2016 Spring Pitt Football Outlook
The first season (2015) for Pitt Football Coach Pat Narduzzi started out fabulously. Before the season finale, Pitt stood at 8-3 with wins over Ga Tech, Duke and Louisville and a top 25 ranking. By the season’s end, it ended with a thud. Pitt lost at home to a mediocre Miami team and a one-dimensional Navy team in the Military Bowl to finish 8-5.
Offensively, Pitt QB Nate Peterman went from game manager to liability in short order. In other words, he went from barely passable against Miami (13 for 27 for 142 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT) to near rock bottom against Navy (13 for 21 for 137 yards with 1 TD and 3 INTs).
Meanwhile, Pitt freshman tailback Darrin Hall went from rising superstar against the Canes (12 carries for 103 yards and 1 touch) to not needed back-up against the Midshipmen (3 carries for 2 yards). It doesn’t help that Pitt was so far behind most of the game to even bother running the ball.
Defensively, Miami exposed Pitt’s poor pass rush and watched Brad Kaaya throw for 235 yards with 21 completions on 35 attempts and a TD. But worse, Navy’s Keenan Reynolds threw 9 for 17 and 126 yards on top of his 24 carries for 144 yards and 3 TDs. Midshipmen tailback Chris Swain also added 27 carries for 114 yards.
In sum, Pitt’s defense lacked the speed to cover most of Navy’s quick draw plays and counters.
However, help is on the way. Pitt had a tremendous 2016 recruiting class, particularly on defense, that should fill a lot of holes. The talent will be young and inexperienced though and thus Pitt will be forced to stick with a lot of the returning letterman for the 2016 season.
A light sample of that recruiting class will see the field during the 15 Spring football practices this month. Here’s a quick preview of what to expect.
OFFENSE
QB – Returning 5th year starter Nate Peterman will naturally take snaps with the first team offense. Peterman usurped the job from previous starter Chad Voytik (who later transferred) and had a solid 2015 season sans the Miami and Navy games. He completed 193 passes on 314 attempts with 20 TDs and 8 INTs. That was good for a 138 QB rating.
Battling for the back-up job will be redshirt sophomore Adam Bertke and redshirt freshman Ben DiNucci. Bertke has a nice frame and strong arm and while DiNucci is a bit undersized with an unorthodox release but he does have an uncanny feel for the game. Bertke though seems to be the heir apparent to Peterman until true freshman Thomas MacVittie competes for the job in 2017 after he redshirts this upcoming season.
Former NC State and UT-Martin QB Manny Stocker (his younger brother Jay plays safety for Pitt) will provide depth along with walk-on Ryan Adzima. Another walk-on Bo Schneider (who won’t arrive until June after transferring from Central Florida) will compete next season. That seems like too many QBs for any roster to handle so somebody will eventually transfer. The dust should clear by September.
RB – There’s nothing more exciting than the return of 2014 ACC Player of the Year James Conner to the Pitt backfield. Conner tore his MCL in the 2015 season opener against Youngstown State and soon after was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma that will require roughly 12 treatments (he is reportedly half-way through). Conner is expected to make a full recovery and become the lead back in 2016.
DreamBackfield however predicts 2015 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison will take the lionshare of the carries this season even if Conner starts. Ollison had a monster freshman season last year after amassing 1,048 yards on 204 carries that netted 10 TDs (5.1 yards/carry).
It should also go without saying that Pitt has a not-so-secret weapon in 2015 ACC Overall & Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-way player sophomore Jordan Whitehead who will figure into the Panther offense at running back, wildcat and various shotgun formations. He even lined up out of the eye last season and as a tailback. There’s simply no way to duplicate a talent like Whitehead at the college level and he will factor into the gameplan in 2016 as well.
Some might argue RB Coach Andre Powell’s job is easy since Pitt’s backfield depth gets even better with returning sophomore tailback Darrin Hall, who ran for 264 yards on 57 carries and 2 TDs. Not to mention, third down specialist redshirt junior Rachid Ibrahim returns to the field after missing the entire 2015 season due to an Achilles injury following a freak injury in a non-contact practice drill.
