Pitt hit the second section of its three-in-a-row practices to end the week on Friday, working in the South Side in shorts and shells ahead of Saturday’s scrimmage at Acrisure Stadium.
- I’ve really developed an interest in monitoring the “TAKEAWAY” helmet tape that the coaches give the defensive players, presumably after they record a turnover in team drills at practice. I have noticed them in previous camps, but this year I started kind of keeping track on a practice-by-practice basis, and if the appearance of new tapes this morning is any indication, the defense made some plays in Thursday’s practice.
From what I saw, safety P.J. O’Brien had a tape for the first time. So did M.J. Devonshire. Dante Caputo added his second one. And redshirt sophomore walk-on linebacker Dylan Bennett got on the board with not one but two takeaways (which both seem to have happened yesterday).
- So the latest total tally, from what I can tell, is this:
Noah Biglow - 2
Dylan Bennett - 2
Dante Caputo - 2
Donovan McMillon - 1
P.J. O’Brien - 1
M.J. Devonshire - 1
Tamarion Crumpley - 1
AJ Woods - 1
They’re all defensive backs other than Bennett. Still, it’s impressive that most of the secondary is represented here; I guess Marquis Williams, Javon McIntyre, Ryland Gandy, Buddy Mack, Stephon Hall and walk-on Matthew Amofa are on the clock.
We’ll see who earns some tape from today’s practice and, more importantly, tomorrow’s scrimmage.
- Speaking of the secondary, you don’t want to read too much into little blips you see at practice, but I saw a couple things today where it looked like McIntyre was taking something of a leadership role with the safeties as they worked through individual drills. Again, I don’t want to make too much of it, but the safeties will need some guys to step up as leaders in the wake of losing Erick Hallett and Brandon Hill. I assume McIntyre is penciled into a starting role, based largely on how he played late in the season last year; if he does hold onto the top job at boundary safety, he’s going to need to be a leader in that room and in the secondary.
He’s still young, but if he can emerge as not just a playmaker but a leader, that would help solidify that position group.
- I watched the offensive line for a bit today. I think we have a pretty solid idea of what the top group looks like:
LT Branson Taylor
LG Ryan Jacoby
C Jake Kradel
RG Blake Zubovic
RT Matt Goncalves
- Obviously, Ryan Baer is the first tackle off the bench. He could potentially be the top guard off the bench, too, but I think the coaches probably would like to see Terrence Enos and Jason Collier be ready for those jobs at left and right guard, respectively.
- Terrence Moore is the top reserve at center, although Zubovic could potentially slide in there (with Collier stepping in at right guard) if the coaches see that as a better option. The right tackle spot has some question marks in terms of the listed backup; my guess is Trey Andersen will be named as the top reserve there, with an understanding that if something happened to Goncalves, Baer would probably get the ball.
- I have to say, I like that top six. The starting five all have a lot of experience and Baer probably has more upside than any of them. It’s just going to be a matter of filling out the depth.
- Freshman BJ Williams is working at guard. I think we assumed that was his spot, but today was the first time I really noticed him. He’s listed at 6’3” and I wouldn’t be surprised if he even ended up playing center.
- During one period of offensive drills, Frank Cignetti and the offensive staff had the players work extensively in 12 personnel - two receivers, two tight ends and one running back. This was interesting because we could see some tight end pairings.
- Truthfully, there’s only two pairings: Gavin Bartholomew and Karter Johnson made up one of them, while Jake Renda and Cole Mitchell made the other. That’s all four tight ends on the roster. Pitt more or less survived last season with just Bartholomew and Johnson; those two were the only tight ends to get snaps in 2022, unless you count Jacoby, who we won’t be counting here despite the fact that he spent almost all of his time - 194 of 204 offensive snaps - playing tight end last season.
You’d think Pitt will inevitably get into some situations this year where Renda or Mitchell will have to play. How that goes remains to be seen.
- As for the receivers, here were the top pairings:
Konata Mumpfield/Bub Means
Daejon Reynolds/Myles Alston
Jake McConnachie/Lamar Seymore
I think those are telling, and they definitely shed light on the depth - or lack thereof - at receiver when McConnachie, a walk-on, is the No. 5. A freshman like Seymore or the incoming guys could obviously move up, but that’s where it stands right now.
