I was back in the Southside today for another Pitt spring practice. As far as media goes, we'll have three more practices to view the team before the spring game. The practice was inside as it was a little chilly to start the morning.
-- So on the recruiting front, AJ Webb was not there yet. As Chris noted in a different thread, he is on the way. A quick refresher, Webb is visiting after visiting here two weeks ago. It's his birthday, he's bringing his parents, Pitt's one of his favorite schools. So maybe a commitment?
-- Of the recruits that were there, two prospects from St. Clairsville, Ohio.
along with Avery Henry, a 6'7" and 320-pound freshman. He doesn't have a rivals profile yet, but I'll need to make him one. Pretty imposing for a ninth grader.
Also a pair of kids from Akron Buchtel HS.
along with 2021 RB Robert Jones.
-- St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida was represented again as The'Andris Freeman was here with his parents.
-- Nakia Griffin-Stewart was visiting and he was being shown around by Pat Narduzzi and was watching the tight ends practice right on the field. Quick refresher, he is the Rutgers graduate transfer that will join the team after this semester and have one year to play. I think Nolan Ulizio visited somewhat recently as well on a Saturday, so I think they wanted both grad transfers to show up and see how things look.
-- There was one less tight end today than there had been because Kaymar Mimes was working at defensive end today. He was originally going to be a defensive end out of high school, but moved to tight end to help the numbers during his redshirt season. He was wearing a navy jersey today, which is what the defense actually wears. So this looks like a full blown position change, and we'll ask Narduzzi about it later.
-- Pitt worked on some punts today and the first two punt returners were Maurice Ffrench and Paris Ford, which is about what you would expect at this point. Ffrench said last week he wants the PR job so he's off to a good start.
-- Pitt also worked on some FG today, and Alex Kessman drilled most of his kicks. He told us last week his % during spring has been around 89%, which is a big improvement from last spring both he and Powell confirmed.
-- Today's offensive linemen alignment was: Carter Warren, Bryce Hargrove, Jake Kradel, Chase Brown, and Gabe Houy. Morrissey is always around, but sometimes he doesn't go full speed. They don't like us talking about injuries, but Morrissey talked to us recently and confirmed he is limited. We all saw the injury last year, so it's not some guarded secret. He will be the starting center next year, but sometimes other guys stand in for him. The notable thing is that it was Kradel and not Owen Drexel today. We all knew Kradel would get a look at center, and maybe it's going really well.
Hey, this are just spring drills, it's been a different look on the line almost everyday I have been at practice. It seems like they want everyone to get a chance. Chase Brown had been an afterthought, but he was standing with the starters today. The constants have seemingly been Houy and Hargove, I will say that.
-- The two kids and their dads from Akron Buchtel were getting a chance to speak with fellow Akron native Todd Sibley. He wasn't really recruiting per se, but he was telling kids about coursework, practice, etc. So he was able to tell two high school kids what college football was like and seemed more than willing to do it.
--Quadree Henderson was at practice today wearing a Giants hoodie.
-- There have been some talks that Noah Palmer has moved to DT, and he is noticeably bigger than before, so I guess he will do just fine there from a physical standpoint.
-- Funny scene earlier, as the DT's were doing some drills with Partridge, Amir Watts got carried away and went flying into some of the pads off to the side. Everyone had a good laugh about that and everyone let him hear it.
That's it for now, we'll talk to Chris Beatty, Pat Narduzzi, and some players after practice.
-- So on the recruiting front, AJ Webb was not there yet. As Chris noted in a different thread, he is on the way. A quick refresher, Webb is visiting after visiting here two weeks ago. It's his birthday, he's bringing his parents, Pitt's one of his favorite schools. So maybe a commitment?
-- Of the recruits that were there, two prospects from St. Clairsville, Ohio.
along with Avery Henry, a 6'7" and 320-pound freshman. He doesn't have a rivals profile yet, but I'll need to make him one. Pretty imposing for a ninth grader.
Also a pair of kids from Akron Buchtel HS.
along with 2021 RB Robert Jones.
-- St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida was represented again as The'Andris Freeman was here with his parents.
-- Nakia Griffin-Stewart was visiting and he was being shown around by Pat Narduzzi and was watching the tight ends practice right on the field. Quick refresher, he is the Rutgers graduate transfer that will join the team after this semester and have one year to play. I think Nolan Ulizio visited somewhat recently as well on a Saturday, so I think they wanted both grad transfers to show up and see how things look.
-- There was one less tight end today than there had been because Kaymar Mimes was working at defensive end today. He was originally going to be a defensive end out of high school, but moved to tight end to help the numbers during his redshirt season. He was wearing a navy jersey today, which is what the defense actually wears. So this looks like a full blown position change, and we'll ask Narduzzi about it later.
-- Pitt worked on some punts today and the first two punt returners were Maurice Ffrench and Paris Ford, which is about what you would expect at this point. Ffrench said last week he wants the PR job so he's off to a good start.
-- Pitt also worked on some FG today, and Alex Kessman drilled most of his kicks. He told us last week his % during spring has been around 89%, which is a big improvement from last spring both he and Powell confirmed.
-- Today's offensive linemen alignment was: Carter Warren, Bryce Hargrove, Jake Kradel, Chase Brown, and Gabe Houy. Morrissey is always around, but sometimes he doesn't go full speed. They don't like us talking about injuries, but Morrissey talked to us recently and confirmed he is limited. We all saw the injury last year, so it's not some guarded secret. He will be the starting center next year, but sometimes other guys stand in for him. The notable thing is that it was Kradel and not Owen Drexel today. We all knew Kradel would get a look at center, and maybe it's going really well.
Hey, this are just spring drills, it's been a different look on the line almost everyday I have been at practice. It seems like they want everyone to get a chance. Chase Brown had been an afterthought, but he was standing with the starters today. The constants have seemingly been Houy and Hargove, I will say that.
-- The two kids and their dads from Akron Buchtel were getting a chance to speak with fellow Akron native Todd Sibley. He wasn't really recruiting per se, but he was telling kids about coursework, practice, etc. So he was able to tell two high school kids what college football was like and seemed more than willing to do it.
--Quadree Henderson was at practice today wearing a Giants hoodie.
-- There have been some talks that Noah Palmer has moved to DT, and he is noticeably bigger than before, so I guess he will do just fine there from a physical standpoint.
-- Funny scene earlier, as the DT's were doing some drills with Partridge, Amir Watts got carried away and went flying into some of the pads off to the side. Everyone had a good laugh about that and everyone let him hear it.
That's it for now, we'll talk to Chris Beatty, Pat Narduzzi, and some players after practice.
