Most difficult player to replace in 2025?

[HailToPitt725]

Which departing player will be the hardest to replace this upcoming season? A few potential answers who come to mind:

• TE Gavin Bartholomew
• DB Donovan McMillan
• DE Sincere Edwards
• LB Jordan Bass
• WR Konata Mumpfield
• DB PJ O’Brien
• DB Ryland Gandy
• K Ben Sauls

Is your answer due to the lack of depth behind them? Perhaps they were just that good?

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

Which departing player will be the hardest to replace this upcoming season? A few potential answers who come to mind:

• TE Gavin Bartholomew
• DB Donovan McMillan
• DE Sincere Edwards
• LB Jordan Bass
• WR Konata Mumpfield
• DB PJ O’Brien
• DB Ryland Gandy
• K Ben Sauls

Is your answer due to the lack of depth behind them? Perhaps they were just that good?

Sauls - Best Pitt Kicker of All-Time

 

[LeftCoastPanther]

Sauls and then Edwards. The new kicker can make us forget Ben but there isn’t a young pass rusher to be excited about like Edwards.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Sauls - Best Pitt Kicker of All-Time

Agreed. In my opinion, what’s most impressive about his Pitt career is that Sam Scarton beat him out during the 2021 ACC Championship season when most people (myself included) assumed it was Sauls’ job to take. What a great example of perseverance.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Sauls and then Edwards. The new kicker can make us forget Ben but there isn’t a young pass rusher to be excited about like Edwards.

Good point. I think part of the issues at DL stem from the fact that we’ve had so many transfer out the past two offseasons. Hard to maintain a pipeline when several of them (Hayes, Edwards, Okunlola) from previous classes are no longer here.

 

[Burgh15]

Sauls and then Edwards. The new kicker can make us forget Ben but there isn’t a young pass rusher to be excited about like Edwards.

Sauls was a special talent and when Pitt was in tight games you knew he'd come through in the clutch.

Edwards is probably a good name to include because of the importance of the pass rush to the success of this defense.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Sauls was a special talent and when Pitt was in tight games you knew he'd come through in the clutch.

Edwards is probably a good name to include because of the importance of the pass rush to the success of this defense.

Here’s an interesting stat about Ben Sauls:

Pitt was 4-1 in games decided by three points or less with him as our kicker, with the lone loss coming in the bowl game against Toledo. Prior to that, we were 7-11 in those games during the Pat Narduzzi era, and that stat doesn’t include games such as 2018 Notre Dame where we lost 19-14 but had two missed field goals.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes on to have a long and successful NFL career.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Hmm.

Edwards is the player I would most want back from that list, undoubtedly. I don't think he'll be the biggest loss, per se, because he was a true freshman d-lineman who presumably didn't come close to reaching his potential yet, but he'd the one I'd most want back.

 

[ratking17]

Nate yarnell

 

[PittMan2003]

I think Sauls is the easy answer.

After that I would go Mumpfield. He was pretty consistent and this year's WR group has a lot of question marks. Edwards would be closely behind Mumpfield imo.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

Sauls and then Edwards. The new kicker can make us forget Ben but there isn’t a young pass rusher to be excited about like Edwards.

Loosing Edwards really sucks. I do think our interior DL could be a lot better with Fitz and James healthy, and Brewu and Neal another year of development. Ideally one of those two pushes for a starting job. Plus Whittingham and Yuhas are promising.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Which departing player will be the hardest to replace this upcoming season? A few potential answers who come to mind:

• TE Gavin Bartholomew
• DB Donovan McMillan
• DE Sincere Edwards
• LB Jordan Bass
• WR Konata Mumpfield
• DB PJ O’Brien
• DB Ryland Gandy
• K Ben Sauls

Is your answer due to the lack of depth behind them? Perhaps they were just that good?

4 on there im worried about.

McMillan, Mumpfield, O'Brien and Sauls. Kind of sucks that i didnt say Bartholomew, just think we completely under utilized him for years..

 

[Richard A]

Edwards, Saul, then Bass because of depth.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Pitt was 4-1 in games decided by three points or less with him as our kicker, with the lone loss coming in the bowl game against Toledo.

Ironic that the "1" in that 4-1 is because we stupidly put Sauls out on the field to kick a field goal.

 

[yourhired]

Sauls

 

[Pittnerski]

BART was a great example of why you don’t dump a ton of NIL money into a TE. He had minimal impact on the games.

Think D Mac will be the biggest loss. 100+ tackles in consecutive years.

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

Sauls and then Edwards. The new kicker can make us forget Ben but there isn’t a young pass rusher to be excited about like Edwards.

Moore from Oregon.

 

[HailToPitt725]

BART was a great example of why you don’t dump a ton of NIL money into a TE. He had minimal impact on the games.

Think D Mac will be the biggest loss. 100+ tackles in consecutive years.

Playing devil’s advocate, who’s to say there isn’t a larger exodus if your (perceived) best offensive player leaves, especially after Hayes transferred out? Is there even more pessimism heading into the season?

Since there’s no cap (yet), I have no problem with him getting paid.

 

[Dointhatrag]

In theory if kicker is the most difficult player to replace then this team has a lot of talent coming back or we didnt have that much last year.

I do agree that he is the most difficult to replace because it felt almost automatic for point within 55 yards.

 

[singregardless]

McMillon - he cleaned up so many defensive errors and we're going to feel it this season unless someone steps up.