Breakout player for 2017

[widesideend]

Last year many predicted breakout years for Henderson and Weah. They certainly did not disappoint.
My prediction was Weah and this year I'm going with Mathews.

Last year Pederson did not look his way very often and had a tendency to overthrow him. Don't know why that was but he's a tall receiver, has good hands and his down field blocking in very good. I am not sure about his route running but that is a fixable issue.

I've seen some articles about his speed that I can't believe. They rated his speed as subpar, but when he is on special teams, he often is the first down field and making a tackle as soon as the return guy catches the ball.

One of the things that I think is very important about this receiver as I stated above is his ability to block down field, which is very important for out running backs. It can often mean the difference between a nice gain and taking it to the house and his pass catching ability is not an issue.

Wide receivers was one of our biggest question marks entering last year, but I see it as a strength this year. We have a lot of potential in some of our young receivers but I am not including them based strictly on potential.

Don't know where the coaches will play him, in the slot or eventually move him to TE, but having QB
experience, he could be another option to run or pass instead of Oneil in Watsons offense
assuming he will retain some of the motion from Canadas offense.

 

[Delpanther]

This team has a lot of question marks going into next year: QB, RB, LB, DT, CB, S, DE and TE....will be interesting to see who steps up. We have some guys who on paper would seem to be ready to fill these roles but don't have much experience. Not that worried about the OL.

 

[Swervin27]

Good Post. My uneducated and probably 100% wrong predictions for break out players come fall, in no particular order:

Brightwell
Coleman
Tipton or Matthews; one but not both will have a very good year.
Camp

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Please don't hate......Browne

 

[damase2331]

Don't know why other than a gut feeling, and I also felt this way last year, but Zeise at LB. He is athletic, and intelligent. This is with the caveat that he comes back at 100% from the injury.

On offense, I also agree with Matthews and also Tipton.

Wild card on either side of the ball is Ffrench.

 

[Jpripper88]

Last year many predicted breakout years for Henderson and Weah. They certainly did not disappoint.
My prediction was Weah and this year I'm going with Mathews.

Last year Pederson did not look his way very often and had a tendency to overthrow him. Don't know why that was but he's a tall receiver, has good hands and his down field blocking in very good. I am not sure about his route running but that is a fixable issue.

I've seen some articles about his speed that I can't believe. They rated his speed as subpar, but when he is on special teams, he often is the first down field and making a tackle as soon as the return guy catches the ball.

One of the things that I think is very important about this receiver as I stated above is his ability to block down field, which is very important for out running backs. It can often mean the difference between a nice gain and taking it to the house and his pass catching ability is not an issue.

Wide receivers was one of our biggest question marks entering last year, but I see it as a strength this year. We have a lot of potential in some of our young receivers but I am not including them based strictly on potential.

Don't know where the coaches will play him, in the slot or eventually move him to TE, but having QB
experience, he could be another option to run or pass instead of Oneil in Watsons offense
assuming he will retain some of the motion from Canadas offense.

Our starting QB the last two seasons was Nathan Peterman.

 

[Jpripper88]

Please don't hate......Browne

If we are going to be successful this is the most important "breakout" player. Then on D we need multiple breakout players. Dewayne Hendrix probably has to be great at DE.

 

[Swervin27]

If we are going to be successful this is the most important "breakout" player. Then on D we need multiple breakout players. Dewayne Hendrix probably has to be great at DE.

have to find someone who can rush the qb. Not sold on Folston being a watered down version of price nor do I see us getting consistent pass rush from an OLB. Duzzi dials up the blitz from the backers occasionally but nothing consistent enough to expect or rely on it. going to have some sort of qb pressure from the front 4, hopefully something on the inside, we've been void of that for 2+ years. Nothing screws up an offense more than an interior push..

 

[h2p_5150]

Brightwell on defense, Tipton on offense and FFFFFFrench wherever he plays.

 

[Jpripper88]

have to find someone who can rush the qb. Not sold on Folston being a watered down version of price nor do I see us getting consistent pass rush from an OLB. Duzzi dials up the blitz from the backers occasionally but nothing consistent enough to expect or rely on it. going to have some sort of qb pressure from the front 4, hopefully something on the inside, we've been void of that for 2+ years. Nothing screws up an offense more than an interior push..

Yep. As bad as I think we are going to be at LB and CB, I am very worried about DL and especially DE.

 

[Swervin27]

Brightwell on defense, Tipton on offense and FFFFFFrench wherever he plays.

Brightwell pretty much needs to be a bad ass lb for us if we want to fix up our defense. the success/failure of the '17 linebacking group is falling on his shoulders.

 

[widesideend]

Our starting QB the last two seasons was Nathan Peterman.

oops my bad, was typing while listening to voicemail.

