Pitt opened Week Two of training camp 2015 on Monday, and the middle week of camp figures to be an important one for the Panthers - both coaches and players.
For the coaches, the second week of camp is where some real separation will take place. Pat Narduzzi said Monday that the depth chart is "a work-in-progress every day…Every day, we're looking as a staff at the depth chart offensively and defensively to try to figure out where we are."
But the two-deep can't be forever in flux, so while the coaches will never lock into one set depth chart with no possibility of movement, the fact remains that they will have to start making decisions about which players get the most reps and the most practice time with the Sept. 5 season opener drawing near.
So while this week's two-deep isn't definitively what Pitt will use against Youngstown State, it's close. The first scrimmage of camp, which was held on Saturday, went a long way in starting to solidify some of those roles.
There probably aren't too many mysteries on the first team. At this point, I'd say that there are basically two unresolved starting jobs:
Weak-side linebacker and strong safety.
We've talked about both of these before, but to refresh, the weak-side - Money - linebacker is being manned by Bam Bradley and Mike Caprara. Both players are rotating with the first team, and that one might take a little while longer to play out. I think the coaches are okay with that battle playing out; the focus right now is on separating the first and second-teamers from the rest of the team. Those two have separated themselves; now it's up to them who will start.
At strong safety, the trio is the one we have mentioned: Jevonte Pitts, Pat Amara and Jordan Whitehead. Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin was asked about that position battle on Monday, and while the reporter's question only referenced Pitts and Amara, Conklin made a point to include Whitehead:
"They're battling it out. They are battling it out. Pat didn't take as many reps as Jevonte did last spring; I think he's closing the gap a little bit, but it's just back-and-forth every day. Pat hasn't done anything to take the job over, but he's doing what he's supposed to be doing. He's just got to continue to make steps and make the plays he's supposed to make. And again, feeling - you have to feel him out there.
"The other guy at that position is Jordan Whitehead. We can't forget about him. He had a little bit of a lesser day today, in terms of thinking what he was doing as skills and stuff. But he's getting there. He's getting there."
Amara took some reps with the first team in early-practice drills on Monday, but he and Pitts have rotated quite a bit. Here again, the important separation has occurred: the guys who are in the mix for two-deep spots have pulled away from those behind them.
Now we'll see who wins the jobs.
Battling for backups
We've mentioned the backup receiver jobs as the other main positions that are up for grabs, and there's a little clarity there. Zach Challingsworth, Elijah Zeise and Jester Weah are the three main backups behind Tyler Boyd and Dontez Ford, and by all accounts, those first two - Challingsworth and Zeise - seem to be a bit ahead in that race.
I've said in the past that Challingsworth always struck me as a player who didn't seem to have too many holes in his game; he may not have the speed of Weah - Ford and Zeise don't either - but he is reliable in his route-running and really sound in his pass-catching ability. He just seems to do what he's supposed to do in a reliable fashion, and it sounds like Zeise is the same way. I've been a big fan of Zeise since he was at North Allegheny because I think he's a better athlete than he gets credit for being and, like Challingsworth, he's a smart, reliable player. Now it sounds like he is showing some of those skills and the coaches are noticing.
That's not to rule out Weah, who was the star of the scrimmage with five catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. Pitt will likely need and use all three of those guys behind Boyd and Ford, especially in the first game when Boyd is suspended.
And then there's Quadree Henderson; I don't think the coaches have ruled him out as playing this season. In fact, I think they might have him on the short list of freshmen who could see the field in 2015. The previous coaching staff loved adding him to the class because they felt like they didn't have anyone like him on the roster - a quicker, shiftier receiver to work out of the slot - and the current staff seems to feel the same way.
Even Boyd said on Day One of camp that this team has more slot options than last year's did, and that's a good thing.
"We have a lot of slot players, more slot players than last year," Boyd said. "We didn't have a lot of slot players, so I think I have a little more help inside so I can move a lot outside and get outside one-on-one matchups."
There aren't too many guys who fit that mold outside of Henderson and JUCO transfer Rafael Araujo-Lopes. Of course, the offense also has the option of moving Boyd to the slot - which they have done and will do this season - with players like Ford, Challingsworth, Zeise, Weah and/or the tight ends lined up outside.
Getting Boyd in the slot provides Pitt with some interesting matchups - Reggie Mitchell talked about how much fun that challenge is every day - but he can also benefit from having a quick option in the slot, and if someone like Henderson can draw the attention of a safety and get Boyd into a one-on-one matchup, then Pitt's offense will be that much more potent.
