A pair of Virginia natives gearing up for the Hokies
Virginia is a talent-rich state when it comes to recruiting high school football players. The Pitt football coaches have emphasized the state more in recent years on the recruiting trail, and the roster should reflect that in future seasons. As for the present, the current team features three players from Virginia, including a pair of senior starters on defense: Chase Pine and Patrick Jones.
When Pitt takes on Virginia Tech this Saturday at Heinz Field, it will be a personal battle for both of those players from Virginia. Jones is enjoying his finest season in a Pitt uniform. The senior defensive end has 8 sacks, which leads the ACC and he is also regarded as one of the top defensive end prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Jones played high school football for Grassfield High School in Chesapeake. He had an offer from Virginia Tech and even took an official visit to Blacksburg during the recruiting process, but in the end he felt most comfortable at Pitt, even with some outside pressure from those in his community.
“The whole area down there is pretty much Virginia Tech,” Jones said. “So it was definitely somewhere that a lot of people wanted me to go.”
Senior linebacker Chase Pine was also recruited by the Hokies when he was starring for Lafayette High School in Williamsburg. The Hokies tried to pry Pine away from his commitment to Pitt, but in the end he stuck it out with the Panthers.
After years of battling for a spot in the starting lineup, Pine has been the team’s primary middle linebacker this season. He has posted career highs in tackles (29), tackles for loss (5.5), and sacks (1.5) this season in his first extended run of consistent playing time.
Pine admitted he started getting amped up this week when he started hearing from people back home.
“Having the guys texting me back from home saying that we got Virginia Tech this week definitely kicked it into perspective for me knowing that we got some local guys that I’ll be going against,” he said. “So I’ll be ready for this game.”
There is plenty of personal motivation for those two players being from Virginia, but there is a lot hanging in the balance. Both teams are looking to finish the season strong after managing identical 4-4 disappointing records to this point.
Pitt also lost to Virginia Tech 28-0 a year ago in what was supposed to be a heavyweight ACC Coastal battle. The embarrassment of that loss has not been forgotten on this team. Pine believes that playing with high intensity will be key on Saturday for his team to rebound.
“One thing you saw during the Florida State game was energy and emotion so I feel like we have to go into this game the same way, because I’m not going to lie last year Virginia Tech got to us,” he explained. "So we have a little chip on our shoulder this year.”
Added Jones, “They’re a good football team. We got them, they got us, so it’s time we get them back.”
Pine reveled that he is still weighing his options for his future. The NCAA is not counting this season against players’ eligibility, so even though Pine is a fifth-year senior, he does have the option to return next year.
As for Jones, he is likely heading towards his final collegiate game at Heinz Field on Saturday with a near certain NFL future within reach.
“It’s definitely a crazy experience,” he reflected on his time at Pitt. "Just thinking like time definitely flew. It seems like yesterday I was getting dropped off by my parents, It seems like yesterday I was getting dropped off by my parents, and now this is my last game at Heinz in a Pitt uniform probably, so that’s just crazy.”