Eli Holstein wasn't around for the 2023 season. He didn't get to experience the dismal 3-9 season the Panthers went through or the ups and downs that came with it. But he feels like he did.
The Alabama transfer joined the program in January and ever since then he's heard the constant conversation about how the season left a bad taste in his teammates' mouths.
"Being part of the team now, I feel like I went 3-9 last year as well," Holstein told me Wednesday. "I feel like I'm a part of this team now. Those guys, it really really bothered them. I can see it all the time within the work ethic that these guys have, they are very very motivated to be better to make sure that doesn't happen again because we all know that's not Pitt football."
That was the resounding reaction that filled the media room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Wednesday after Pitt completed its first day of fall camp. Players, coaches and staff members are ready to prove last season was a fluke.
Compared to Pitt history, it was. The Pitt football program hadn't registered less than five wins since 1998 when it went 2-9 under Walt Harris. The Panthers also won an ACC Championship just two years ago, which Pat Narduzzi has recently been very vocal about.
They may not be returning to the level of that team that won a conference championship in 2021 quite yet as there are still plenty of questions, but this isn't just talk. The players are carrying themselves differently. They are coming with a different energy in practice and they are coming with a different confidence.
When I asked Randy Bates about his players possibly playing with a chip on their shoulder, he said: "When we went out there today and flew around, I was excited to watch them because that is Pitt defense and I see it."
Bates has been with the program since 2018 so he's seen Pitt's defense at one of its highest levels as it has tallied 230 total sacks over the last five seasons, which is the highest in the nation. They hold that record despite recording 31 sacks in 2023, the program's lowest total since 2017.
It doesn't stop there either. Narduzzi said strength and conditioning coach Michael Stacchiotti, who spends the most time with the players in the offseason compared to the other coaches, told him there's something different about this year's team. They are carrying themselves with a different attitude.
"I think we've learned a lot from last season," Narduzzi said. "I'll say it again, I think you came out of last year and I think they thought that we would just line up and it would happen easy. I think they're hungry to play football."
With talking with players throughout the afternoon, that's evident. Nate Yarnell spoke about it down in Charlotte at the ACC Kickoff last week but reiterated his statement Wednesday.
"No doubt," Yarnell answered when I asked if there was an extra hunger within the program this season. "Last season is unacceptable. Everybody feels that way. Every day when I come in here, every day when I go home, every day when I go to sleep, I think about it. We don't want that season again, feeling that defeat, there's no worse feeling."
Rightfully so. The Panthers were dismal last season. They failed on offense, ranking last in the ACC in points scored, points per game, rushing yards and total yards on offense. As I mentioned previously, they also had a down season on defense as well, allowing opponents to score an average of 27.3 points per game, rush for 150.2 yards and pass for another 211.4.
That appears to be in their rearview mirror now and they are ready to attack the 2024 season in a new way. Donovan McMillon said there's an "eat mentality" among the defenders. They are coming with a different energy on and off the field. He's seen it throughout the offseason in the weight room, in spring ball and now heading into fall camp.
"I don't know if any of my teammates can explain it better, but there's just something in the air that is making it a lot of fun and the chemistry is working really well," McMillon said. "I'm just excited to see where it goes."
The Panthers are out to "prove it" this year. The slogan was developed by Pitt's leadership council for the 2024 season and Narduzzi has jumped fully behind it.
"A lot of people are going, okay, where is Pitt, they're back where they used to be," Narduzzi said. "That's not the case. So we've got a lot to prove and got to prove it by position, got to prove it by units and got it prove it as a team, so there's a lot of proving to do."
They'll get their first opportunity on Aug. 31 against Kent State.