And Henderson can also contribute on special teams, so he's one to watch.
Projecting redshirts
After the first week of camp, I'd say these freshmen have a shot at seeing the field in 2015:
Darrin Hall
Quadree Henderson
Anthony McKee
Jordan Whitehead
Those are all TBD, of course.
Hall's playing time will depend on the health of the running backs ahead of him. He's talented enough to play as a freshman, but he has some pretty impressive players ahead of him.
Henderson, as mentioned above, can help on special teams and provide something to the offense that it doesn't otherwise have.
McKee has impressed some people with his speed; he could be an asset on special teams and in some of Pitt's defensive subpackages. He's up in the air this season because he might not get enough playing time to really merit having him on the field, but he might be able to make a big enough impact to justify using him.
And Whitehead's going to play. I think we've all assumed that since he committed to Pitt, and nothing I've seen or heard over the last week has changed my opinion on it. He is a special player, and as I talk to people who have watched full practices, the review is always the same:
He can do things that you can't coach. Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin even said as much after the scrimmage Saturday.
"Jordan did really good. We always talk about on defense if you can feel a guy or not, and I thought you could definitely feel him. He's not 100 percent on his assignments or his execution, but you can feel him. He's going to make plays. He can cover a lot of ground, he's very athletic, he's very explosive.
"One time, he came from the opposite hash, he was playing the boundary safety, and made a play to the field that not very many guys can make, so our whole deal with him right now is just keep getting him reps, keep throwing him in the fire and let's see if he can get there."
That's the caliber of athlete Whitehead is - he can make plays "that not very many guys can make" - and the coaches are seeing it (although I think they largely expected it). It's hard to imagine him not seeing the field, a feeling that was reinforced even more Monday when Conklin said this:
"When you look at his grade sheet (from the scrimmage), his technique was not always perfect, his alignment, his assignment was not always perfect. But he had a lot of production points. So at the end of the day, production is always going to be the number-one key factor. If you can make up for it, as long as you're not hurting and you're not giving up the critical errors or the big plays, production is what makes the most difference. So the guys that produce are going to be on the field."
So the coaches value production and Whitehead produced; it's not hard to do the math there.
Those are the four players that have stood out to me so far. Of course, the possibility always exists that more freshmen could get some game action this season - injuries can and will play a part in that - but those are the four I'm seeing as the most likely right now.
Continued in the next post...
For the coaches, the second week of camp is where some real separation will take place. Pat Narduzzi said Monday that the depth chart is "a work-in-progress every day…Every day, we're looking as a staff at the depth chart offensively and defensively to try to figure out where we are."
But the two-deep can't be forever in flux, so while the coaches will never lock into one set depth chart with no possibility of movement, the fact remains that they will have to start making decisions about which players get the most reps and the most practice time with the Sept. 5 season opener drawing near.
So while this week's two-deep isn't definitively what Pitt will use against Youngstown State, it's close. The first scrimmage of camp, which was held on Saturday, went a long way in starting to solidify some of those roles.
There probably aren't too many mysteries on the first team. At this point, I'd say that there are basically two unresolved starting jobs:
Weak-side linebacker and strong safety.
We've talked about both of these before, but to refresh, the weak-side - Money - linebacker is being manned by Bam Bradley and Mike Caprara. Both players are rotating with the first team, and that one might take a little while longer to play out. I think the coaches are okay with that battle playing out; the focus right now is on separating the first and second-teamers from the rest of the team. Those two have separated themselves; now it's up to them who will start.
At strong safety, the trio is the one we have mentioned: Jevonte Pitts, Pat Amara and Jordan Whitehead. Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin was asked about that position battle on Monday, and while the reporter's question only referenced Pitts and Amara, Conklin made a point to include Whitehead:
"They're battling it out. They are battling it out. Pat didn't take as many reps as Jevonte did last spring; I think he's closing the gap a little bit, but it's just back-and-forth every day. Pat hasn't done anything to take the job over, but he's doing what he's supposed to be doing. He's just got to continue to make steps and make the plays he's supposed to make. And again, feeling - you have to feel him out there.
"The other guy at that position is Jordan Whitehead. We can't forget about him. He had a little bit of a lesser day today, in terms of thinking what he was doing as skills and stuff. But he's getting there. He's getting there."
Amara took some reps with the first team in early-practice drills on Monday, but he and Pitts have rotated quite a bit. Here again, the important separation has occurred: the guys who are in the mix for two-deep spots have pulled away from those behind them.
Now we'll see who wins the jobs.
