Do you ever think it’s weird when ESPN insider Adam Schefter tries to dabble in breaking NBA news? Or when a former basketball player like Kendrick Perkins tries to give football takes on television?
Well, NFL Live held a segment along those lines Wednesday, having University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari on set. Calipari was asked about the Pittsburgh Steelers, of which he has a fandom of and an appreciation for head coach Mike Tomlin who he believes will bring the best out of second year QB Kenny Pickett in 2023.
“Kenny Pickett… the exact right coach for him is Mike Tomlin,” Calipari said on NFL Live with aired on NFL on ESPN’s YouTube Channel. “And those two are going to be like that, and Mike’s going to build them up because… I think Kenny could be the breakout player. He can be that guy, and I think Mike will help him and I think that will be the goal.
Calipari was born in Moon Township, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He played his high school ball there and went on to play two years at UNC Wilmington before transferring to Clarion University of Pennsylvania to finish out his bachelor’s degree. Calipari also coached at the University of Pittsburgh from 1985-1988 as an assistant before taking his first college head coaching job at UMass.
Calipari mentioned that he and Tomlin have been friends for years, appreciating each other and their desire to be great at coaching their respective sports. For Calipari, he’s been known for taking young college freshman and getting the best out of them before they leave for the NBA as “one-and-done’s.” Having worked with younger players and their development, Calipari sees similarities between his coaching style and Tomlin’s as Tomlin never gets too high or low, but rather keeps the boat steady and is the ideal leader for a young franchise QB to look up to.
Calipari plans to attend Pittsburgh’s regular season home opener against the San Francisco 49ers September 10, as Kenny Pickett will look to show that his perfect preseason wasn’t a fluke. Pickett was projected to be a breakout candidate throughout the offseason and played on another level through the preseason, leading five touchdown drives on five possessions.
Tomlin mentioned that he expects Pickett to “kill it” this offseason, having a season and full offseason under his belt to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL game. Based on what we’ve seen thus far and Calipari’s comments, perhaps Pickett could become the breakout player not only in Pittsburgh, but across the NFL.
