University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Five Takeaways from Day 8 of Pitt Football Training Camp
8/14/2026 2:15:00 PM | Football, General
Pitt Athletics made Pat Narduzzi, freshman Damon Ferguson and Tony Forney available to media on Day 8 of fall camp, with Saturday's first scrimmage looming large.
Here are five takeaways from the day.
1. Execution over separation
Saturday's scrimmage — the first of fall camp — will be less about picking a starter and more about who executes.
"We're looking for intensity," Narduzzi said. "I'm looking for guys competing in execution, that's what it all comes down to."
He added a wrinkle: separation isn't necessarily the goal if it means someone falls behind.
"We're looking for intensity," Narduzzi said. "I'm looking for guys competing in execution, that's what it all comes down to. Execution, and to see some separation somewhere. To see someone say, 'Hey, I'm the guy,' and take it over. But if two guys do that, then there is no separation."
2. Special teams battle still wide open
The kicking competition remains unsettled, and Narduzzi isn't rushing to name a starter before it's tested under game pressure.
"We may not know till game day," Narduzzi said. "We may not know till the first kick. We'll try to figure that out."
Sam Hunsaker and Antonio Chadha are competing at kicker, while Gabe Russo and Kaemon Tijerina are battling at punter. Narduzzi likes what he's seeing so far.
"Our field goals — we've been probably hitting 85, 90 percent," Narduzzi said. "And again, the punters are doing well. We got to get them under pressure a little bit more, which we will tomorrow. But it's been solved so far."
3. Freshmen McCrae and Pittman turning heads
Two true freshmen have caught Narduzzi's eye early in camp: cornerback Kentrail McCrae and defensive lineman Josh Pittman.
"He's a young corner, number 25," Narduzzi said of McCrae. "He's a football player. He's tough. He's detailed. For a young guy, he's mature too."
Narduzzi was careful to frame it as expected readiness rather than a surprise — not just for McCrae, but for the freshman class as a whole.
Pittman, meanwhile, has stood out physically.
"I think that guy's a beast," Narduzzi said. "He's twitchy. He continues to get better every day. Mentally, we got to get him on the same page all the tim. That's probably the biggest thing. Physically, I just watched him one-on-one pass rush this morning, and he's violent with his hands. He does a nice job going against [Ryan] Bear."
4. Ferguson leaning on adaptability to make up ground
Freshman running back Ferguson didn't arrive on campus until June, putting him behind classmates who came in for the spring semester. He's made up for lost time by staying coachable.
"I feel like what I've been doing well is being a team player and being adaptable," Ferguson said. "When coach tells me, 'Hey, you need to fix this,' I try to do my best to make sure that's what I'm working on, while also still playing fast and playing my game."
For Ferguson, it comes down to buying into the bigger picture.
"At the end of the day, we want to win an ACC championship," Ferguson said. "So when coach tells me he needs me to do something for the team, I'm on it right away because that's the end goal for everyone. This is a team sport."
5. Forney banking on consistency to climb the depth chart
Freshman safety Forney impressed in the spring and has carried that momentum into fall camp, even while working behind Cruce Brookins and Josh Guerrier at boundary safety.
"I say just staying consistent, keeping a good pad level, playing fast, running to the ball every play," Forney said.
