Pitt conducted one of its final training camp practices Thursday morning, but there is still a lot of work to do before players and coaches turn their full attention to Kent State and its opening game on Aug. 31.

The so-called “fun” activities over the next few days include posing for the team photo on Thursday, a practice game (not much more than a half) on Friday at Acrisure Stadium, and the annual lunch with fans on Friday at 11:30 a.m., where Narduzzi will announce this year’s captains.

The players have Saturday off while many of them move into their homes and apartments, but they will practice on Sunday before classes begin on Monday.

Coach Pat Narduzzi has been publicly pleased with the players’ attitude throughout training camp, but said he expects his team to show the most improvement from game one to game two. That should hopefully be true, because Pitt has two Big 12 opponents in the second and third weeks of the season — Cincinnati on the road and West Virginia at home. The Panthers lost to both teams last year.

Narduzzi talks to the team every day and said he sent his players a message Wednesday night that they should be grateful for what they have, especially the new locker room at their South Side training complex that features a photo above each player’s locker room.

“I showed them a Powerpoint presentation of what the building looked like when I got here (in 2015),” he said. “We talked about gratitude, about being thankful for what we have.”

The players have taken on the responsibility of keeping order in the dressing room.

“Our guys have done an incredible job. Every night a different position is monitoring the locker room,” he said. “It’s the best it’s ever been. They look after each other.”

When asked about the position battles at defensive tackle and cornerback, he mentioned several players who are still competing for playing time.

At tackle, Nick James, Nahki Johnson, Anthony Johnson, Francis Brewu, Isaiah Neal and Sean FitzSimmons appear to be the standout players. Brewu, a freshman, was one of the surprises of camp.

“This guy just plays with great technique. He’s strong as an ox,” Narduzzi said. “He was at the scout field (where the first-team reserve players are supposed to face tough competition) on the first day, and I heard some of the offensive linemen say, ‘He’s not going to be here long.’ When they talk like that and have respect for the older guys, it means something.”

At cornerback, Ryland Gandy, Tamon Lynum, Rashad Battle, Tamarion Crumpley and Noah Biglow are competing for two starting spots, and it’s likely that there will be plenty of opportunities for all five players in the game against Kent State.

“We will find out on game day how much I can trust them,” said the coach.