Offensive lineman to miss season

Pitt sophomore tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith will miss the 2015 season with a right knee injury, the school announced Thursday.

Jones-Smith, projected to start at right tackle for the Panthers this year, was injured in an offseason conditioning session. He played in all 13 games last year as part of an offensive line rotation, making three starts.

“We are incredibly disappointed for Jaryd,” coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “Our entire team will rally behind him as he works to overcome this challenge. Jaryd is a great young man and a tough competitor. Even though he is sidelined this year, he is going to remain an important member of our team this fall.”

With Jones-Smith sidelined, the Panthers will have to do some shuffling along their offensive line.

Redshirt sophomore Aaron Reese was listed as Jones-Smith’s backup in Pitt’s post-spring depth chart, but it’s no guarantee he would slide into the starting job.

It’s more likely that freshman Alex Bookser or junior Dorian Johnson — the team’s projected

starting guards — will move to right tackle for the season. Bookser, a Mt. Lebanon High School graduate who redshirted last season, was a four-star tackle recruit out of high school. Johnson, a former five-star recruit out of Belle Vernon High School, started all 13 games at left guard last season, but played some tackle as a freshman in 2013.

Moving Bookser or Johnson to tackle would open a starting spot at guard, likely filled by senior Artie Rowell or sophomore Alex Officer. Officer and Rowell, who missed most of 2014 with an ACL injury, were expected to compete for the starting center job, but now it seems possible that one could start at center and one at the potentially vacant guard spot.

Pitt is scheduled to open training camp Aug. 10, with the season opener Sept. 5 against Youngstown State at Heinz Field.