-- Pitt's first open practice was Friday, and they held two more over the weekend that were closed to the media. So today another open practice resumed, so here are a few things we took note of...
-- Pitt was in 'shells' today (helmets and shoulder pads and shorts) so they will be in full pads later this week. That's always a big day in camp when they can go full speed and hit. Not there yet, but it's coming soon.
-- A few different guys were catching punts today: Paris Ford, Taysir Mack, AJ Woods, Maurice Ffrench, and John Vardzel. I still think the favorite there is Paris Ford, but it could be one of the WR's.
-- Another special teams battle we're watching is the holder. Jake Scarton opted to transfer, thus leaving a void there. We talked to Kessman on Friday and he said he's working with different guys - mainly whoever he feels comfortable with. Narduzzi actually said it's Kessman's call on who the holder will be. So today it was Kirk Christodoulou the punter. I think a QB or two will be involved as well. Still up in the air.
-- Health once again seems good, it's early yet but not a lot of guys missing many drills. Habakkuk Baldonado is a guy that was banged up in the spring, but looks to be fine now. He's an intriguing name, and Narduzzi even mentioned him in his press briefing this morning when talking about the backup DE race.
-- Watched the D-Line for a bit and got my first look at Calijah Kancey. He's not a big guy, but he's someone that Jaylen Twyman mentioned that he thinks is doing a nice job already. In that DT rotation you have a blend of big guys and smaller, quicker guys. Kancey seems built more like David Green than Devin Danielson.
-- The offensive line went the same as Friday: Carter Warren (LT), Bryce Hargove, (LG), Jimmy Morrissey (C), Gabe Houy (RG), Nolan Ulizio (RT)
Again, I'm not sure what it means with Houy playing inside instead of tackle, but nonetheless Houy seems to be in the top 5. He's a guy with some potential in my opinion.
-- The way drills played out today, the QB rotation went as follows: Pickett, Patti, George as the top 3. Patti looks a little more comfortable than he did last fall, which is expected. He's bigger, and seems to have adjusted to college football. I think long-term it would be better for Pitt if he was the backup this season and not George. We'll see how it goes. We don't see live periods, so anyone can look good against air.
-- Watched the tight ends for a bit. Maybe it's because the other TE's are huge, but Kyi Wright is a lot more leaner than I expected - and I think that's a good thing. I thought he was bulkier, but he's pretty well put together and moves around nicely. Another thing with the tight ends....I just don't see how Jason Collier can stick there. He has soft hands and makes some nice catches, but he's 290-ish pounds...he just doesn't have a ton of explosion.
-- I noticed V'lique Carter doing some drills as both a WR and RB, which looks like it will be the case moving forward.
-- Paris Ford was working alongside Damar Hamlin as the starting safety. Therran Coleman and Bricen Garner looked to be the second group. Obviously Stocker is still around as well.
That's it for now, we'll have some player interviews later.
-- Pitt was in 'shells' today (helmets and shoulder pads and shorts) so they will be in full pads later this week. That's always a big day in camp when they can go full speed and hit. Not there yet, but it's coming soon.
-- A few different guys were catching punts today: Paris Ford, Taysir Mack, AJ Woods, Maurice Ffrench, and John Vardzel. I still think the favorite there is Paris Ford, but it could be one of the WR's.
-- Another special teams battle we're watching is the holder. Jake Scarton opted to transfer, thus leaving a void there. We talked to Kessman on Friday and he said he's working with different guys - mainly whoever he feels comfortable with. Narduzzi actually said it's Kessman's call on who the holder will be. So today it was Kirk Christodoulou the punter. I think a QB or two will be involved as well. Still up in the air.
-- Health once again seems good, it's early yet but not a lot of guys missing many drills. Habakkuk Baldonado is a guy that was banged up in the spring, but looks to be fine now. He's an intriguing name, and Narduzzi even mentioned him in his press briefing this morning when talking about the backup DE race.
-- Watched the D-Line for a bit and got my first look at Calijah Kancey. He's not a big guy, but he's someone that Jaylen Twyman mentioned that he thinks is doing a nice job already. In that DT rotation you have a blend of big guys and smaller, quicker guys. Kancey seems built more like David Green than Devin Danielson.
-- The offensive line went the same as Friday: Carter Warren (LT), Bryce Hargove, (LG), Jimmy Morrissey (C), Gabe Houy (RG), Nolan Ulizio (RT)
Again, I'm not sure what it means with Houy playing inside instead of tackle, but nonetheless Houy seems to be in the top 5. He's a guy with some potential in my opinion.
-- The way drills played out today, the QB rotation went as follows: Pickett, Patti, George as the top 3. Patti looks a little more comfortable than he did last fall, which is expected. He's bigger, and seems to have adjusted to college football. I think long-term it would be better for Pitt if he was the backup this season and not George. We'll see how it goes. We don't see live periods, so anyone can look good against air.
-- Watched the tight ends for a bit. Maybe it's because the other TE's are huge, but Kyi Wright is a lot more leaner than I expected - and I think that's a good thing. I thought he was bulkier, but he's pretty well put together and moves around nicely. Another thing with the tight ends....I just don't see how Jason Collier can stick there. He has soft hands and makes some nice catches, but he's 290-ish pounds...he just doesn't have a ton of explosion.
-- I noticed V'lique Carter doing some drills as both a WR and RB, which looks like it will be the case moving forward.
-- Paris Ford was working alongside Damar Hamlin as the starting safety. Therran Coleman and Bricen Garner looked to be the second group. Obviously Stocker is still around as well.
That's it for now, we'll have some player interviews later.
