Fast forward to 2021 and Webb III, better known as “Coach Zo,” has led the jumps and multis teams for a decade as an assistant coach. The 2020-21 season was unquestionably his most successful year to date.

Since its inception, the NCAA has held that college athletes cannot and will not be paid for their name, image or likeness. Athletes were ineligible to accept endorsements or receive payment for their performance — all to maintain the amateurism surrounding college athletics. But new rules and regulations regarding name, image and likeness benefits for college athletes will change this long-standing rule.

Many teams emerged gracefully from the COVID-19 pandemic, but few are equipped to renew their success this year. Volleyball and men’s soccer are poised for historic seasons, while baseball will need to reload before it is back to competing on a national stage.

Pitt athletics is hoping to take a big step back towards pre-pandemic operations this fall. According to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday afternoon, Pitt plans on open on-campus venues to full capacity for fall sports this year, with some regulations for spectators still in place.

Pickett added Bowser Automotive — a car dealership in Pleasant Hills, about 30 minutes south of Oakland — to his list of endorsements late last week.

Pitt’s starting quarterback was back at the Boys and Girls Club, a staple of his youth, to give out some free “Pickett’s Partners” t-shirts and toss around some footballs.

On a sun-washed and steamy Pittsburgh Friday, with the Sept. 4 opener vs. Massachusetts nearing, Pitt football got to practice as a full team for the first time this season. With some in shoulder pads and others wearing just helmets, the Panthers opened 2021 training camp with a light practice, one in which everyone was still getting their feet back under them, according to Narduzzi.

Pitt football opened its annual training camp on Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, located in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.

Former Pitt forward Justin Champagnie did not hear his name called during Thursday’s NBA Draft, but did find a temporary home at the next level nonetheless. A 2021 First Team All-ACC selection, Champagnie signed a two-way deal with the Toronto Raptors in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Pitt super-senior quarterback Kenny Pickett became the first Panther to announce an endorsement deal on Thursday afternoon. Pickett tweeted that he is partnering with The Oaklander Hotel on Bigelow Boulevard for his first NIL deal and will treat the offensive line to what he calls weekly “Hog Dinners” at Spirits and Tales, a restaurant on the hotel’s top floor.