Perfect attendance for start of camp
113 players strong and no opt outs
The college sports news cycle is spinning at a rapid rate.
One day after Pitt’s schedule was finalized by the ACC, reports surfaced that the Mid-American Conference might move its season to the spring, which would nix the Panthers’ opener against Miami of Ohio. Syracuse, Pitt’s first ACC opponent, reportedly didn’t practice Friday as its players sat out due to COVID-19 concerns.
“Are we going to play Syracuse the second game?” Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates asked Friday on a Zoom call with reporters. “Who knows?”
These days, any sure thing can be flipped on its head with just one Twitter push notification. But on Friday afternoon, Pitt opened its training camp with stability: Pat Narduzzi said zero players have opted out of the 2020 season, bucking a trend in Power Five conference football.
Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley was the first big name to pull the plug last week, preserving his NFL draft stock amid the uncertainty of the season. He was followed in recent days by more future firstround picks, among them Miami Hurricanes pass-rusher Gregory Rousseau, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman. On Friday alone, players from Maryland, Duke and Michigan State said no to football in 2020, bringing the Football Bowl Subdivision opt out total to nearly three dozen.
But all four Pitt players made available Friday to the media via Zoom — defensive end Patrick Jones, safety Damar Hamlin, center Jimmy Morrissey and quarterback Kenny Pickett — confirmed that they’re in for the 2020 season. And Hamlin believes that’s a mutual feeling throughout the team as all 113 players reported for training camp. Bates, meanwhile, said the thought of Jones, Hamlin, Jaylen Twyman or Paris Ford opting out “never” crossed his mind.
“They came back to play for Pitt,” Bates said of the NFL prospects, all of whom practiced Friday. “They came back to play for their teammates. It would be very shocking to me [if they left], especially going out there today and watching them play. They’re so excited to be out there with each other.”
“Once I got that year back, there was no looking back,” added Hamlin, who was granted an extra year of eligibility and opted to return in December. “I’m onboard with all my brothers. We’re here to win games.” That’s how Jones feels, too.
The second-team All-ACC defensive end, who racked up 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2019, received an early to midround grade from the NFL’s draft advisory board in the winter. But just days after the Quick Lane Bowl, he chose to spurn the draft and play on Pitt’s stacked defensive front for another season.
“I decided to come back after the season, so that’s what I’m going to do,” Jones said. “Of course it’s weird knowing there’s a global pandemic going on and you’re out there practicing. And of course it’s different because we have to take better precautionary measures. You could say it’s weird a little bit, but it’s necessary.”
Morrissey said while playing the season is the team’s “top priority,” he also acknowledged that he feels “extremely comfortable” with how Pitt’s medical and coaching staff have implemented the program’s COVID-19 protocols. Pickett and Jones said the same.
Thursday’s team meeting took place in the team’s indoor facility with spaced out chairs to observe social distancing. On Friday morning, the Panthers still were limited to groups of 25 as they practiced on the outdoor fields at their South Side home. Equipment staffers disinfected water bottles after every use, and players wore mouth shields that help prevent the spread of droplets.
Pickett said the plastic mouth shields fog up visors and makes breathing difficult during up-tempo drills, especially for blockers chugging downfield. Morrissey laughed when Pickett mentioned that aspect of practice, recognizing it as something he and his fellow linemen for which they will have to adjust.
“It’s just the new normal,” Morrissey said shaking his head. “We’ll be fine, though, as long as we can play football. If that’s the price we’ve got to pay, I think that’s a pretty cheap price.”
The issue of students eventually returning to campus was brought up, too, but that doesn’t bother Morrissey or Pickett. At Pitt, students likely will begin classes remotely Aug. 19, followed by a possible hybrid classroom approach. Pickett, Morrissey, Jones and Hamlin each said they plan on taking their fall classes online, if allowed.
Many of Pitt’s veteran players live on the South Side, so that alone would limit their potential exposure. Younger players, meanwhile, live in one apartment complex in Oakland. It’s not quite a bubble, but Narduzzi said the situation has worked so far from a COVID-19 safety standpoint. That’s why the team isn’t moving into a hotel on the South Side for training camp, as it normally does.
Pitt doesn’t release athlete-specific COVID-19 testing numbers, but Narduzzi said last week that the Panthers had a 22day streak going without a positive test. Still, that hasn’t stopped Pitt’s older players from reminding the freshmen not to leave their contained environment.
“I talk to them every chance I get,” Jones said. “I tell them, ‘Look, I get that it’s college. You want to have fun. But you’ve got to think about the bigger picture. We’re here to play ball, and you’ve got people here trying to have a season, a successful season. So y’all got to put your priorities in line . ... ’”
After all, the Panthers want to play in 2020 — as long as there’s a season to be played, of course.
“All of our guys are opting in,” Narduzzi said. “It’s a day-by-day thing. If kids start to get scared, you understand what’s going on. ... I’m blessed they haven’t opted out. Anybody could at any time I guess. But our guys don’t want to opt out.”