Pittsburgh Panthers 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: Pat Narduzzi was a perfect choice when hired to lead the Pitt football program, but Pitt has still not developed as a threat in the overall ACC race, and last season's 5 win season did nothing to tell us that they are getting closer to being a factor in the conference. At some point, he has to turn a corner with this program, or forever risk this team being a middling mess in a league that is not overwhelmingly full of football power. Narduzzi is just 21-17 in 3 years, and the program may be lucky to finish with 6 wins this fall.
Breakdown Offense: Kenny Pickett jumped onto the scene late last fall, and is now the only real QB with starting experience left on the roster for the Panthers. He did manage to manufacture a win over Miami last fall, but he still has not done enough, in my eyes, to deserve a lot of the pre-season hype that he has been getting. With former USC recruit Ricky Town in the mix as a transfer, he will have to hold him off in fall camp. Ben DiNucci, who played in 10 games last fall, took a transfer to James Madison.
The run game simply lacks a star for the Panthers. Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison both return, but neither has been able to take the reins and run with them. Hall rushed for 628 yards last fall, while Ollison rushed for 398. They did manage to combine for 14 scores, but again, the position lacks any real star power. AJ Davis is the most experienced back returning after those two, and he carried all of 16 times last fall.
Rafael Araujo-Lopes returns as a starting receiver, and caught 43 passes last fall, but the Panthers are thin at the position, and they have not identified a deep threat in the unit as of yet. Maurice Ffrench, who moved over from DB last season, is the projected starter opposite, and caught 25 passes last fall. Aaron Mathews is likely the first receiver off the bench, but caught just 16 passes all of last fall.
Tyler Sear projects as the starter at TE, but caught just one pass in 2017, and there were only 3 TEs on the spring roster.
The only starter returning on the line is LT Alex Booker. Connor Dintino (LG), Jimmy Morrissey (C), Mike Herndon (RG), and Bryce Hargrove (RT) are expected to be the new starters, but that entire group could get jumbled up in fall camp. Again, depth is a mystery.
Breakdown Defense: The news on the defensive line is solid, as all 4 starters return for another go in 2017. That's excellent news for a defense that finished 41st nationally in total defense. Rashad Weaver and James Folston are the ends, while Shane Roy and Amir Watts return inside. Weaver played in all 12 games as a freshman last fall, and totaled 6 TFLs, while Folston finished with just 2 TFLs in 12 games as a junior. Watts was good for 5 TFLs inside, and Roy had just one TFL in 12 games. Dwayne Hendrix and Patrick Jones II should both see rotational time at DE, while Keyshon Camp and Jaylen Twyman will serve as depth at DT and NT.
Oluwaseun Idowu and Elijah Zeise will return at the OLB spots this fall. Idowu will be the start of this defense, as he led the team in tackles last fall with 94, and also led with 11.5 TFLs. Zeise recorded 49 tackles last fall. Quinton Wirginis is the projected starter at MLB after missing last fall with a hamstring injury. Saleem Brightwell could push him in the middle in fall camp, and Elias Reynolds is around to add a bit of depth. Chase Pine backs up one OLB spot, while Anthony McKee backs up the other.
Dane Jackson (CB) and Damar Hamlin (FS) are the returning starters in the secondary, but this unit needs to show major improvement after Pitt finished ranked 105th nationally in passing defense. Jackson totaled 9 PBUs last fall, and totaled 2 INTs. Hamlin totaled 41 tackles, but does not do much in pass coverage. Paris Ford redshirted his first season last fall as he dealt with academics, and should start at the open CB spot. The Panthers envision him having some role on offense as well. Dennis Briggs is the new starter at SS. Phillipie Motley will push Ford for the open CB job. Jason Pinnock will add some depth on that side. Damarri Mathis and Therran Coleman are the backups behind Jackson. Phil Campbell III and Bricen Garner are the reserves at Safety, with Jazze Stocker adding depth there.
Breakdown Special Teams: Alex Kessman returns as the PK, but he did not exactly have the best year in 2017, He hit just 11/19 FG attempts, despite hitting all 34 of his PAT attempts.
RS freshman Kirk Christodoulou is the new Punter, as he tries to replace Ryan Winslow, who had a cannon for a leg.
With the departure of Qadree Henderson, both KR and PR spots will be battled out in camp.
Final Analysis: The Panthers are not moving in the right direction these days. They have not been a factor in the ACC in one single area, and are not any closer to being so. Pickett is getting a lot of hype for winning one game, and if history tells me anything, it's not smart to put all of your eggs in the basket of someone who has not done much outside of a short streak. There is no star in the run game, and the receivers are thin. The line is a jumbled up mess heading into camp, and these are just the issues on offense. Defensively, the Panthers were essentially a middle of the road program last fall, and despite a wealth of starter coming back on the line, none of them are stars. I don't trust that the talent currently on the roster is going to blow up and be special this season, so I would start preparing for a bottom 4 finish overall in the ACC this fall. By the way, the non con schedule is fairly brutal.
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