Pitt has four more weeks before their currently scheduled opener at Heinz Field against Syracuse. Part of what makes this year exciting for the Panthers is the returning 12 seniors who project to be starters. But don't underestimate the younger players fighting for playing time.
Pat Narduzzi spoke after the team's 11th practice Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with a lot of enthusiasm about the younger players stepping up to fill in spots across his roster. It's one of the most experienced rosters the Panthers have had, heading into his sixth season as head coach of the program.
But that hasn't stopped him from praises of players working their way up the depth chart. Here's a look at each of the position groups and who's stepping up:
REPLACING TWYMAN
Pitt still must replace their superstar defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman after he opted out of the season. I brought up the potential replacements from a preliminary glance earlier this week, but Narduzzi put his own words on who is winning the spot.
"It's still wide open, but Devin Danielson really has the hold on that," Narduzzi said of Twyman's vacated defensive tackle spot. "Tyler Bentley and David Green are right with him though, for me to say one guy's the starter, I would have a hard time. Danielson, Bentley and Green all have the inside track, but Calijah Cancey is going to play a lot of football as we keep our guys fresh."
Danielson's 12 tackles was the most in 2019 of those top three players as Bentley had seven tackles and Green with two. But other positions have seen younger players pushing for starting time.
MIKE LINEBACKER
Because Pitt runs a 4-3 defense, they have three traditional linebacker positions, each with their own specific responsibilities.
The "Star" or "Sam" linebacker that plays the strong side of the offense and either covers the tight end or extra receiver on that side of the ball; the "Money" or "Will" linebacker that plays the weak side of the offense and usually blitzes and stuffs the run more; and the "Mike" who is the main middle linebacker that flows from gap to gap off the ball.
Cam Bright is the Star linebacker and Phil Cambell III is the Money linebacker for 2020. Redshirt senior Chase Pine has been the projected Mike linebacker heading into training camp, but Narduzzi made it clear he has a challenger.
"There's a great battle going on at the Mike," Narduzzi said on Friday. "Obviously Chase Pine is in there and doing a nice job. But honestly Wendell Davis is playing like he looks like the real deal. This kid came back focused and locked in. Chase being a senior, you'd love to see him crank it up and be a starter but Davis is giving him a run every single day, so watch out."
Pine finished 2019 with 19 tackles and four tackles for loss while Davis filled in occasionally and finished with nine tackles and a sack.
Davis is a redshirt sophomore from Richmond, Virginia who earned his stripes last season on special teams with big plays in close games. He scored a touchdown off a blocked punt in Pitt's 35-34 win over UCF and a punt he blocked himself in the team's 17-14 win over Delaware.
But Narduzzi is also excited about the depth behind his starters at Mike linebacker.
"Brandon George is doing a nice job," Narduzzi said. "The other outside linebacker would be the first guy in at either position would be Sirvocea Dennis. He had two plays yesterday on the goal line. He might be the smartest guy at linebacker. For a sophomore, that's impressive."
NEW SLOT MAN
One of the bigger surprises Narduzzi revealed Friday was that a true freshman had worked his way to be a starter for his offense.
"Right now Jordan Addison is playing really well" Narduzzi said. "People need to watch out for him early. Freshman from Maryland, he came in at mid-year and saw him do nice things in the Spring. He has soft hands and is starting in the slot right now as a true freshman. I think he's a special kid."
Considering Kenny Pickett already has thrown touchdowns to receivers Taysir Mack, Shocky Jacques-Louis and Jared Wayne, it's very impressive for Addison to work his way past everyone and into a starting position. But Narduzzi wouldn't sell any of those guys short.
"You've got Jared Wayne and Taysir Mack those guys are playing really well. Obviously you've got Lucas Krull and Danny Maraga have had two great days at tight end. Shocky has played at a high level and stayed healthy."
Addison also looks to be an early contributor on special teams. Maurice Ffrench was the team's leading returner in 2019, leaving a vacancy after his senior season.
"As far as kick returner it's between 'Izzy' [Israel Abanikanda] and Jordan Addison. They've got the inside the track with good speed and great ball skills. Punt returner it's between Vincent Davis and again, Jordan Addison."
Watch out for new blood looking to break open the return game. Narduzzi seemed truly excited talking about Addison.
BATTLE IN THE BACKFIELD
After averaging 4.2 yards per carry behind a struggling line in 2019, senior A.J. Davis looks ready to have a solid season as the team's clear No. 1 running back. But Narduzzi's been intrigued by two younger players
"In the backfield, A.J. Davis has been doing well," Narduzzi said of his backs. "He got dinged up a day ago and was out today but he'll be fine for game day."
But Narduzzi really dug into the battles behind Davis. He mentioned sophomore Israel Abanikanda for a second time, reaffirming his nickname.
