19 freshmen ponder future on senior day

Saturday is about Pitt’s departing seniors, those who will play in their final game at Heinz Field. But as Dane Jackson, Saleem Brightwell and company are recognized pregame, 19 true freshmen will wonder what their senior day recognition will be like in four years. Or three years, depending on who we’re talking about.

With one regular-season game and a bowl trip remaining, it’s time to take stock of Pitt’s 2019 recruiting class.

Of the 19 prospects who signed last winter, eight have seen the field this season: Wide receiver Jared Wayne; running backs Vincent Davis and Daniel Carter; defensive backs AJ Woods and Brandon Hill; and linebackers Brandon George, SirVocea Dennis and Leslie Smith.

Five of those freshmen — Wayne, Davis, Woods, Dennis and George — have played in more than four games and cannot redshirt this season under the NCAA’s rule.

A few of those aren’t surprises. Wayne (six games played) has been featured in Maurice Ffrench’s absence, catching nine passes for 115 yards. Woods (eight games) took hold of Pitt’s starting kick-returner gig, returning five kicks for 78 yards. And Davis, at one point a costarter, has 200 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown at Georgia Tech and a short score at Penn State.

Davis has played in nine games, tied for the most of any Pitt freshman this season. George, who has perhaps flown under the radar, also has played in nine games. The former threestar linebacker from Reading has made four tackles on special teams. Dennis (six games played) also has popped up on special teams, making his lone tackle against Ohio.

Expect those five to continue to contribute in Pitt’s final two games. But what about the three who have played, but haven’t hit that fifth game?

Carter, Rivals’ No. 24 overall tailback in the 2019 class, has been used at fullback in four games. Frankly, it wouldn’t make sense for the freshman to play a fifth and burn the redshirt if he’s just blocking — especially without a divisional or conference title on the line.

Hill and Smith, meanwhile, have some flexibility. The former participated in three games (Central Florida, Delaware and Duke) and can play in one more without going over the four-game buffer. The latter played in two games (UCF, Delaware) and can theoretically see the field in both of Pitt’s remaining contests.

As for the other 11 true freshmen who haven’t seen the field, they will definitely enter the 2020 season as redshirt freshmen with four years of eligibility ahead of them. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t appear in a game or two as Pitt closes its 2019 campaign.

When asked last week who among those untested freshmen could get some game action, head coach Pat Narduzzi dropped two names: Quarterback Davis Beville and offensive lineman Matt Goncalves.

“It’s never too late . ... If you get one game, it’s one game,” Narduzzi said of the decision-making process with the freshmen. “If it’s Goncalves going in to be the right guard or right tackle on the field-goal team, what’s wrong with that?”

That’s one thing. But inserting a true freshman quarterback would require tricky maneuvering or unwanted injuries.

Pitt has placed two signalcallers on the field at the same time, with Nick Patti at quarterback and Kenny Pickett lining up at wide receiver against UCF. Maybe we’ll see that happen with Beville. Or maybe he’ll be called upon to take snaps in regular sets in an end-ofgame situation or if Pickett/ Patti go down.

Regardless, Narduzzi is confident in what Beville — a former four-star prospect and Rivals’ No. 11 pro-style quarterback last cycle — can do.

“Davis Beville’s going to be outstanding,” Narduzzi said. “He’s tough. I liken him to [former Michigan State quarterback] Kirk Cousins in his freshman year . ... The hits he took, the effort he gives, he plays with passion every single day in practice. It ain’t easy being the scoutteam quarterback.”

It isn’t easy sitting, either. That goes for all 11 who haven’t played.

But a reminder: Of the 14 seniors being recognized Saturday, only two — Damar Hamlin and Amir Watts — didn’t redshirt. And, in retrospect, Hamlin wishes he spent his first year on the sideline.

“I sit in the front row of meetings and all the people that I came in with that I thought I would be graduating with sit behind me. They’re about to have more time. It’s just a weird feeling knowing I’m going to be the first one out of here out of that class that came in,” Hamlin said.

“If I could do it all over again, I would redshirt. Just to have that extra security and have the time to make the decision on my own if I wanted to come out or come back.”

But Hamlin also mentioned that “everything happens for a reason.”

Pitt’s freshmen should remember that Saturday, whether they’re playing or not.