ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL KICKOFF

July 21, 2022

Pat Narduzzi

Deslin Alexandre

SirVocea Dennis

Carter Warren

Pittsburgh Panthers

Press Conference

Q. Recently you made some pretty strong comments about not just the Big Ten but also your former offensive coordinator. Did you want to elaborate on those a little bit and kind of explain why you felt that way?

PAT NARDUZZI: Not really. (Laughter). I guess it was a long summer.

You hear all these things during the summer about the Power 2s and all this stuff. We'll just start there. You know, we play some darn good football in the ACC, and I think people forget about it.

I think Dabo made a comment yesterday about everybody talks about, oh, Clemson had a down year, and he is exactly right. People need to wake up.

How about the teams that are getting better? I think Pittsburgh is getting better, so we'll start there. Again, any time you get -- I've coached in the Big Ten for eight years, so I know it. I don't know the SEC, so I'm not going to claim. I've never coached in the SEC, but I do know the Big Ten. I feel very confident -- and, again, it's not being arrogant. It's just kind of knowing the landscape and knowing what we played against in The Peach Bowl, just would have liked to have our backup quarterback the play the whole game.

That's just confidence. That's no disrespect to the Big Ten or Michigan State. It's just about Pitt and about the ACC.

Again, that's all I can tell you. I think ACC football is really, really good, and that's really the comment there that I was trying to get across.

Q. What are your thoughts on the 3-5-5 scheduling coming to the ACC quite soon and playing Syracuse, Boston College, and Virginia Tech every season?

PAT NARDUZZI: I love the three teams we get to play, obviously, regional. Again, as coaches we really don't make those decisions. They get made above us. I'm still a proponent of the two divisions. I love the two divisions.

I think Pittsburgh has come to where we are today, winning the ACC Championship a year ago, but it was developed from our 2018 Coastal Division Championship. I think there has to be a starting point.

For me it's okay because we've built something good in the last seven years, and it's just going to continue to go, but I feel bad that some of the other teams maybe haven't been in that championship game, haven't been Coastal Division champions, and they won't have a chance here in the future if that stays true, because I really think that helped build us.

When I was at Michigan State, we got beat by Wisconsin in the championship. We were division champions, got to the ACC championship and lost that game. That fueled us to come back and beat the No. 1 team in the country in Ohio State and play in the Rose Bowl. To me that was all fuel. You take little steps as you go, and I think it's a big deal to be a division champion. I think just like AFC and NFC championships, those are big games. There are celebrations after that game. I think it's the same thing with the Coastal and Atlantic.

Again, you give them to us, we'll play whoever you tell us to play, we'll play. We'll play one division. We'll play 12 divisions. I don't care what we play, but I truly believe there was some merit to keeping the divisions.

Q. Do you believe that NIL has tampered with the loyalty and fairness of the collegiate level for players?

PAT NARDUZZI: I'm sorry? One more time.

Q. Do you believe the NIL has tampered with the loyalty and fairness for players at the collegiate level?

PAT NARDUZZI: I do. I love the opportunity for our players when you talk name, image, and likeness to make money. I want our players to make as much money. And we talk a lot about branding. I told our guys on our trip down yesterday, this is a big and a great opportunity to brand yourself. Who are you as a person? What do you stand for? Those type of things.

I think the initial name, image, and likeness was to sell your brand, sell your jersey, to watch No. 5 or No. 7 walk around, No. 77 walk around with their jerseys and sell their jerseys, and the more jerseys you sell, the more money you make. I think that's where initially it stood with name, image, and likeness. You have heard the story, this is old news. Now it's become more of a pay for play.

Obviously, you can't like where that's going, but I think the NCAA, somebody will get ahold of it and try to put some constraints and some borders on the whole thing.

Q. Now that you guys have kind of reached that mountaintop, won the ACC, what is the biggest challenge in staying there, and also, how do you replace Kenny at quarterback?

