2019-2020 Pitt Super Panther Sports Thread (With a New Logo)

[willeyeam]

Ps I cannot wait for Hillgrove to start attempting to pronounce that one

[willeyeam]

The first 2021 recruit is in. Please be Donald.

https://twitter.com/CoachDuzzPittFB/sta ... 11074?s=19

[Stoosh]

The first 2021 recruit is in. Please be Donald.

https://twitter.com/CoachDuzzPittFB/sta ... 11074?s=19

Not Donald, but damn close and it may very well lead to Donald.

They got 6'3". 210 LB Nakhi Johnson from West Mifflin (played last two yrs at Steel Valley). Currently a 3-star by Rivals, he's considered one of the top three players in the WPIAL for 2021 (along with Elliot Donald and Gateway LB Derrick Davis) and a top 10 player in PA. Just coming up on his junior year, he already had offers from UPS, Michigan, VT, Miss. State, Iowa State, Syracuse and WVU.

Apparently, he was the subject of the 2021-themed tweets being sent out by Narduzzi and Partridge over the weekend.

Huge pickup for them to start that 2021 class, especially if this ultimately leads to them bringing in Donald.

[NAN]

The first 2021 recruit is in. Please be Donald.

https://twitter.com/CoachDuzzPittFB/sta ... 11074?s=19

Not Donald, but damn close and it may very well lead to Donald.

They got 6'3". 210 LB Nakhi Johnson from West Mifflin (played last two yrs at Steel Valley). Currently a 3-star by Rivals, he's considered one of the top three players in the WPIAL for 2021 (along with Elliot Donald and Gateway LB Derrick Davis) and a top 10 player in PA. Just coming up on his junior year, he already had offers from UPS, Michigan, VT, Miss. State, Iowa State, Syracuse and WVU.

Apparently, he was the subject of the 2021-themed tweets being sent out by Narduzzi and Partridge over the weekend.

Huge pickup for them to start that 2021 class, especially if this ultimately leads to them bringing in Donald.

Just about to post this. Great pickup.

Super Panthers just need to win now. Don't go out and **** the bed this year and finish like 4-8.

[willeyeam]

shut up nan that would never happen

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

I think nakhi Johnson just got ruled ineligible by the wpial. oh well

[Dickie Dunn]

Pittsburgh Sports Now has learned that Pitt’s current intention is for incoming freshman Kyi Wright to play at tight end, instead of linebacker, giving the Panthers another top athlete at the position.

I hope Kyi Wright knows that.

[Dickie Dunn]

Depth Chart!

QB: Pickett, Patti OR George
RB: Davis, Sibley
WR: Mack, Mathews
WR: Ffrench, Butler-Jenkins
WR: Tipton, Shocky
TE: Carrigan, Gragg
LT: Warren, Van Lynn
LG: Hargove, Ford
C: Morrissey, Kradel
RG: Brown, Wheeler
RT: Houy, Zubovic

DE: Weaver, Morgan
DT: Watts, Danielson
DT: Twyman OR Camp
DE: Jones II, Alexandre
SLB: Campell, Bright
MiLB: Brightwell, Reynolds
MoLB: Pine, Nunn
CB: Jackson, Mathis
CB: Pinnock, Williams
SS: Ford, Garner
FS: Hamlin, Stocker

Notes and thoughts:
- Transfers were not included so expect some changes to OL and TE due to the Michigan and Rutgers grad transfers.
- That's the least experience we've had at RB for a long time.
- Nice to see Tipton get his token "we believe in you!" first on the depth chart listing before his standard season ending injury,
- Nice to see Brown listed at RG after getting no playing time as a heralded JUCO recruit last year. I still think we'll see some changed with the OL as Morrissey is really the only entrenched guy. The lack of Jerry Drake Jr. is surprising.
- Watts and Camp at different positions on the interior DL? Brilliant! Only took three years to get to this point. **** idiots.
- The LB breakdown is weird. Campbell moves from SS to SLB, Brightwell moves from MoLB to MiLB and is ahead of Reynolds who started at the position last year, Pine is moved from backup MiLB to starting MoLB. Kylan Johnson, the grad transfer from Florida, has to factor in there somewhere as well.
- Holy ****. Paris Ford playing the position where he should have been all along. The second miracle of this depth chart!


I really can't tell you how happy it makes me to see a depth chart devoid of Dewayne Hendrix, Shane Roy, Sean Idowu, and Dennis Briggs.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

Lets hope mack stays healthy. Between him and French, pitt wont have the bestest receivers in the ACC, but they wont suck either.

lets hope that Rutgers te isn't a total stiff.

lets hope that Ford isn't a total stiff and actually does stuff.

I am optimistic that this is the year when some guy actually emerges as a threat from the linebacker position. And it wont be the guy from florida.

[willeyeam]

DL might be really really good

[willeyeam]

Secondary too. If the LBs turn out this could be a lot of fun

[Dickie Dunn]

I am optimistic that this is the year when some guy actually emerges as a threat from the linebacker position.

He’s a backup right now but I’d put that money on Cam Bright.

[Stoosh]

Some thoughts...

RB depth issues remind me a bit of 2009, the first year post-McCoy and Larod Stephens-Howling. In '09, the "veteran" returning RBs were Shariff Harris & Chris Burns, and Dion Lewis & Ray Graham were both coming in as true freshmen. The big problem with this comparison, of course, is that in 2009, Lewis & Graham would be running behind a line that featured Jason Pinkston, John Malecki, Joe Thomas, Chris Jacobsen and a younger Lucas Nix. This 2019 o-line is...not that, at least not yet.

Back to the RBs quickly. I wish Davis and Sibley had more of a resume at this level, and I'm not sure how much of that was a testament to how good Ollison & Hall were last year rather than concerns over Davis/Sibley contributing at this level. I know Davis struggled to pick up blocks last year and that limited his time.