Providing depth will be true freshman Chawntez Moss (Bedford, OH) who enrolled in January and will play this spring. Pitt is also anxiously waiting for true freshman George Hill (Hubbard, OH) to arrive in June.
In sum, the tailback position is well stocked for the foreseeable future and Coach Powell can continue his great work in 2016.
FB / HB – In 2015, Pitt employed a hybrid fullback and H-Back position. With new Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada taking over, that is expected to remain in tact. The one slight wrinkle you will see is more passing out of the backfield.
That’s where redshirt sophomore George Aston excels. He will assume the starting job he seized last season from senior Jaymar Parrish (who was turned into a pass blocking Tight End). Aston was exciting in his limited touches and exhibited really soft hands along with bruising blocking capabilities. Redshirt junior Colton Lively will provide depth.
With Canada’s penchant for throwing out of the backfield, expect Pitt to utilize more swing passes to Aston. This will immensely help Pitt’s poor pass blocking (29 sacks allowed in 2015).
WR – Perhaps the biggest blow to Pitt’s roster in 2016 was the loss of superstar wideout Tyler Boyd to the NFL. It wasn’t unexpected and Boyd made the right decision to move on but he left a massive void at WR for Pitt. Coach Kevin Sherman now has to find a new “go-to” receiver at flanker and the candidate list looks like Republican Party before the primaries.
The safest bet is on redshirt senior Dontez Ford, who caught a meager 26 rocks for 505 yards and 2 touches, to seize the spotlight. While Ford is steady, he’s hardly the player Boyd is but perhaps he can get some help from his friends.
Those comrades include redshirt junior Zach Challingsworth, redshirt junior Jester Weah (who has great speed but needs to work on pass catching) and redshirt senior Chris Wuestner. Challingsworth seems like the likely choice to start opposite Ford at this point but Spring ball almost never decides who wins the starting job for the season opener.
Some of the unknown diamonds in the rough include sophomore Tre Tipton (who the coaches are very high on), redshirt sophomore Jaquaun Davidson, redshirt sophomore Quadree Henderson (who returned the opening kickoff 100 yards against Navy to paydirt in the 2015 Military Bowl and has amazing elusive speed), redshirt freshman Gentry Ivery and JUCO redshirt sophomore Rafael Araujo-Lopes.
Perhaps the next superstar will be incoming true freshman 6’4″ Ruben Flowers (Lima, OH) or Maurice Ffrench (New Brunswick, NJ).
Unlike tailback, it’s anybody’s guess who will emerge as the top targets for Peterman in the fall but the wideout position looks to be decision by committee at this point.
TE – After losing JP Holtz to graduation, Pitt Tight End Coach Tim Salem has some work to do in 2016. Holtz was one of the main cogs in the Pitt offense for the past 4 years and will naturally succumb the position to senior Scott Orndoff.
The good news is nearly 50% of the balls Orndoff caught last year went for scores (5 touches from 13 grabs and 244 yards). The bad news is he didn’t have that many rocks thrown to him. Hopefully that will change under Canada this season. We feel like we’ve been saying this for years but Pitt hasn’t thrown too much to its tight ends and the broken record was the same song last season.
Salem might get a huge boost if Pitt can get incoming UCLA transfer (former 2015 #1 in the nation Tight End recruit) Chris Clark to become eligible this season. That looks doubtful though. Clark, the Ridgewood, NJ product who went to high school in Avon Old Farms, CT, has tremendous pass-catching capabilities and looks like a big-time weapon for the Pitt offense once he’s cleared to play (probably in 2017).
Hot off the Press: Position switch alert! Perhaps to prepare for Clark’s ineligibility, Coach Pat Narduzzi has decided to move former Defensive End and redshirt junior Zach Poker to Tight End this spring. We have no idea if Poker can play tight end but he sure does have the frame for the position (6’4″, 235 lbs with good speed).
Rounding out the depth at Tight End this spring will be of course be senior Jaymar Parrish, redshirt freshman DeAndre Schifino, redshirt junior Devon Edwards and converted linebacker Nate Bossory.
