Final takeaways from spring camp
that Pickett is his starting quarterback now and moving forward. Narduzzi chose the latter and didn’t even pay much lip service to Town’s chances of beating out the sophomore. It’s clear Narduzzi and most everyone else have faith in Pickett. “He’s gonna help take this team to the next level,” said wide receiver Taysir Mack.
2. Darrin Hall is the man. With Qadree Ollison banged up since early in camp, Hall was able to get a firm grasp on the starting tailback position that he ended last season with. Ollison should still be a factor come the regular season, but Hall continues to build on momentum from last year’s breakout, his very quiet spring game notwithstanding.
3. The team’s best receiver probably will be on the bench. And thus, the wideouts are a major question. It’s nice for the Panthers that they appear to have found a go-to receiver in Mack, but with him ineligible after transferring from Indiana, someone else will have to make plays for Pickett this year. To make matters more uncertain, it was an injury-plagued position group this spring, so the jury is still very much out on Pitt’s receiving corps.
4. Tight ends are learning on the job. Speaking of the receiving corps, the pass-catchers who aren’t split out wide are full of questions, too. Chris Clark left the team for personal reasons and is no longer on the team’s online roster, so the duties fall to Tyler Sear, Charles Reeves or Grant Carrigan, all second-year players. Sear, who seems to be the furthest ahead of the three, got an earful from Narduzzi after a false start penalty Saturday. It was a scrimmage, so it didn’t matter, but it was symbolic of how much this bunch will have to develop on the fly if it’s to be an integral part of the offense.
5. Offensive line is a work in progress, but experience goes a long way. Of Pitt’s 17 offensive linemen currently enrolled, only five are upperclassmen, but it’s quite possible that the only underclassman starter Sept. 1 will be redshirt sophomore Jimmy Morrissey, who started every game at center last season. Seniors Connor Dintino and Mike Herndon seem to be in line to start at guard, and another veteran, Kent State graduate transfer Stefano Millin, will arrive next month.
6. Rashad Weaver is the defense’s most disruptive player. Sometimes, the praise heaped on certain players by teammates and coaches doesn’t materialize when the lights go on. But that wasn’t the case for Weaver, who seemed to be unblockable Saturday and even batted down one of Pickett’s throws at the line of scrimmage. “He’s a machine,” said defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.
7. Quintin Wirginis is the defense’s best player. If Weaver and Dewayne Hendrix can share the spotlight as legitimate pass-rushers, some of the credit will go to having a rock-solid middle linebacker as insurance behind them. That appears to be what Wirginis has become, and he’s another player who looked the part Saturday after earning high marks all spring. He’ll be in control of Narduzzi’s front seven mentally, but should also fly to the ball and put himself in position to make an impact physically.
8. Dane Jackson is the top defensive back. There are a couple battles in the secondary to sort out in fall camp, but Jackson is the quiet leader on the back end. He wasn’t a frequent topic of discussion, but that could be because he was so steady in his starting cornerback role last season and continues to be. He’s giving Pickett and the receivers a challenge every practice, as evidenced by his pick-six Saturday.
9. Defense will light the way in 2018. Yes, Pickett might be the real deal under center, and how the offense fares will mostly depend on his play. But even if it all clicks for him, there likely isn’t enough talent on that side of the ball to win shootouts the way Pitt did two years ago. The formula for a successful season is building on the defense’s potential that flashed in the final two games last year, at Virginia Tech and against Miami. “I think our defense is really gonna surprise a lot of people this year,” Pickett said. “I think the expectation is to be the best defense in the country, and I do believe we will be,” Wirginis added.
10. New defensive coordinator Randy Bates has jokes. “What did Jay-Z call Beyonce before they got married?” he asked after one practice. “Fiancee.”