Ultimately, I'm not too worried about it. Davis, Salahuddin, and Daniel Carter were all national recruits; I would think one of them will emerge as contributors here. And if Whipple holds true to his tendencies of getting the ball to his playmakers, V'Lique Carter may see more touches than any of them.

O-Line: Morrissey is a nice block to build everything else around. Echoing Dickie Dunn's thoughts, it's good seeing Brown at guard. Hopefully Warren can stay at LT and Drake can work himself into the mix at the other tackle spot as well. If those two play to their pedigree, that would be huge. Zubovic at RT was a bit surprising because he seemed to be slated for the interior line. This could easily change, especially if Drake moves up the depth chart at tackle.

WR: Everything starts with Mack & Ffrench. I'm at least excited about the prospects of those two playing for a coordinator who at least recognizes the value in getting the ball to your playmakers, because Pickett and the pass blocking of the o-line can't possibly be any worse...right? I have no idea what to expect from anyone else but they need someone else to step up. They stand to lose at least three and maybe four (if Mack goes to the NFL) of the top six after this year. In fact, I'm throwing out hometown recruit Will Gipson as this year's true freshman that will emerge as an impact player.

As much as I'm trying to temper enthusiasm for this year because of all the questions on offense, this is the best I've felt about Pitt's defense since peak Wanny.

Camp, Watts, and Twyman could really wreck some havoc this year in the interior DL. Like Dickie Dunn said, it's absolutely ridiculous that Camp & Watts were playing the same position the last two seasons.

For whatever it's worth, Twyman looks like an absolute monster. Players must have done some uniform fittings or promo shots over the last week or so, because yesterday on Twitter a bunch of them were all posting photos of them in the new uniforms over the weekend. I'll try to find them and post them here. Twyman is wearing 97 and he apparently took several pages from the Aaron Donald playbook and lived in the weight room this offseason. Dude is a beast.

I love the DBs. If the LB position sorts itself out a bit, this defense could be a lot of fun to watch.

[skullman80]

I'm tempted to buy season tickets this year.... I keep getting emails about it. I just know I will end up disappointed.

[NAN]

I'm tempted to buy season tickets this year.... I keep getting emails about it. I just know I will end up disappointed.

DO IT!

[willeyeam]

What could go wrong? Join us pal

[skullman80]

Well part of the problem is I think two home games fall the week we are on vacation in Hawaii. May at least get a mini plan though. I want to support them...really I do. Lol.

[Dickie Dunn]

@Stoosh

- Good call on the RB situation. I honestly expect Salahuddin and Carter to end up at the top of the depth chart because they seem to be the most talented and explosive of the bunch, with Carter and Shocky getting used for trickeration. For what it's worth, the Carter at RB experiment seems to be over because he's officially listed as a WR on the roster.
- I was surprised to see Zubovic on the outside as well. Same for not seeing Owen Drexel on the two-deep. He was the backup center last year and saw some action. I think other than Morrissey the entire line is very fluid at this point, especially with Uilizo coming in.
- Nice to hear that about Twyman. He's always been talented but a bit doughy. Him becoming a physical freak would be good news.

Looking at some of the player profiles, they added (at least I think they added) a pretty awesome feature this year where you can look at historical information to see changes in height and weight. Some of the biggest changes:

- Drexel: 270, 290, 300
- Weaver: 255, 265, 260, 270
- Watts: 270, 285, 290, 295
- Jones II: 250, 245, 265, 260
- Baldonado: 230, 250
- Twyman: 315, 300, 290
- Brightwell: 195, 210, 220, 225, 230
- Campbell II: 195, 195, 200, 220
- Wheeler: 290, 290, 285, 280
- Van Lynn: 255, 290, 300
- Warren: 325, 320, 320

Weaver has really packed some weight on (hope he hasn't lost his explosiveness), whereas Jones should hopefully be more explosive than he was last year. At the very least Twyman has lost a lot of his dough. I forgot how small Brightwell was when he came into the program. Campbell seems to have adjusted nicely to being a LB instead of a DB. I'm not sure Wheeler losing weight to play on the OL is a good thing. Warren losing some weight is good.

[willeyeam]

forgot about Baldonado, he intrigues me

[Stoosh]

Twyman

https://twitter.com/PittFanaticsFB/stat ... 38049?s=20

[Dickie Dunn]

Jesus

[shafnutz05]

Twyman

https://twitter.com/PittFanaticsFB/stat ... 38049?s=20

Thought his tattoo on his left bicep said "Ambien" at first.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

I hope Carter spent this offseason becoming more of a football player instead of a dude who can just do...….things.

[Stoosh]

@MrKennethTKangaroo and @Dickie Dunn

Re: V'Lique Carter...

I missed that he was listed as a WR on the updated 2019 roster so that was my bad. I remember they moved him to RB in the spring because of Salahuddin's injury and forgot that was only temporary.

I think you both bring up good points regarding what he can bring, and I'll lump Shocky in here a little bit, too. I'll be interested to see if both have developed their route-running, because that can make them threats on quick slants & crosses underneath, especially if they're operating out of the slot. I also want to see what Whipple cooks up for them when it comes to things like bubble screens and jet sweeps.

Regarding the latter, if they're going to continue to try to use the jet sweeps, I REALLY hope to see Whipple bring back a lot of the pre-snap, multiple man-in-motion/misdirection stuff that Canada used in 2016. Watson retained the jet sweeps but often times they were easily telegraphed because the only guy he tended to send in motion was the guy getting the ball.

[Dickie Dunn]

Watson loved his jet sweeps to the only man in motion to the short side of the field. Still surprised I didn't jump off a bridge during his tenure.