- I don’t think I had high expectations for Alston coming into this season, and I’m still not sure what he might provide, but he seems to be having a good camp through the first two weeks. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, at least during the drills we watch. And while I don’t think he’s going to jump into the top three - Mumpfield, Means and Reynolds have those spots pretty much locked up, from what I can tell - he should be the fourth receiver, barring a breakout from a freshman or another transfer coming in.
- We probably don’t need to say every day that Christian Veilleux throws really well, but when you watch drills, it just stands out. The ball looks great coming out of his hands. It just does. The 12-personnel drills we watched were “on-air” - we never see offense and defense anywhere near each other in the drills we are privy to - so there wasn’t exactly a huge sense of urgency. But Veilleux’s throws were consistently pretty. I really look forward to seeing how he operates under pressure and in the heat of a game.
Again, this quarterback room has a lot of arm talent. I think that’s undeniable. Veilleux is probably the best passer of the group, but Phil Jurkovec can really throw it, too, and Nate Yarnell - remember his sideline pass at Western Michigan? It took Jared Wayne out of the game, but it was a big-time throw - and Ty Dieffenbach have pretty good arms themselves.
- I did see Daniel Carter getting some true tailback reps during those 12-personnel drills, which is interesting. My guess is he’ll still be in more of a fullback role this season like he was last year, as long as Rodney Hammond, C’Bo Flemister and Derrick Davis stay healthy. But if one of those guys has to miss time, Carter could be the next man in line.
- Speaking of players missing time, it’s spring camp. Players will be held out of a practice or two - and sometimes more - throughout the spring, and it’s almost always precautionary. Of course, you know that Pat Narduzzi would rain down hellfire if there was reporting on injuries anyway, but in this case, there’s a bit less at stake given that the coaches will be extra careful over the course of these 15 practices.
They’re not taking any chances. Nor should they. Guys will miss time, but they’re typically not any kind of long-term injury situations.
- Pitt will hold its first scrimmage of spring tomorrow at Acrisure Stadium. Naturally, that will be closed to the media, so the next practice we cover will be next Tuesday.
We'll have videos, photos, recruit lists and more shortly.
- I’ve really developed an interest in monitoring the “TAKEAWAY” helmet tape that the coaches give the defensive players, presumably after they record a turnover in team drills at practice. I have noticed them in previous camps, but this year I started kind of keeping track on a practice-by-practice basis, and if the appearance of new tapes this morning is any indication, the defense made some plays in Thursday’s practice.
From what I saw, safety P.J. O’Brien had a tape for the first time. So did M.J. Devonshire. Dante Caputo added his second one. And redshirt sophomore walk-on linebacker Dylan Bennett got on the board with not one but two takeaways (which both seem to have happened yesterday).
- So the latest total tally, from what I can tell, is this:
Noah Biglow - 2
Dylan Bennett - 2
Dante Caputo - 2
Donovan McMillon - 1
P.J. O’Brien - 1
M.J. Devonshire - 1
Tamarion Crumpley - 1
AJ Woods - 1
They’re all defensive backs other than Bennett. Still, it’s impressive that most of the secondary is represented here; I guess Marquis Williams, Javon McIntyre, Ryland Gandy, Buddy Mack, Stephon Hall and walk-on Matthew Amofa are on the clock.
We’ll see who earns some tape from today’s practice and, more importantly, tomorrow’s scrimmage.
- Speaking of the secondary, you don’t want to read too much into little blips you see at practice, but I saw a couple things today where it looked like McIntyre was taking something of a leadership role with the safeties as they worked through individual drills. Again, I don’t want to make too much of it, but the safeties will need some guys to step up as leaders in the wake of losing Erick Hallett and Brandon Hill. I assume McIntyre is penciled into a starting role, based largely on how he played late in the season last year; if he does hold onto the top job at boundary safety, he’s going to need to be a leader in that room and in the secondary.
He’s still young, but if he can emerge as not just a playmaker but a leader, that would help solidify that position group.