PAT NARDUZZI: I'll start with the end there. Replacing Kenny is never an easy -- Kenny Pickett was an outstanding football player. He was the leader of our football team. Not only will we miss the leadership he shows on the field, but we'll miss, obviously, the competitiveness he brought to the game every Saturday. So Kenny will be hard to replace.

We've got two young men that are fighting for that position right now. Nick Patti, who played in a bowl game, at least the first two series of the bowl game until he was injured, and Kedon Slovis, a transfer from the University of Southern California. Those two guys are battling. They both had great springs. I think we can win a lot of games with both of them. I think that we'll have a very, very competitive August at camp with them.

The beginning of that question, I forgot it already was? Okay. How do you stay where we are?

That's always a challenge, but I would rather have that challenge than be sitting at the bottom trying to get my way up the ladder, but it's never easy I think.

The attitude of our kids, the discipline, the passion they have, and I think the desire they have to be champions again. You did it once. That was a long time ago. It seems like forever ago. I think our kids are going to work one day at a time. This is 2022. It's a whole new season. We have a new football team, and I think our kids are going to work at that.

I think it starts with the head coach. I think it starts with me. If I'm happy and complacent with where we are, then that's fine, but I don't think that will be happening with me. I think they'll feel that in August. I think they felt it in spring ball.

We haven't done anything yet. We would like to win a national championship. We want to be in the playoffs. We're one game last year away from being that -- in that talk at least in the 14 talk. If you go to a 12-team playoff, we're in it.

That's where we want to be. We're not happy with where we were last year, and we would like to win every football game.

Q. The ACC champion team of last year was dynamic offensively. Led the league in total offense, led the league in scoring offense. That team, of course, featured not only Kenny Pickett, but Jordan Addison, Shocky Jacques-Lois, and then your tight end not to forget him --

PAT NARDUZZI: Gavin.

Q. How do you see the personality of this year's offensive team? You return a lot of big linemen. Of course, Abanikanda in the back field.

PAT NARDUZZI: We had lineman returning. We have four kids that could have taken off. Carter Warren, one of them with us here today that turned down going to the Senior Bowl, playing at Mobile and the combine in Indianapolis to come back and play at Pitt. Our offensive line is back. Our running backs are all back. We've got some great weapons at the receiver position. Started with Jared Wayne, Konata Mumpfield, Jaden Bradley. I'm going to miss somebody without having a list in front of me. I feel great with the weapons we have out there.

A kid named Bub Means, a kid that transferred in the summer. Jaylon Barden as well. We've got some outstanding receivers.

We're going to get the ball in the guys' hands that deserve it. That's what we'll find out in August. Who are our playmakers? Who can we trust? Who can we hand it off to? Who can we throw it to? Who is going to be throwing that pass?

I can tell you this, I'll say this again, in 2020 I thought we had an outstanding football team, a championship-caliber football team. With all the COVID things that happened, we've never got to get where we need to be. People say, hey, what was the difference between '20 and '21 with Kenny Pickett? You really couldn't tell because '20 was kind of just a crazy year where we're all rolling around with masks on and getting COVID'ed out and all that. That whole year I think we've built a program in Pittsburgh. It's not just a one-year splash, Kenny did it all and nobody else did anything.

I think we've got a great football team. Kenny Pickett, the first quarterback taken in the draft, was outstanding. I think we've got other good football players as well. We've done a great job of recruiting. Character guys, athletic guys, and guys that can play football.

I'll take these guys anywhere, these three here plus the rest of the gang back in Pittsburgh that we have. We've recruited for the long haul and not just for one season. It wasn't a splash. That's the expectations.

I think we've got a good football team returning.

Q. You speak on wanting to win a national championship and Tony Dorsett, Al Romano and the gang at Pitt did that years ago. When you look at recruiting and everything you've just mentioned, just what can you say about Pitt's history and marks what you built upon back then and have the bridge to the NFL to the gentlemen that are sitting here with you that just came off winning an ACC Championship?

