PITT’s Spring Practices are right around the corner and starting on Sunday the 15th at the university’s Southside facility. The NCAA permits 15 practices of which three have to be ‘no pads’. Here is the actual guidance on exactly what a coaching staff can ask of their players:
For days in which institutions schedule a two-a-day practice, live contact practices are only allowed in one practice. A maximum four (4) live contact practices may occur in a given week, and a maximum of 12 total may occur in preseason. Only three practices (scrimmages) would allow for live contact in greater than 50 percent of the practice schedule.
In PITT’s case this season the practices will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the two scrimmages being on the Saturdays and the Spring Game played on Saturday, April 18th at 1:00pm on the field at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh’s Station Square area. Highmark holds 3,500 seats so any photos taken at the game will at least look somewhat crowded.
One real problem, and this is a huge difference and a big negative I think, is that Pat Narduzzi is limiting media access to a designated 30 minute time period. After that the rest of the practice will be closed to all but staff and admin personnel. This is an 180 degree change from Paul Chryst’s policies where the practices were fully open.
I’ll be honest here, there is no way I’ll drive 450 miles round trip for a 30 minute look-in at the practices. Perhaps Chas or Justin will choose to do so but I’ll break my tradition of attending in person every year if the practices remain closed like this. I have to assume at this point that the scrimmages will be under the same restraints so I’ll get no eyeballs on the kids in the spring or the Fall Camp if policies don’t change by then and, in turn, The Blather won’t get 1st hand reports.