- I watched the offensive line for a bit today. I think we have a pretty solid idea of what the top group looks like:
LT Branson Taylor
LG Ryan Jacoby
C Jake Kradel
RG Blake Zubovic
RT Matt Goncalves
- Obviously, Ryan Baer is the first tackle off the bench. He could potentially be the top guard off the bench, too, but I think the coaches probably would like to see Terrence Enos and Jason Collier be ready for those jobs at left and right guard, respectively.
- Terrence Moore is the top reserve at center, although Zubovic could potentially slide in there (with Collier stepping in at right guard) if the coaches see that as a better option. The right tackle spot has some question marks in terms of the listed backup; my guess is Trey Andersen will be named as the top reserve there, with an understanding that if something happened to Goncalves, Baer would probably get the ball.
- I have to say, I like that top six. The starting five all have a lot of experience and Baer probably has more upside than any of them. It’s just going to be a matter of filling out the depth.
- Freshman BJ Williams is working at guard. I think we assumed that was his spot, but today was the first time I really noticed him. He’s listed at 6’3” and I wouldn’t be surprised if he even ended up playing center.
- During one period of offensive drills, Frank Cignetti and the offensive staff had the players work extensively in 12 personnel - two receivers, two tight ends and one running back. This was interesting because we could see some tight end pairings.
- Truthfully, there’s only two pairings: Gavin Bartholomew and Karter Johnson made up one of them, while Jake Renda and Cole Mitchell made the other. That’s all four tight ends on the roster. Pitt more or less survived last season with just Bartholomew and Johnson; those two were the only tight ends to get snaps in 2022, unless you count Jacoby, who we won’t be counting here despite the fact that he spent almost all of his time - 194 of 204 offensive snaps - playing tight end last season.
You’d think Pitt will inevitably get into some situations this year where Renda or Mitchell will have to play. How that goes remains to be seen.
- As for the receivers, here were the top pairings:
Konata Mumpfield/Bub Means
Daejon Reynolds/Myles Alston
Jake McConnachie/Lamar Seymore
I think those are telling, and they definitely shed light on the depth - or lack thereof - at receiver when McConnachie, a walk-on, is the No. 5. A freshman like Seymore or the incoming guys could obviously move up, but that’s where it stands right now.
- I don’t think I had high expectations for Alston coming into this season, and I’m still not sure what he might provide, but he seems to be having a good camp through the first two weeks. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, at least during the drills we watch. And while I don’t think he’s going to jump into the top three - Mumpfield, Means and Reynolds have those spots pretty much locked up, from what I can tell - he should be the fourth receiver, barring a breakout from a freshman or another transfer coming in.
- We probably don’t need to say every day that Christian Veilleux throws really well, but when you watch drills, it just stands out. The ball looks great coming out of his hands. It just does. The 12-personnel drills we watched were “on-air” - we never see offense and defense anywhere near each other in the drills we are privy to - so there wasn’t exactly a huge sense of urgency. But Veilleux’s throws were consistently pretty. I really look forward to seeing how he operates under pressure and in the heat of a game.
Again, this quarterback room has a lot of arm talent. I think that’s undeniable. Veilleux is probably the best passer of the group, but Phil Jurkovec can really throw it, too, and Nate Yarnell - remember his sideline pass at Western Michigan? It took Jared Wayne out of the game, but it was a big-time throw - and Ty Dieffenbach have pretty good arms themselves.
- I did see Daniel Carter getting some true tailback reps during those 12-personnel drills, which is interesting. My guess is he’ll still be in more of a fullback role this season like he was last year, as long as Rodney Hammond, C’Bo Flemister and Derrick Davis stay healthy. But if one of those guys has to miss time, Carter could be the next man in line.
- Speaking of players missing time, it’s spring camp. Players will be held out of a practice or two - and sometimes more - throughout the spring, and it’s almost always precautionary. Of course, you know that Pat Narduzzi would rain down hellfire if there was reporting on injuries anyway, but in this case, there’s a bit less at stake given that the coaches will be extra careful over the course of these 15 practices.
They’re not taking any chances. Nor should they. Guys will miss time, but they’re typically not any kind of long-term injury situations.
- Pitt will hold its first scrimmage of spring tomorrow at Acrisure Stadium. Naturally, that will be closed to the media, so the next practice we cover will be next Tuesday.
We'll have videos, photos, recruit lists and more shortly.