PAT NARDUZZI: History is a great predictor. We won nine national championships in Pittsburgh. You talk about Tony Dorsett in 1976, winning the national championship. That's the last one. That's something that we're striving for. I think things go in circles. You look back years and years and years ago. Alabama wasn't very good. Look where they are today. That's something that, again, Pittsburgh is the same thing.

We're going to finish the circle there and get around to that. We just continue to build and work on that championship season.

Q. Really excited to see the opener and the backyard brawl coming back with West Virginia. That was a great rivalry for decades. Is this just a home and home with West Virginia, or is this going to be more than just a couple of years with West Virginia?

PAT NARDUZZI: We've got a four-year deal with West Virginia right now, and I'm not sure if there was the other four years has come through, E.J.? So eight of the next 11. I knew we were working on it before. I didn't want to spill the beans. 8 of the next 11 years we will be playing West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl, and I think we just redid another four years with their athletic department. It's something we're excited about. It's right down the road. It's a heck of a game. There's a lot of excitement in Pittsburgh for September 1st.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much. You can switch places with Deslin, and we will get our redshirt freshman D-lineman up here.

Q. Deslin, coming off that ACC championship and making it to a big-time bowl game, just what can you say about building off of the success of last season and what this Pitt team in your opinion looks like in 2022?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: Last year was a great year. We were happy with what we did last year, but we're focused on this year now. Focused on doing everything -- all the little things right to make sure we can replicate and have a better year than we did last year.

Our team has been working really hard. Not really focused on what we did last year because last year is last year. We're trying to do what we do this year.

Q. On that note of last year, I remember asking you how you guys plan to replace all the production from defensive line in 2020. You did that in a big way. What's the next step for this defense and for your position group this year?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: Just up the level, up the bar. Continue to work hard every day. Continue to make plays and be a dominant defense.

THE MODERATOR: Why did you not play football until your junior year in high school?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: Because football was never a sport that was introduced to me. I played basketball starting at seventh grade, and then my high school bodybuilding coach Javon Glen, got the head football coach, and then he told me to come over. There was a lot of great opportunities. I fell in love with it ever since.

Q. The defensive line obviously you have a returning All-American. Really strong unit on that team. Where do you guys feel that with the confidence level heading into this season knowing that right off the bat West Virginia, Tennessee, two really big games coming up?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: We'll continue to work hard. We never look back on what we did last year. We really just want to keep setting the bar higher and higher and never just sitting there and feeling happy with what we did. We always want more. We continue just to push the bar a lot higher and did a lot better than we did the year previously.

THE MODERATOR: From the podium, you turned 24 last month. Does anyone on the team call you "grandpa"?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: (Laughing). A lot of guys call me "old head." I'm one of the oldest guys on the team. I'm proud of that. There's a lot of leadership that comes with that. That's a great role to be in because I played a lot of football.

THE MODERATOR: What are you teaching the younger kids as the old man?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: Just a lot of little things. Showing up on time, paying attention to little details because the little details, a lot of people don't think, but the little things are what matters the most when it comes to winning and losing games.

Q. You had one of the ACC's better defenses last year, but there were some games where you gave up long passes and points. I know you want to focus on this year, so my question would be, what do you feel like you can do better this year? What are some areas where you want to improve?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: We can do better just staying together at certain times when things aren't going as well. Just really just focusing on the little details. A lot of things that didn't go well was just a minor fix. Just focusing on that minor fix as a team and fixing that and doing better this year.

THE MODERATOR: Another question from the podium: You and your crew are very service-oriented. What inspires you to get so involved in the community?

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: Just because I feel that us together as a team, we're really blessed. To be blessed is, for one, it's also important to give back. It's important to me. It's important to our team. Just to give back to the community and do good work out there.

THE MODERATOR: I have noticed that the terms "responsibilities" and "leadership," they mean a great deal to you. Define each of those words.

DESLIN ALEXANDRE: Leadership, you know, just to be able to be at a position where a lot of young guys look up to you. There's a lot of responsibility that comes within that. A lot of responsibility to come to the kids, the younger guys, showing them what to do because they look up to everything you do, and showing them the way to get to the position you are in.

