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Pitt Football Roster Rundown: Offense

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Leading up to the first Pitt football game this weekend we’re going to give a rundown of all of the positions. Today we’ll take a look at the offense with the defense coming later in the week.

Quarterback

The Panthers are set at Quarterback with the emergence of Kenny Pickett late last season. Pickett has already emerged as something of legendary figure for leading Pitt to their upset win over the Miami Hurricanes last year. His 4th down Touchdown scamper has already even been immortalized on a billboard in Oakland. Pickett has seemingly taken to his prominent position with his teammates expressing great confidence in his leadership and him personally displaying some much-needed swagger. However, he is still relatively inexperienced, with only one official start under his belt, and it remains to be seen how he adjusts now that opponents will have tape on him. Despite the fact that expectations should probably be tempered somewhat, Pitt probably hasn’t had a signal caller so hyped since Tyler Palko.

Backing up Pickett will be Ricky Town, a transfer from Ventura College in California. Town has had a bit of a winding path to Pittsburgh, initially committing to Alabama as a highly touted recruit before de-committing and attending USC. His time there was measured in weeks though as he transferred to Arkansas during his first training camp. Town also never played for the Razorbacks and ended up with the Panthers after spending a season in Junior College. He was brought in with the understanding that he would be backing up Pickett. With only two years of eligibility remaining for Town, it will likely mean good things for the Panthers if Town is never needed for an extended period of time.

Further down the depth chart are a true Freshman and four walk-ons. Nick Patti is the true Freshman, arriving in Pittsburgh this fall from Montvale, New Jersey. Patti was rated as a 3-star recruit by Rivals and played high school ball at a local power St. Joseph’s Regional. However, the coaching staff will likely want Patti to Redshirt this season given that Pickett should be entrenched as starter for at least the next two years. Because of this, it’s extremely unlikely that Patti will see any action this year. However, with the new Redshirt rules it’s even more unlikely that they will be forced to burn his Redshirt if they have to bring him in at some point out of necessity. Behind these three, the Panthers have five walk-ons. If any of them come into a game, it’s bad news for the Panthers because it likely means all of the previously mentioned guys are too injured to play.

Running Back

Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison will form something of a 1-2 punch from the Running Back position. Ollison will be a bit of a bruiser, while Hall is a more elusive option. Because of this, both will likely see significant playing time this season. They are entering their last season with Pitt after up-and-down careers. Ollison started things with a bang, winning ACC Rookie of the Year in 2015 as a Redshirt Freshman. However, he has yet to replicate the 1,121 total yards, 5.3 yards per carry average, and 12 total touchdowns he achieved that year. Darrin Hall has yet to have a breakout season, with last year’s 628 yard effort being his best. Overall, outside of a 3 game outburst against Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina last season, Hall has yet to produce at a high level. Both of these players have shown flashes over their career and there’s reason to believe that this will be a year one or both of them put it all together (outside of Ollison’s 2015) due to experience and likely more consistent Offensive Line play (see below).

Sophomore A.J. Davis will be behind the two Seniors. Davis saw limited action as a true Freshman last year, rushing for 40 yards across 6 games with a touchdown against Youngstown State. Expect Davis to see more action with another year of experience and Chawntez Moss no longer on the team ahead of him on the depth chart. Because of this he’ll get reps despite having the two Seniors ahead of him. The amount of playing time he gets overall will depend on how he and the guys ahead of him do, as the coaching staff will likely “ride the hot hand” without a clear-cut number one Running Back.

While these three will see the bulk of the playing time we’ll likely see at least one, if not both, of the other two scholarship running backs. This is due to the likelihood of at least one injury (even if it is minor) and the running back by committee approach. Todd Sibley came in last fall with A.J. Davis, but has seemingly fallen behind him given that he Redshirted last year while Davis played as a true Freshman. Additionally, he seems to be a little banged up and it looks like he’s going to miss a decent amount of time at the beginning of the season. Because of this, true Freshman Mychale Salahuddin will likely see some playing time. This is especially the case due to the previously mentioned new Redshirt rules. Cole Blake and Kyle Vreen are walk-ons that provide further depth at the position.