 

[Swervin27]

Yep. As bad as I think we are going to be at LB and CB, I am very worried about DL and especially DE.

camp, watts, taleni, maybe even that wheeler dude from PCC. im not sure whats up with Hargrove or Herndon. Does that Roy dude still play?

I actually liked Jarrett last year, before he got hurt I thought he was doing well.

 

[h2p_5150]

Brightwell pretty much needs to be a bad ass lb for us if we want to fix up our defense. the success/failure of the '17 linebacking group is falling on his shoulders.

I think he'll be a nice upgrade from Caprara. Hopefully Pine, Reynolds, McKee or one of the freshmen coming in are ready to play in a backup role because we sure as hell will need them if either Wirginis or Brightwell has to miss a game or two. The Star position... ugh hopefully Zeise beats out Idowu and plays well.... not too optimistic about that spot.

 

[Swervin27]

I think he'll be a nice upgrade from Caprara. Hopefully Pine, Reynolds, McKee or one of the freshmen coming in are ready to play in a backup role because we sure as hell will need them if either Wirginis or Brightwell has to miss a game or two. The Star position... ugh hopefully Zeise beats out Idowu and plays well.... not too optimistic about that spot.

duzzi is throwing so many bodies at the star position, youd hope one of these guys will eventually pan out. odds are, one of these guys has to eventually "not suck." hope Pine is getting reps at the strong and middle backer spots all spring and summer camp.

 

[damase2331]

Yep. As bad as I think we are going to be at LB and CB, I am very worried about DL and especially DE.

I honestly don't think the LBS and CBs can be any worse than last year. Now they may not improve to tops in the nation, but athleticism alone will be increased. DL is very scary as there are zero players who have proved anything for a whole year there. Obviously the LBs and CBs will be unproven, but they were so bad last year it can't really be any worse. The DL did have proven players in Price, Jarrett and then Soto was also pretty darn good last year.

Overall as a whole I think the defense will improve just by having better athletes across the field, but the 1st month or so may be very rough, but by the end of the year the defense as a whole will show marked improvement, IMO.

 

[h2p_5150]

duzzi is throwing so many bodies at the star position, youd hope one of these guys will eventually pan out. odds are, one of these guys has to eventually "not suck." hope Pine is getting reps at the strong and middle backer spots all spring and summer camp.

I like Bright's potential as a star LB but probably not as a true frosh. I could see Pine coming in for pass rushing situations early on maybe by the end of the year he has an expanded role.

 

[Swervin27]

I honestly don't think the LBS and CBs can be any worse than last year. Now they may not improve to tops in the nation, but athleticism alone will be increased. DL is very scary as there are zero players who have proved anything for a whole year there. Obviously the LBs and CBs will be unproven, but they were so bad last year it can't really be any worse. The DL did have proven players in Price, Jarrett and then Soto was also pretty darn good last year.

Overall as a whole I think the defense will improve just by having better athletes across the field, but the 1st month or so may be very rough, but by the end of the year the defense as a whole will show marked improvement, IMO.

cant agree more with your opening statement. CBs and LBs will not be worse and by pure logical reasons, have to be improved. this isn't being positive, it's just the fact that you cant go lower than rock bottom.

 

[Jpripper88]

I honestly don't think the LBS and CBs can be any worse than last year. Now they may not improve to tops in the nation, but athleticism alone will be increased. DL is very scary as there are zero players who have proved anything for a whole year there. Obviously the LBs and CBs will be unproven, but they were so bad last year it can't really be any worse. The DL did have proven players in Price, Jarrett and then Soto was also pretty darn good last year.

Overall as a whole I think the defense will improve just by having better athletes across the field, but the 1st month or so may be very rough, but by the end of the year the defense as a whole will show marked improvement, IMO.

Agreed, it would be very hard for the LBs and DBs to be worse. However, (as scary as it sounds) a solid and experienced DL helped them. They don't have that this year, so it could be that they are better at LB and DB, but the results aren't much different because we don't have Ejuan Price wreaking havoc.

 

[VAPITTALUM]

Agreed, it would be very hard for the LBs and DBs to be worse. However, (as scary as it sounds) a solid and experienced DL helped them. They don't have that this year, so it could be that they are better at LB and DB, but the results aren't much different because we don't have Ejuan Price wreaking havoc.

The secondary and DL/LB are not mutually exclusive when trying to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball. If the secondary is able to jam players at the LOS, force receivers out of their designed routes, etc. this will create the 1-2 additional seconds needed for the DL to get to the QB and either force a sack or throw the ball away.