Parrish, by the way, has NFL level skills and the move to Tight End makes a lot of sense for him. Since fullback sadly doesn’t really exist in the NFL game anymore, Parrish will have one more year to refine his skills as a Tight End. He’s still a great blocker with great pass catching skills and DreamBackield thinks he will find a way onto an NFL roster someday.
OL – the Pitt OL looked like a wrecking ball crew on the ground last season. Not only did Coach John Peterson do a wonderful job with the group in 2015, it also looked at times like Pitt played against opponents on roller skates.
That’s because Pitt rushed for 2429 yards (good for 6th best in the ACC), while also controlling the clock for a Time of Possession of 31 minutes/game (ranked 4th in the ACC) and converted 84% of the time when they went for it on 4th down (11 out of 13 attempts which was the best in the conference). That’s some really good stuff.
The main issue though continues to be pass protection. Pitt lacks the lateral quickness to handle strong pass rushers. This was particularly true at center (which is perhaps the worst place to suffer from poor pass protection).
Starting at Left Tackle will be redshirt senior Adam Bisnowaty. Like the rest of the Pitt line, Biz was solid last season on run downs. He has good pad level for run blocking and has a nice eye for picking up run blitzes. He struggles with edge rushes and gets beaten far too often inside rather than outside by quicker DEs and blitz LBers.
It feels like almost yesterday when Dorian Johnson, the highly touted 4 star high school lineman, came to Pitt from nearby Belle Vernon, PA. Well folks that was 4 years ago and now Johnson is playing for his 2017 NFL draft status in his senior season. He’s the prototypical Left Guard (6’5″ 300 lbs) with really good hands and run blocking skills. He too needs a little work on his pass protection but he may be Pitt’s best offensive lineman.
The Center position is probably where Pitt has the most issues. Last season, the position was handled by committee with redshirt junior Alex Officer and the now graduated 6th year Panther Artie Rowell platooning in the role. Officer played most of the 2015 season starting at Right Guard however.
With Officer on the sidelines following an injury in the Military Bowl last season, Pitt will audition a few new players at Center.
Perhaps the most interesting of those possibilities is former Right Tackle and redshirt sophomore Alex Bookser (Mt Lebanon, PA) handling snaps this spring. Bookser looked like the heir apparent at Right Tackle when he was recruited out of high school but with the emergence of Brian O’Neill at Right Tackle and the return of redshirt junior Jaryd Jones-Smith (who missed all of the 2015 season after hurting his knee during an offseason conditioning session) that doesn’t seem likely now.
Jones-Smith is an NFL level talent and might cause O’Neill to move inside to Right Guard and perhaps move Officer back to Center if Bookser can’t seize the job.
If not, Boosker would fit in nicely at Center and then Officer can return to his Right Guard position and O’Neill could return to Right Tackle. Its anybody’s guess right now.
The OL reserve unit is quite large both in physical size and numbers. Any of the following players could push for playing time this season including redshirt sophomore and converted defensive lineman Connor Dintino, redshirt sophomore Alex Galiyas, redshirt junior Carson Baker, redshirt freshmen Aaron Reese, Tony Pilato, Aaron Britton, Alex Paulina, Kyle Benbrook, and Ryan Podgorski and redshirt senior John Guy.
Perhaps the biggest mysteries on the Pitt OL right now is what’s going to happen with redshirt sophomores Mike Grimm and Mike Herndon. Both figured heavily in the future of the Pitt OL and haven’t seen the field yet.
This summer Pitt will also get more depth when Wyndmoor (PA) La Salle High School Center Jimmy Morrissey joins the squad. Morrissey will be a preferred walk-on and will play in the Big 33 game this year in Hersey, PA.
Its also nice to have incoming true freshman and massive tackle Justin Morgan (6’7″ 335 lbs) joining the team this summer along with fellow classmates Brandon Ford (out of Pittsburgh), Florida recruit Zach Williams and Arkon OH recruit Bryce Hargrove (who played defense in high school).
