Pittsburgh Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi is raising the bar for the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions.
After saying his team “is not happy with where we were last year,” Narduzzi established the team's goals for the 2022 season on Thursday at ACC Media Days.
“We would like to win a national championship," Narduzzi said. “We want to be in the playoffs. We were one game last year away from being in that talk. ... If you go to a 12-team playoff, we’re in it. That’s where we want to be.”
Pittsburgh finished 11-3 last season, becoming the first team from the Coastal Division to win the ACC title since Virginia Tech in 2010. This year the Panthers will have a target on their back, which is fine with Narduzzi.
“I would rather have that challenge (of defending a title) than be sitting at the bottom trying to get my way up the ladder,” Narduzzi said.
But a repeat won’t be easy, especially after losing quarterback Kenny Pickett, the ACC’s player of the year, to the NFL. Pickett was selected in the first round by the hometown Steelers.
Narduzzi said it won't be easy replacing Pickett’s production — he threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns — and leadership. He expects Southern Cal senior transfer Kedon Slovis and redshirt senior Nick Patti to compete for the starting job.
“It’s going to come down to who wants it more,” redshirt senior offensive tackle Carter Warren said. “Who is going to give it all they’ve got?”
