University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel has signed a two-year contract extension, as announced by school officials Wednesday morning. With the extension, Capel is now under contract through the 2026-27 season.
“I am grateful for the commitment Chancellor Gallagher and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke have shown to the Pitt Men’s Basketball program and to me. We have outstanding leadership and support at the University of Pittsburgh,” said Capel. “I am excited about the direction of our basketball program as we continue to build a sustainable winning culture in the Atlantic Coast Conference. We will continue to give 100 percent of ourselves as we represent Pitt on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”
“The Pittsburgh community has embraced my family and me and we look forward to deepening our roots here. We are extremely appreciative to be part of the City of Champions.”
Capel guided the Panthers through an eight-game improvement in his first season in Oakland and has Pitt sitting at 10-4 overall and 1-2 in ACC play currently. Four of the Panthers 10 wins this season have come against Power 5 conference teams, including a season-opening win over a Florida State team now ranked in the top 20 of the AP Poll.
“In a short time, I have seen Coach Capel and his staff provide Pitt basketball with the opportunity to succeed at the highest level because of their work ethic, basketball acumen and belief in building this program the right way with the right people,” said Director of Athletics Heather Lyke. “What has impressed me most with Coach Capel is the genuine relationships he has developed with our student-athletes and he and his staff’s ability to make our student-athletes better players and people. These relationships are an early indicator of the long term success they will have together.”
“Coach Capel believes in setting great expectations and building it the right way to ensure sustained success. There is no question Coach Capel is recruiting the highest level talent and tremendous individuals who will succeed as players and students at Pitt. I have also seen Coach Capel embrace this program and the city of Pittsburgh, and our city has embraced him in return. Today I am thrilled to announce an extension for Coach Capel’s contract through the 2026-27 season and know we are committed to helping him build his legacy at Pitt.”
Pitt faces a pair of road contests this week against North Carolina (Wednesday, Jan. 8 – 7 p.m. – ACC Network) and Miami (Sunday, Jan. 12 – 6 p.m. – ACC Network) before returning to the Petersen Events Center for a three-game home stand. The Panthers have remaining Atlantic Coast Conference home games against Louisville (Jan. 14), North Carolina (Jan. 18), Boston College (Jan. 22), Miami (Feb. 2), Georgia Tech (Feb. 8), Clemson (Feb. 12), Virginia (Feb. 22) and Syracuse (Feb. 26).
Capel inks contract extension at Pitt