The bottom line is Pitt will have enough talent and depth on the OL to keep the running game at a high level. If Coach Peterson can somehow get the unit to reduce the number of sacks, Pitt should compete for the ACC Coastal crown this season.
DEFENSE
The Pitt Defense looked on paper to be a much better unit in 2015 than 2014. In fact, there were some positives such as being 6th in total defense, 6th against the run and 3rd in sacks (37) in the ACC.
The problem was getting off the field on 3rd down where Pitt allowed opponents to move the sticks 72 times (40% of the time) which was next to last in the ACC. Worst than that, Pitt was dead last in Red Zone defense allowing ACC Teams to score 37 times out of 38 attempts (including field goals).
Those stats were a direct result of a poor pass rush and weak LB play. While many Pitt fans want to place the blame on the Pitt secondary, the truth is without a pass rush Mel Blount in his hey day couldn’t cover receivers for the amount of time the Pitt DL was surrendering.
However, there were times where the defense was simply put in a position to fail and that rests on Coach Josh Conklin. Case in point, the Pitt secondary was in man coverage with less than 30 seconds left in the 1st half against Louisville and leading 42-17. This led to a hail mary TD as time expired.
Strong-side Defensive End
The upside of having undersized DEs (such as Shakir Soto and Rori Blair) is you theoretically can generate a better pass rush with more speed on the field. At times, that looked to be true as Pitt ranked 3rd in sacks in the ACC with most of those coming from Juan Price.
The downside, though, is that’s rarely true unless you have 5″11″ Elvis Dumervil or Jason Pierre-Paul on the field. Even then, those type of players are usually pass rush specialists and typically get blown off the ball against the run.
Pitt has had this problem for years. Players like Charles Sallet, Chris McKillop and one-year wonder McKenzie Mathews come to mind.
To solve this problem, Coach Conklin has decided to move Soto inside and has the fortune of getting mammoth Tennessee-transfer redshirt sophomore Dewayne Hendrix (6’4″ 270 lbs) on to the field after sitting last season due to NCAA rules.
Hendrix brings the correct mix of size and speed to the position that Pitt has desperately lacked.
Blair will provide depth along with redshirt sophomores James Folston (a converted LBer) and Shane Roy.
DT / NT
With the graduation of KK Mosley-Smith and Darryl Render, Pitt finds itself looking for two new starters inside. One of those will probably be senior Tyrique Jarrett who played significant snaps last season.
Jarrett was a solid player against the run but had a lot of trouble mustering any kind of pass rush due to his speed. Unless you’re Pitt legend and current LA Rams all-pro Aaron Donald, that’s probably true of most inside lineman.
That leaves a huge void at the DT spot and that could be filled by any number of players including redshirt junior Jeremiah Taleni, the aforementioned Blair or perhaps redshirt junior Justin Moody.
Moody dazzled at times last season but was often limited due to nagging injuries.
Even better is the group of incoming monsters Coach Narduzzi recruited in this year’s class who are due to arrive in June. This group includes Keyshon Camp (6’3″ 275 lbs / Lakeland, FL), Amir Watts (6’3″ 275 Lbs / Chicago, IL) and Rashad Wheeler (6’3″ 270 lbs / Pittsburgh Central Catholic).
Walk-on Calvin Hamilton (6’0″ 315 lbs / Philadelphia, PA) will provide depth.
Overall, the DT / NT positions will be a weak spot for Pitt this year due to inexperience and a lack of depth/size to compete at this level. That should change in a hurry once these kids spend a year in the weight room with Conditioning Coach Dave Andrews.
Weak-side DE
Juan Price was probably Pitt’s second best player on defense last year. Granted a 6th year of eligibility, the undersized Price had a terrific 2015 season in which he compiled 48 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, one fumble recovery (which was returned for a TD), one forced fumble and a blocked kick. Price is clearly the starter at WDE this season.
Adding depth will be a mix of freshman and journeymen such as true freshman Patrick Jones II (6’5″ 250 lbs / Chesapeake, VA) who enrolled in January and will participate in Spring Drills, JUCO transfer junior Allen Edwards (6’4″ 240 Lbs and will miss most of the Spring with nagging injuries), and junior Andrew Ungerman (5’11” 245 Lbs / Pittsburgh North Hills).