THE MODERATOR: Deslin, thank you. SirVocea, you are up next.

Q. Looking at this journey for you from Christian Brothers Academy, Central and Upstate New York going to prep school in New Jersey and working out that recruitment and the opportunity to be at Pitt, when you look back on that journey and now you are standing up there as an ACC Champion, looking to get more, just what can you say about the road to where you stand on that stage?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: It was a wild journey, I would say. Especially now that I'm a linebacker. Me being in that position or coming from those schools I was a quarterback or a receiver, running back, whatever, anything.

Just being on that journey and the recruiting in that area isn't the best, so just being on that journey and being an ACC Champion means a lot. Not just to me, but definitely that area in Syracuse.

THE MODERATOR: From the podium, you're a law criminal justice and society major. What drew your interest to this?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: So I first found out to become a sports agent you have to be a lawyer, so you have to take that route, and that's what I decided to do.

After this football stuff is done, if I don't go into coaching, like this guy right here, yeah, sports agent sounds like the best idea for me.

Q. What have you seen from your teammates this offseason, and maybe from yourself, that gives you confidence you're going to repeat as champions?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: Definitely the attention to detail. These guys seen that last year. If you pay attention to the little things, we can be good, great, whatever. This year we really focused on the details. We really thought if we buy in now in the offseason that later in the year, you know, we will be where we want to be, whether that's ACC champs or in the college football playoffs.

Last year we were seven points away, and we think this year that that seven, we're not worried about that seven. We're going to get it.

Q. You're not the biggest guy on this defense, but you are the leading tackler. You're one of the top tacklers in the ACC. Given the fact that the offense is a little bit newer and you guys are more experienced, do you feel the urgency to keep scores low, and especially early in the season?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: Say that again, I'm sorry.

Q. Given the offense is newer and you guys are very experienced, do you feel like this is going to be a year where the defense needs to keep opponents from scoring more than in the past?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: Yeah, that's always the goal. Being a defender is to stop the other team from scoring. The best idea is to keep them to zero points, but this year, yes, definitely. We want to be that defense that is a part of the elite group in the country, and if we can do that, I think amazing things will happen.

Q. You're from Syracuse. You went to Christian Brothers Academy. Syracuse didn't offer you and didn't really recruit you all that much coming out of high school. Do you take that energy with you when you play the Orange?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: Not necessarily. I approach every game as I do any other game, and that's focus on what I can do to help the team focus on how to win the game and my assignment. We go from there. I'm not really worried about the schools that didn't offer me, that didn't look at me or recruit me. I'm not worried about that.

Q. You are smiling up there. You have a positive attitude. You always bring a lot of positive energy. What does Pat Narduzzi do for this team to bring the positivity and is there something about him you can share with us that maybe we don't know?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: (Laughing). No, he brings the juice every day. Sometimes guys don't want to be there, and that's just football. Sometimes it's rough days. Sometimes it's hard days. The energy starts with him. Starts with him. The juice starts with him, and then we take that from him and disperse it to the team.

Coach Narduzzi, he is a player's coach. Everyone loves him. We're behind him. The city is behind him. He is there for us. Any time you have a coach like that, any time you have a coach that loves you, coaches for you, is there for you, and the city, it's the best of both worlds.

Q. You had one of the best linebacker rooms in the ACC last year. A lot of those guys have since moved on. What have you done this offseason to step up to not only replace that production, but emerge as a leader in that position group?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: We definitely had a lot of production in our linebacker room last year, and we're looking to if not match it, definitely raise the bar. We've added a lot of talent to the room. We've taught a lot of young guys the roles that they needed to play. We just really -- they just bought in. Like I said earlier, you buy in, a lot of things can happen.

We have a lot of guys that's an addition to the team, and the linebacker room, and they're ready to go. Smart guys, too.