Last year, the secondary was terrible at creating any contact with the offensive player at the LOS, or forcing the receiver off of their route that the QB rarely had to check down to another option or simply throw the ball away. This forced the DL to play every down like the game was on the line. Now, players should always do everything in their power to make a play, but the urgency the DL had to play with every down last year physically wore them down as the game progressed. This was more telling against teams who were proficient in the passing game. Against teams like UNC, OK State, VT, etc. the secondary was absolutely abysmal in maintaining contact with the receiver.
The point of this diatribe is the athleticism and size of the secondary should allow for more contact with the intended receiver(s) which should provide a little more time to the DL. With Watts, Camp, Taleni, Hendrix, et.al. the DL may actually appear to improve this year over last year's unit simply because they are provided with slightly more time to get to the QB.

 

[VAPanther91]

Q Ollison...

 

[VAPITTALUM]

This team has a lot of question marks going into next year: QB, RB, LB, DT, CB, S, DE and TE....will be interesting to see who steps up. We have some guys who on paper would seem to be ready to fill these roles but don't have much experience. Not that worried about the OL.

While I agree this team does have a number of question marks, I wouldn't say RB is one of them. Ollison and Moss are back, both of whom have shown they can perform well under the lights. With the additions of Davis and Sibley to the mix, the RB unit will continue to perform very well. Also, not sure what to call Q. Henderson, since he runs so many jet sweeps. For what it's worth, ESPN ranks PITT's RB unit as the second best in the conference.

On the TE side, this unit could take a big step forward. Orndoff was a great player in his own right, but Clark, Reeves, Sear, and Carrigan are all very big, fast players who will continue to elevate the position. While they don't have experience, they have serious ability. Additionally, there should be more than one option at TE this year, which is a departure from last year.

OL is the one unit where I am a bit concerned. Last year, I don't believe the line could perform at a higher level. There were some penalties early in the season with players getting downfield, or slight issues with timing, but the unit was incredibly consistent over the course of the season. With the losses of Biz and Johnson, I'm hopeful players like JJS, Grimm, etc. can continue to make the OL a strength.

 

[Delpanther]

While I agree this team does have a number of question marks, I wouldn't say RB is one of them. Ollison and Moss are back, both of whom have shown they can perform well under the lights. With the additions of Davis and Sibley to the mix, the RB unit will continue to perform very well. Also, not sure what to call Q. Henderson, since he runs so many jet sweeps. For what it's worth, ESPN ranks PITT's RB unit as the second best in the conference.

On the TE side, this unit could take a big step forward. Orndoff was a great player in his own right, but Clark, Reeves, Sear, and Carrigan are all very big, fast players who will continue to elevate the position. While they don't have experience, they have serious ability. Additionally, there should be more than one option at TE this year, which is a departure from last year.

OL is the one unit where I am a bit concerned. Last year, I don't believe the line could perform at a higher level. There were some penalties early in the season with players getting downfield, or slight issues with timing, but the unit was incredibly consistent over the course of the season. With the losses of Biz and Johnson, I'm hopeful players like JJS, Grimm, etc. can continue to make the OL a strength.

Good post. I guess I'm slightly more optimistic than you on the OL and less optimistic on the RBs. I'm not really thrilled with any of the returning RBs on the roster- they strike me as very pedestrian and a team like Pitt who wants to build an O around the running game needs a big play back. I've seen nothing in Ollison, Hall or Moss' game which suggests that they are more than plodders - 3-4 yards at a time. I won't be surprised if the 2 freshmen jump to the top of the depth chart if they show any big play ability.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Good Post. My uneducated and probably 100% wrong predictions for break out players come fall, in no particular order:

Brightwell
Coleman
Tipton or Matthews; one but not both will have a very good year.
Camp

DL-Taleni!
LB-Pugh!
RB-Hall

Just a Guess!

 

[Swervin27]

DL-Taleni!
LB-Pugh!
RB-Hall

Just a Guess!

Pugh? I like it, that's bold though, especially since he is being moved to DE. But if you are right, even if the position is wrong, that would be sweet for us..

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Pugh? I like it, that's bold though, especially since he is being moved to DE. But if you are right, even if the position is wrong, that would be sweet for us..

I think he is Hugh Green-Ricky Jackson DE in CFB and LB in NFL type of Player. Big Fast and Hard to Block but needed a year to learn it! Again,just a guess. I expect Whitehead to have an All American Year!

 

[3genpanther]

To me, "breakout" means someone who played on the team last year, either sparingly or not at an elite level. So that would eliminate guys like Browne and Clark, as well as guys like QH, Weah, O'Neil, etc. for elite play (and Ollison, since his play was elite in '15).

