Last year at the this time, there was plenty of optimism around the Pitt defense. Players like Patrick Jones, Jaylen Twyman, and Paris Ford were coming off of All-ACC seasons. Rashad Weaver was set to return from an injury and Damar Hamlin was granted an extra year of eligibility.
The hope and strength of the Pitt defense was centered around the experience and talent on the defensive line and in the secondary. One year later, things look a little different, as all of those players have moved on and Pitt will have to lean on some new guys at those spots.
The strength of this year’s defense could be the linebackers, however. This group is the most experienced on the defensive side of the ball and with five players back with starting experience, it could be one of the best sets of linebackers in the ACC.
Cam Bright, a 6’0” and 225-pound senior is coming off his finest season in a Pitt uniform and will be one of the stars of the Panthers defense. Bright started nine games a year ago and posted 53 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. The Alabama native believes this is the season the linebackers can take center stage for this defense.
“We have the most experience in our room, so that’s what is expected of us and I feel like it’s our breakout year,” Bright told reporters over Zoom. “Those two All-Americans are gone.”
Pitt is going to miss the play of Jones and Weaver up front, but with Bright returning, along with Phil Campbell (4.5 sacks) and SirVocea Dennis (14.5 TFL), the outside linebackers should help keep the Pitt pass rush among the best in the country while the defensive ends get acclimated.
The return of Campbell was an unexpected one. He chose to use the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA. Senior quarterback Kenny Pickett returning unexpectedly obviously took the headlines this offseason, but the return of Campbell is not a small one for this team. He has started 20 games in the last two seasons and had 15 career tackles for loss and 10 sacks.
“It’s always good when a guy with a lot of experience comes back,” Bright said of Campbell returning.
Pitt’s trio of outside linebackers is strong, but the battle to watch this spring could be at middle linebacker. Dennis could slide over and play the middle at times in order to get him on the field more, but there is a three-man race between Wendell Davis, Chase Pine, and Brandon George that is highly competitive right now.
“I see, most of all, consistency from all three of those guys,” Bright said of the middle linebackers. "They’re going at it, battling each other, so you know they’ve got to be perfect.”
The linebackers may be the most seasoned group on the field for Pitt, but the rest of the defense is far from inexperienced. The Panthers use a healthy rotation across the board and while some players may not have started last year, they at least saw the field. Bright sees that as a positive, as the team has been able to hit the ground running in the early days of spring practice.
“Guys have a better idea of what they’re doing on the field and their approach off the field as well helps,” he said. “I see a more together team as far as our bonds, so that’s good and as far as where we’re going and what we have to do is just to continue to get better and focus on details.”