THE MODERATOR: Last question from the podium: Why a turnover hoop, where did that come from?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: Actually, our defensive coordinator brought that. He loves Jordans, so Air Jump. Yeah. He loves the idea of dunking. He can't dunk. He is, about, what, 5'7"? Yeah, Coach Bates, he loves the idea of dunking the football in a basketball hoop.

THE MODERATOR: Did you donate it to baseball for their season or was it just a loaner?

SIRVOCEA DENNIS: Definitely. We donated it to the baseball team. If they hit a home run, they usually dunk the ball. Since we did it so well of a job this year dunking the ball and we beat the hoop up pretty bad, so we had to donate it. They got their fair run of it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. You can switch up with Carter. We'll spend our last few minutes with Carter Warren, redshirt senior offensive tackle.

Q. Carter, Coach mentioned you had the opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl last year, and you're coming off of a great season. A lot of tough tests against a lot of good pass rushers in the ACC. What is 2022 going to be about for you, and what more are you looking to prove?

CARTER WARREN: Honestly, I want to show everybody that we can run the ball. Personally, you know, with the offense we had before prior, we primarily were passing the ball, but I just want to show people that I can be physical, I can be dominant on the field when we're running that ball. That's what I'm looking forward to.

Q. Going along with that about running the ball and going to be able to do that more, your entire offensive line unit is full of seniors. Big dudes, old dudes, ready to go with that. Tell me about what value that means to you to be able to go forward and do that this year.

CARTER WARREN: It was huge. I have a great group of guys. We just came together, and we just sat down and really talked it out. We wanted to come back and make a difference on this team and have another great year. We're all best friends, and I love my boys. Big things this year for us.

Q. This is your sixth year in the program. You've seen a lot of ACC talent come and go. What team do you think will offer the biggest challenge in terms of a pass rush this season?

CARTER WARREN: Overall this season I would say Tennessee. They've got a great group. I feel like last year I held my own. I did my thing. I know they're going to come back this year ready to go. Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing them play.

Q. Coach talked about the battle at quarterback. What have you noticed about those two guys who are competing for that job as compared to Kenny, who was player much the year?

CARTER WARREN: They're both great guys. Both great quarterbacks. I feel like both of them can compete at this level. It's going to come down to who wants it more. Who is going to give it all they've got, and it's going to be good for the team. We'll see, man. I have no idea.

Q. You are a redshirt senior, and without Kenny this season, how are you looking to fill in those leadership roles on offense?

CARTER WARREN: On offense I have myself. We have Jared Wayne and a couple of other guys that are really stepping up and taking that spot from Kenny Pickett. This team needs leadership, and we have it, and I feel like it's going to be a big year for us in that aspect.

Q. Took down Tennessee last year. You got them once again this season. I'm curious how you think you guys stack up against SEC competition? And to get to the college football playoff, do you think you have the talent to compete there and get there?

CARTER WARREN: 100%. We definitely have the talent. Like Coach was harping about, running that ball. If we can do that, we can go all the way. No doubt about it.

Q. First game on the schedule, West Virginia. Have you looked into that history and the rivalry that used to be there throughout time, and does that mean anything to you at Pitt as you carry that forward?

CARTER WARREN: Oh, definitely. The Backyard Brawl dates back years ago before my time. It's huge history behind it. I'm excited. All the trash-talking I'm hearing. I hear throwing beer bottles at the bus coming in.

I'm curious to see, man. I'm very excited when the game comes. Yes, very curious.

Q. You've talked about wanting to run the ball. Of course, you were just 10th in the league last year. Israel Abanikanda returns. How would you describe him as a running back, and how much deeper is your running back room this year?

CARTER WARREN: He is phenomenal. He is a great running back. The whole room itself, we've got Rodney Hammond as well. Those two together, Vincent Davis. We have some great guys that can really run that ball. We open some lanes for them, oh, man, sky is the limit for us.

THE MODERATOR: Carter, congratulations. You're the offensive lineman that's gotten the most questions.

CARTER WARREN: Really? I appreciate y'all, man. Yeah, let's do it. (Laughing).

THE MODERATOR: That is Pitt. Coach, players, good luck this season.