Battling for backups
We've mentioned the backup receiver jobs as the other main positions that are up for grabs, and there's a little clarity there. Zach Challingsworth, Elijah Zeise and Jester Weah are the three main backups behind Tyler Boyd and Dontez Ford, and by all accounts, those first two - Challingsworth and Zeise - seem to be a bit ahead in that race.
I've said in the past that Challingsworth always struck me as a player who didn't seem to have too many holes in his game; he may not have the speed of Weah - Ford and Zeise don't either - but he is reliable in his route-running and really sound in his pass-catching ability. He just seems to do what he's supposed to do in a reliable fashion, and it sounds like Zeise is the same way. I've been a big fan of Zeise since he was at North Allegheny because I think he's a better athlete than he gets credit for being and, like Challingsworth, he's a smart, reliable player. Now it sounds like he is showing some of those skills and the coaches are noticing.
That's not to rule out Weah, who was the star of the scrimmage with five catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. Pitt will likely need and use all three of those guys behind Boyd and Ford, especially in the first game when Boyd is suspended.
And then there's Quadree Henderson; I don't think the coaches have ruled him out as playing this season. In fact, I think they might have him on the short list of freshmen who could see the field in 2015. The previous coaching staff loved adding him to the class because they felt like they didn't have anyone like him on the roster - a quicker, shiftier receiver to work out of the slot - and the current staff seems to feel the same way.
Even Boyd said on Day One of camp that this team has more slot options than last year's did, and that's a good thing.
"We have a lot of slot players, more slot players than last year," Boyd said. "We didn't have a lot of slot players, so I think I have a little more help inside so I can move a lot outside and get outside one-on-one matchups."
There aren't too many guys who fit that mold outside of Henderson and JUCO transfer Rafael Araujo-Lopes. Of course, the offense also has the option of moving Boyd to the slot - which they have done and will do this season - with players like Ford, Challingsworth, Zeise, Weah and/or the tight ends lined up outside.
Getting Boyd in the slot provides Pitt with some interesting matchups - Reggie Mitchell talked about how much fun that challenge is every day - but he can also benefit from having a quick option in the slot, and if someone like Henderson can draw the attention of a safety and get Boyd into a one-on-one matchup, then Pitt's offense will be that much more potent.
And Henderson can also contribute on special teams, so he's one to watch.
Projecting redshirts
After the first week of camp, I'd say these freshmen have a shot at seeing the field in 2015:
Darrin Hall
Quadree Henderson
Anthony McKee
Jordan Whitehead
Those are all TBD, of course.
Hall's playing time will depend on the health of the running backs ahead of him. He's talented enough to play as a freshman, but he has some pretty impressive players ahead of him.
Henderson, as mentioned above, can help on special teams and provide something to the offense that it doesn't otherwise have.
McKee has impressed some people with his speed; he could be an asset on special teams and in some of Pitt's defensive subpackages. He's up in the air this season because he might not get enough playing time to really merit having him on the field, but he might be able to make a big enough impact to justify using him.
And Whitehead's going to play. I think we've all assumed that since he committed to Pitt, and nothing I've seen or heard over the last week has changed my opinion on it. He is a special player, and as I talk to people who have watched full practices, the review is always the same:
He can do things that you can't coach. Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin even said as much after the scrimmage Saturday.
"Jordan did really good. We always talk about on defense if you can feel a guy or not, and I thought you could definitely feel him. He's not 100 percent on his assignments or his execution, but you can feel him. He's going to make plays. He can cover a lot of ground, he's very athletic, he's very explosive.
"One time, he came from the opposite hash, he was playing the boundary safety, and made a play to the field that not very many guys can make, so our whole deal with him right now is just keep getting him reps, keep throwing him in the fire and let's see if he can get there."
That's the caliber of athlete Whitehead is - he can make plays "that not very many guys can make" - and the coaches are seeing it (although I think they largely expected it). It's hard to imagine him not seeing the field, a feeling that was reinforced even more Monday when Conklin said this:
"When you look at his grade sheet (from the scrimmage), his technique was not always perfect, his alignment, his assignment was not always perfect. But he had a lot of production points. So at the end of the day, production is always going to be the number-one key factor. If you can make up for it, as long as you're not hurting and you're not giving up the critical errors or the big plays, production is what makes the most difference. So the guys that produce are going to be on the field."
So the coaches value production and Whitehead produced; it's not hard to do the math there.
Those are the four players that have stood out to me so far. Of course, the possibility always exists that more freshmen could get some game action this season - injuries can and will play a part in that - but those are the four I'm seeing as the most likely right now.
Continued in the next post...