Notable contenders:
Offense: Hall, Moss, Ffrench, Tipton, Mathews, JJS
Defense: Hendrix, Blair, Edwards, Taleni, Watts, Folston, Brightwell, Wirginis, Hamlin, Motley, Jackson, Briggs

Offense: I'm going to go with Tipton. I liked what I saw from him prior to injury, has a couple of seasons under his belt, and certainly has the talent to produce especially given the attention that will be on Weah as a deep threat.

Defense: Lot of options here IMO, but I'm going with Wirginis. Never knew why he didn't get more time in previous seasons, he's a playmaker, and has one season to prove it.

 

[cruzer]

On offense, I'll go with Moss. On defense, I'll go with Brightwell.

Cruzer

 

[ksquared33]

I think LB as a unit will be looked upon as a major plus when the year is over & all is said & done....between Zeise, Wirginis, Brightwell, McKee, Pugh(hybrid LB / DE), Pine, Bright, etc., etc.
And I believe Tipton & Dane Jackson will step their games up to be nice contributors.....we have a very promising stable of eager, talented athletes who are much faster than what we have had competing in years past.

H2 PITT !!!

 

[MajorMajors]

The second the motion on Wirginis. Has the size and moves well. I think he will be a critical player because we have no one close to him to play the middle if he gets injured.

Go Pitt

 

[VAPITTALUM]

Good post. I guess I'm slightly more optimistic than you on the OL and less optimistic on the RBs. I'm not really thrilled with any of the returning RBs on the roster- they strike me as very pedestrian and a team like Pitt who wants to build an O around the running game needs a big play back. I've seen nothing in Ollison, Hall or Moss' game which suggests that they are more than plodders - 3-4 yards at a time. I won't be surprised if the 2 freshmen jump to the top of the depth chart if they show any big play ability.

My only reason for optimism for Ollison is based on the production he had during his 2015 season when Conner went down with an injury. My major concern with his game concerns blocking schemes. Emphasis is placed on the RB to pick up the corner blitz/OLB on the jet sweeps; Ollison seemed to really struggle with that concept last year.

Moss, even with limited carries on the season, ran with a similar attitude to what Conner brought to the table; not to that level, but the same fight which usually meant dragging or breaking through the arms of the first tackler.

I've never been a huge fan of Hall. Outside of a couple solid runs, he has been largely ineffective and inconsistent.

The two All-American freshmen bring both power (Sibley) and speed (Davis) to the running game. Hopefully both players won't be needed this year, but I couldn't definitely see your scenario where both challenge for early playing time.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

camp, watts, taleni

When Taleni stepped in, he had moments where he was very disruptive. With Camp and Watts a year in the program, Kam Carter as an early enrollee and Twyman in this year's class, Pitt has more interior defensive talent than they've had in a long time. That should help alleviate the second half collapses that cost them dearly last season. Huge key to an improved defense.

 

[steel_curtain]

-If I was ranking players based off potential to breakout based off true athleticism, explosiveness, speed, and Agility, it looks like this. There is a learning curve here, because all of our talent is young and a player like Smith has only played football for 2 seasons.

1) Michael Smith
2) Maurice Ffrench
3) Charles Reeves
4) Chris Clark
5) AJ Davis / Chawntez Moss

Defense

1) Paris Ford
2) Dewayne Hendrix
3) Damar Hamlin
4) Amir Watts
5) Cam Bright

-It is unfortunate with Hamlin and Hendrix. These are 2 of our best athletes on the entire defense and we got nothing from either last year because of injuries. Hamlin shouldnt even have played and he clearly wasnt anywhere near top speed, but our secondary was so slow and weak we didnt really have a choice. If he is anywhere near healthy, he should take over the #1 DB slot. I like Bright because our LB unit last year was playing turtle speed football. And he is pushing 4.5ish 40 speed. Although there is going to be a big curve for him, but, we are so weak at lb he will get his chance because of athleticism.

-People chose Weah and Henderson last year because they are 2 of the fastest players in the entire country. We have more athletes to work with this year, but how quickly will the light go on for some of these players is the question. Within a few years I expect most of these players to be good, if not really good.

-Pitt will have its fastest offense ever next year based off pure speed. If TMAC / Brown have any throwing accuracy, we will be lighting up the scoreboard again.

 

[yourhired]

MacVitte O
Pine D

 

[JoseLind13]

Flowers and Pine

 

[McCool]

Clark on offense; Wirginis on defense. Both have the talent, put in their time, and waited for their moment. think they'll be ready to go.

 

[Pitt-Chains]

Clark on offense; Wirginis on defense. Both have the talent, put in their time, and waited for their moment. think they'll be ready to go.

Mathews and Ford.

 

[PhPanther1]

JJ smith....but because you always look for stats, i'm going with Ollison to lead the team in rushing again and being a beast at short yardage like he was his 1st year.

Defense, Watts will come in shape and dominate on the DL.