Excitement also arrives in June when incoming true freshman Rashad Weaver (6’5″ 245 Lbs / Cooper City, FL) and Zack Gilbert (6’0″ 240 Lbs / Charlotte NC and son of Pitt legend Sean Gilbert) enroll.
Star LB (weakside or WIL LB)
With Nicholas Grigsby (Bam Bradley’s brother) graduating, Pitt will try to fill the void at “Star” position this season. Perhaps the best candidate for now is redshirt senior Mike Caprara, who is tackling machine despite being slightly too small at this level.
Caprara is coach Rob Harley’s dream in term of his knowledge of/passion for the game and technique. If he were only a few inches taller and about 20 Lbs heavier, he’d be a monster in the ACC.
Middle LB (MIK LB)
Returning in the middle or MIK LB spot will be senior Matt Galambos, who really struggles with speed and shedding blocks. He’s a solid tackler especially against the run and makes some really strong reads. He even had some nice blitzes in 2015 as evidenced when he sacked Iowa’s C.J. Beathard into oblivion on a well designed delayed blitz. But he’s constantly causing gaping holes in the middle of the defense due to his size and lack of speed.
Backing him up will be returning junior Quintin Wirginis, who had a solid sophomore season and at times replaced Galambos in the middle due to his speed. But he too is a bit underwhelming due to his size (6’2″ 245 lbs).
Money LB (strongside or SAM LB)
Pitt’s strongest hitter on defense is clearly “Money” Strongside redshirt senior LBer Bam Bradley and will return as the starter. Bradley is a bit of an enigma to most Pitt fans as he can sometimes completely disappear in games. Other times, he can hit defenders with a punishing purpose that feels like 90s Pitt strong safety Ramon Walker is on the field. Bradley’s disappearing act is not a matter of speed or size but perhaps effort.
In an effort to boost depth, former safety and redshirt sophomore Jalen Williams and redshirt sophomore and former WR Elijah Zeise were moved to LBer this spring. Both Williams and Zeise have nice speed for the position but will need to bulk up. At least, Williams is familiar with the scheme and Zeise played defense in high school.
Perhaps the most complex puzzle that Coach Harley has to solve is what to do with highly touted redshirt freshmen LBers Saleem Brightwell and Anthony McKee Jr., who will miss the spring with an injury.
In June, Coach Harley gets to unwrap his holiday gifts including Chase Pine (Williamsburg, VA), Kaezon Pugh (Aliquippa, PA) and Elias Reynolds (Brooklyn, NY). Its very possible all three of these kids could see playing time this season.
Among the group of walk-on LBers this spring will be Oluwaseun Idowu, Brian Popp, Nico Lodovico, Jim Medure, Dom Cuono and Erik Sellers who will compete for various spots.
Boundary Corner
At Boundary Corner, formerly the property of graduating senior Lafayette Pitts, will be an open competition this year and Coach Renaldo Hill is probably hoping the job will ultimately go to superstar incoming true freshman Damar Hamlin (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) when he arrives in June.
Hamlin is just what Pitt needs in its secondary. He hits like a tank, has amazing sideline to sideline speed and terrific vision. He could end up at Free Safety and allow one of the other incoming recruits to battle for the Boundary Corner position.
For the Spring, Pitt will audition a number of players including returning redshirt senior Ryan Lewis, Phillipe Motley or perhaps redshirt freshman Dane Jackson.
In addition, Coach Hill is probably very excited about the influx of really good recruits due to arrive in June. Besides Hamlin, this list includes Therran Coleman (Pittsburgh Brashear), Phil Campbell (Monmouth Junction / South Brunswick, NJ), Bricen Garner (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and Henry Miller (Kissimmee, FL).
Miller seems like the natural choice at Boundary Corner due to his size (6’3″) and leaping ability.