Tight End

Tight End has been a position in which Pitt has suffered unfortunate attrition since last season. First Chris Clark left the team during Spring Practice, then Charles Reeves was dismissed from the team over the summer. They were able to bulk up the position somewhat by adding Graduate Transfer Will Gragg from Arkansas. Him and Sophomore Tyler Sear will be holding down the position and, like the top two in the running back position, provide different facets to the offense. Sear is more of a blocking Tight End that can be a possession receiver. Gragg on the other hand can stretch the field more and be a “Home Run threat”.  While both will see significant playing time, Sear seems to be slightly ahead of Gragg in the hierarchy going into the first game.

Grant Carrigan will be backing up Sear and Gragg. The Redshirt Freshman has impressive size, listed at 6’7” and 280 pounds. Because of this there was a lot of speculation that he would be moved to the Offensive Line. The unexpected attrition mentioned above from the position ended that possibility though. Carrigan appeared to be a bit banged up at the end of training camp, so his availability during the first game is up in the air as of now. Because of this, the Panthers may have to rely on Jim Medure at some point this season.

Medure has had an interesting career, joining the team as a walk-on in 2015 and playing on the defensive side during his first three seasons with the program, before switching to Tight End this past offseason and earning a scholarship just last week. Despite the position change and being a walk-on until recently, Tight Ends Coach Tim Salem has given Medure a vote of confidence should his number be called.  Also in the Tight End room will be true Freshman Kaymar Mimes who was originally recruited as a Defensive End, but also recently made the change to Tight End.

Fullback

Fullback is a one-man show with George Aston manning the position. Aston has proven to be a valuable weapon for the Pitt offense, scoring 10 touchdowns during the 2016 season. However, he missed virtually the entire season last year due to injury. His return and apparent good health is just one reason why there is more optimism surrounding the Pitt offense this year. There are two other Fullbacks listed on the roster, walk-ons Ryan Sliwoski and Peyton Deri. However, should Aston be lost to injury again, his role in the offense will likely be filled be by Qadree Ollison and/or one of the Tight Ends. This was the case last season when Ollison and departed Tight End Matt Flanagan filled in for him. Given how their performance in that capacity was deficient compared with Aston, it’s obvious that he provides a vital facet to the offense.

Wide Receiver

  • Starters: Rafael Araujo-Lopes, Maurice Ffrench, Taysir Mack
  • Backups: Dontavius Butler-Jenkins, Shocky Jacques-Louis, Aaron Matthews, Tre Tipton
  • Depth: Cameron O’Neil, Michael Smith, Darian Street, Kellen McAlone, Garrett Bickhart, Alex Capstick, Charles Chustckie, John Vardzel, Michael Vardzel

The Wide Receiver position is a unit full of depth and potential, but inexperience. The biggest news for the position though came late in training camp when Taysir Mack was surprisingly declared eligible to play in 2018. The transfer from Indiana was the best Wide Receiver on the field in the Spring Game in April and showed almost immediate chemistry with Kenny Pickett. Despite this, it was assumed that he would have to sit out the 2018 season due to transfer regulations, tempering enthusiasm about his emergence. However, he was granted a waiver by the NCAA to play this season. Though the basis of this waiver is unknown, what’s important is that he provides another potential weapon for the offense. Given his talent and connection with Pickett I predict him to be a starter this year, though he seems to have a nagging injury right now, which may keep him limited in the opener. Other starters will likely be Rafael Araujo-Lopes, last year’s team leader in receptions, and Maurice Ffrench, who will likely be utilized in the running game as well via sweeps.

