holstein said. “The quicker those decisions are the faster those guys get the ball in their hands and are able to go out and make some plays with it.”

Depth at QB?

Penn Hills graduate Julian Dugger, a redshirt freshman, looks to have an initial hold on the backup quarterback job. Dugger showed promise in the loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl last season, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another.

“That bowl game did wonders for him. We’re really happy with what he’s done since December,” Narduzzi said. “He’s just grown up the past few weeks and he had to grow up real quick in that bowl game. He still has a ways to go. He’s not there yet.”

Bell is working on special packages that Dugger may run this season to take advantage of his athleticism.

Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel is learning his lessons well, according to Narduzzi.

“For a true freshman, he picks things up well. He’s made good decisions. He has a good release.”

Position updates

Narduzzi said the defensive end position is improving with the additions of transfers Joey Zelinsky and Jaeden Moore. The offensive line also may benefit from transfers, with Jeff Persi and Kendall Stanley lining up at left tackle and Keith Gouveia at left guard.

“They take it personal when they don’t protect the quarterback or run the ball like you’d like,” Narduzzi said of his offensive linemen’s mindset after a troubling 2024 season. “I know (line) coach (Jeremy) Darveau has been after them.”

At wide receiver, Kenny Johnson is approaching his junior season by taking a leadership role on a unit that also is heavy with transfers — Deuce Spann, Cataurus Hicks and Andy Jean.

“Kenny is the leader of that group right now,” Narduzzi said. “He’s coaching them up and he’s vocal. We’d like to be more explosive than we were a year ago.”