Field Corner
At the Field Corner position will be junior Avonte Maddox. When he was a freshman, he was picked on by Duke’s Jamison Crowder. Last season, it was Louisville’s Jamari Staples and Syracuse’s Steve Ishmael. The truth is Maddox is a really fine player that’s just too short to match up with most of the elite ACC receivers. He’s a fine hitter and always seems to be in a good position to make plays but often gets beat by simply taller players. Its just unfair.
Strong Safety
Pitt’s best defender and perhaps best player overall is 2015 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year sophomore Jordan Whitehead. The kid is a beast in the secondary with tremendous hands, speed and toughness. He’s the most complete player Pitt has and he will continue to wreck havoc as the starter at strong safety this season.
Free Safety
Returning at Free Safety will be senior Terrish Webb. In a blink of an eye, Webb is in his 4th season after arriving at Pitt with high school buddies Tyler Boyd and former Panther Titus Howard. Webb is a decent Free Safety with good hands, nose for the ball and tackling skills.
Some of the reserves in the secondary will include 5th year redshirt senior Reggie Mitchell, redshirt freshmen Malik Henderson and Jay Stocker, and redshirt sophomores Phillipie Motley and Dennis Briggs.
Walk-ons such as junior Mark Bernsdorff, redshirt freshman Rimoni Dorsey, and junior Rob Boatright will also provide depth.
Defensive Outlook: There will be an interesting mix of veterans and freshman in the Pitt secondary and at the defensive tackles this season. Its going to be hard to keep the true freshman off the field. If Pitt can get any sort of pass rush and get off the field on 3rd down, it should keep the Panthers in the chase of the Coastal Crown this season.
Special Teams:
Placekicker
Returning for his senior season is the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde senior placekicker Chris Blewitt. One week he’ll make game-winners from 56 yards (vs Ga Tech and a school record) or 20 yards (vs Syracuse), or he’ll miss badly (twice against Miami and once against Navy) from 40 yards. The year before (2014) was no different when he missed a game-winning chip shot against Duke that cost Pitt the game. He was only 15 for 23 overall and that was good for 10th best in the ACC.
For Blewitt, its all mental as he’s clearly got the leg to be a more consistent kicker.
Providing depth for Blewitt will be redshirt sophomore walk-on Alec Schuster and redshirt freshman walk-on Tristan Cunha. Neither figure to factor much this season unless Blewitt goes down with an injury.
Punter
Returning for his redshirt junior season will be Punter Ryan Winslow.
Winslow’s career seems to have tanked after a really promising freshman and sophomore campaigns. Last season, he punted 63 times for 2589 yards and an average of 41 yards/punt. That was good for only 11th in the ACC. His main issue seems to be hang-time and distance.
Coach Powell is hoping Winslow can regain the magic of his first two seasons to give Pitt a weapon in the kicking game.
Providing depth for Winslow will be walk-ons redshirt sophomore Nick Goldsmith and redshirt freshman Matt Barber.
Pitt’s Long-Snapper in punting situations will be redshirt senior Pat Quirin and he will be backed up by redshirt freshman Jake Knight.
Arriving in June will be new placekicker Alex Kessman (from Michigan) and his new buddy and long-snapper roommate Conrad Brake (from New York). Both will be preferred walk-ons in 2016 but will go on scholarship in 2017.
Punt Return
Pitt had Tyler Boyd returning punts last season and that seemed to be only somewhat effective. Boyd, for all his greatness, dropped a few punts and sometimes would only get minimal yardage. In fact, he caught 19 balls for 120 yards and an average of 6.3 yards per punt return which was good for 12th in the ACC.
Someone, perhaps Avonte Maddox, Jordan Whitehead or Tre Tipton will need to assume Boyd’s role on the team this season.
Kick Return
After Quadree Henderson’s 100 yard TD return against Navy last season, its clear he should be on the field for kick returns with Jordan Whitehead. Those two give Pitt an explosive duo in the kick return game.
Pitt was 5th best in kickoff return yards in the ACC after returning 41 kicks for 1017 yards.
Special Teams
Overall, Coach Powell proved to be an amazing addition to Coach Narduzzi’s staff. His special teams were excellent in kickoff and punt coverage and didn’t surrender a single TD all season last year.