"I'm interested in what happens tomorrow in the scrimmage with 'Izzy,'" Narduzzi said. "Todd Sibley Jr. had a great Spring, he's our best pass protector by far and does an outstanding job there. Daniel Carter has gotten some meaningful reps. We did a goal line live period yesterday and short yardage the day before, and he's done a nice job there."
Narduzzi also pointed out a versatile member in his backfield.
"Daniel Carter is being both tailback and fullback. He's playing tailback, fullback, tight end, he's doing anything. He's a hybrid. He's tough."
POSITION CHANGES
Two major changes in positions were announced on defense as defensive coordinator Randy Bates finds more suitable usage for players who weren't breaking through in their assumed roles.
"John Patricia has moved to the outside linebacker spot. He's found a nice little home there. Breaking in the back end with Paris Ford and Damar Hamlin isn't easy, and Brandon Hill is playing really well."
But the change Narduzzi was most animated over was moving Judson Tallandier from cornerback to safety. Tallandier is a redshirt sophomore defensive back from Maryland who played purely on special teams the past two seasons, and was losing in the depth chart battles at cornerback.
They tried moving Tallandier to safety, and he's since looked at home.
"Another position move we made was Judson Tallandier from corner to safety," Narduzzi said. "He can play both, he's a swing guy, but he's shown a lot of things at safety. Coaches sometimes are so dumb. Maybe we should've moved him a year ago. But one day we lined him up at safety at practice and I thought, 'that's his spot.' With awareness he's a better safety than he was corner, and he can play both, but it's great to see him out there at safety."
The cornerbacks who pushed Tallandier from their play were A.J. Woods and Marquis Williams, both who saw the field over Tallandier in 2019.
"A.J. Woods has played well and Marquis Williams is playing at a high level. They were starting to move ahead of Judson and that's what we said 'hey let's move back Judson' and we found another player in him. It's like Christmas."
OFFENSIVE LINE
Pitt's running game struggled primarily because of its offensive line. But with four returning starters, Narduzzi sees versatility, reliability and depth in a rejuvenated unit.
"We're so much deeper right now on the O-line," Narduzzi said. "At times you get banged up. Gabe Houy is coming off a postseason surgery so we've been very careful with him to not throw him out there in the first live period. Slowly integrating the guys into pads, it's so important how you do that."
Along with Houy, Pitt gets back redshirt senior center Jimmy Morrissey, redshirt senior guard Bryce Hargrove, and redshirt junior tackle Carter Warren.
But with all those returning starters, Narduzzi still sees younger players making their case for more playing time. Nothing helps better with that then being flexible with positions on the line.
"Matthew Goncalves, a kid from Long Island is doing a really nice job playing tackle and guard. Owen Drexel has really stepped up playing with the 2s and the 1s, even replacing Jimmy at center. We know Jimmy can play, so we really developed some depth there. Keldrick Wilson continues to progress, he had his best day yesterday. Blake Zubovic, he's played right tackle and right guard and he's really getting better."
NARDUZZI NOTES
• Narduzzi also spoke on why the program didn't force its players in a bubble for the entirety of training camp.
"We considered putting all our players in a hotel, but I decided against that," Narduzzi said. "All we do is get a false sense of security, then as soon as we let them out of the hotel then they would break out and look for parties. So we decided to treat them like adults, we have to train them, teach them and show them how it's done. I don't regret that and UPMC recommends that. You can't protect them forever. They've been home since March and now they're looking for everything to do back on campus. They're happy to be back and see people, but we have to do it the right way. If we can't do it like this, we won't have a season. Our kids have done an incredible job. I'm proud of them."
• Because Pitt still has a scholarship available, Narduzzi was asked about how that information would be used.
"If we have a scholarship and it's the right player at the right position, there's no question about it," Narduzzi said. "We've always got our ears open, but we haven't heard of a lot of kids going into the portal. I think this news about eligibility makes it easier for kids to say 'I'm not going in the portal' and we're going in with open ears and open eyes."
• Narduzzi also provided insight on how the program is trying to replace Miami (OH) as a September 12th matchup, and how the team is approaching the start of the season even with that weekend not having a schedule at this time. He emphasized that neither he nor the players can influence that decision and they have to focus on what they can control. But he firmly believes the program will find an opponent to fill the weekend of September 12th.
"We're full steam ahead," Narduzzi said. "We tell our guys to plan like they're playing the 12th. They read stuff and they think if some guy in a basement tweets something out then they believe it. I tell these guys to prepare to play on the 12th. Be ready to go. The uncertainty worries me, but we all have to prepare for a season to start on the 12th. I tell our guys I have no question we're playing, because if you think we're not going to, and then we get to game week and you wouldn't think we would get there. They need to get their minds right now, ready to go, because we're playing on the 12th."
"We're getting closer to identifying an opponent on the 12th, but I don't know how close we are," Narduzzi said of the search for another program. "It's amazing, there's a lot of things going on with the testing. We've got to find the right team. We're not going to jeopardize our team. We're going to find someone we trust and know will do the right thing based on the ACC protocols."
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