Behind these three are four more receivers that will have opportunities to work their way into a starting role. Dontavius Butler-Jenkins is a Redshirt Freshman who will in all likelihood see the field for the first time this year. He projects to be a more physical possession receiver. Tre Tipton is back after missing all of last season due to injury. Even before last season, his prior career at Pitt has been limited by injuries, as he has been unable to yet play a complete season. If he stays healthy there’s a good chance he can work his way into the starting lineup. Aaron Matthews has 22 career receptions over his first two seasons and is looking to break out in his Junior year. Though he has an advantage as the tallest receiver on scholarship (6’4”), he hasn’t shown to this point to have the breakaway speed to be a “Home Run Threat”. Of these projected backups though, the one getting the most buzz is true Freshman Shocky Jacques-Louis. He’s gotten a lot of hype through training camp and appears to be the only incoming Freshman guaranteed to see playing time this season outside of special teams, despite the loosening of Redshirt restrictions.

Though these 7 are the guys most likely to see playing time at receiver, I would be surprised if none of the guys beneath them see the field at all. Michael Smith and Darian Street are Redshirt Freshmen and for that reason likely have a slightly better shot at seeing the field than true Freshman Cameron O’Neill. While it’s unlikely that any of these three will make significant contributions in 2018, given their relative youth they still have ample opportunity to break out in the next few seasons. Unlike these three, Kellen McAlone has spent much more time in the program, as he is entering his Redshirt Senior year. Until earning a well-deserved scholarship just this past weekend, he had spent his first four seasons in the program as a walk-on. Despite this status, he has experience due to making extensive appearances on Special Teams. Though he likely won’t figure much into the Wide Receiver rotation this year, he will likely continue making appearances on Special Teams.

Offensive Line

The biggest question mark for the Pitt offense this season is the Offensive Line, despite 4 of the 5 projected starters being seniors. This is because, despite the experience, there are only two returning starters in the unit, Center Jimmy Morrissey and Right Tackle Alex Bookser. Morrissey initially earned the starting Center job last season after beating out Connor Dintino for the position in training camp. He did this despite only being a Redshirt Freshman at the time and not being on scholarship until just prior to the season. Though Bookser was also a starter last season, he mostly did his work at Right Guard. This year Mike Herndon, who has spent time on both the offensive and defensive lines, looks to hold down that spot while Bookser shifts outside. Dintino will get a chance to be a full-time starter, at Left Guard, for the first time after spending last season backing up Morrissey at Center.

The most notable aspect of the Offensive Line this year is probably the vital Left Tackle position. It will be manned by Graduate Transfer Stefano Millin from Kent State who has one year of eligibility remaining. Millin had experience coming in due to having 30 starts over 3 seasons with the Golden Flashes. However, it was the way he held his own in their game against Clemson last season that gave the coaches confidence that he has the capability to play at a high level against ACC defenses. He was brought in with the intention of being the starting Left Tackle and asserted a stranglehold on the position almost immediately upon arriving.

Backing up these five is a collection of young talent, all of them being Freshmen and Sophomores. Bryce Hargrove and Jerry Drake in particular seem to be promising and all should see playing time this season as part of the rotation on the line. The progression of the backups this season is something to keep an eye on as most of them will probably be starting in 2019. Providing further depth in this group will be a collection of Freshmen Carson Van Lynn, Carter Warren, Jake Kradel, and Blake Zubovic, the latter two of which are true Freshmen. Also providing depth is Junior Chase Brown who joins the team from the Junior College ranks.

Final Thoughts

Last season Pitt struggled to put points on the board, scoring only 23.9 points per game which was 101st out of the 130 FBS teams. However, there are reasons to be more optimistic about Pitt’s potential offensive output this season. The offensive line will likely perform better than last year’s unit and have a new position coach in Dave Borbely. Wide Receiver has a ton of depth and potential, while there are two talented Seniors manning the Running Back position. Fullback George Aston returns and should be healthy. Pitt also has an Offensive Coordinator beyond their 1st season in the program for the first time in the Pat Narduzzi era. Finally, and most importantly, they look like they have a special talent in Quarterback Kenny Pickett. However, the Offensive Line is still a question mark and the amount of production they get from the Tight Ends is uncertain given all of the attrition at the position. Overall, the offense will be much better than last year, but don’t expect an output like the historic 2016 offense.

*Stats courtesy of College Football Reference

Have your own thoughts on the offense let us know on twitter @IntoPitt or directly to me @TheJeemTeam

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