Brookins, Williams take home 2024 Ed Conway Award
The Pitt football program announced the two winners of the Ed Conway Award prior to today’s Blue Gold game at Acrisure Stadium. The award is given out annually every spring to the two most improved players on each side of the ball. The award is named after Ed Conway, former play by play announcer for Pitt football from 1970-1973.
This year’s recipients were notified at a team breakfast prior to the start of the spring game. The offensive winner is BJ Williams, a sophomore offensive linemen and also Cruce Brookins, a redshirt freshman safety.
Williams was a surprise contributor as a true freshman in the 2023 season. The 6-foot-4 and 315-pound guard became the first true freshman to start on Pitt’s offensive line since Dorian Johnson did it back in 2013. Williams appeared in nine games total, and started six at right guard for the Panthers in the 2024 season.
The Georgia native came to Pitt as a three-star recruit out of Creekside High School. He was initially committed to Memphis during the recruiting process, but after an official visit to Pitt, he made the switch. He did not come into the program with the expectation to start as a true freshman, but injuries paved the way for him to get on the field and make multiple starts.
"BJ is no longer a rookie on our offensive line and he carried himself like a veteran this spring," Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said in a press release. "He is asserting himself as a leader, both by his play on the field and in our meeting room. We are really excited about the jump he took this spring and look forward to his continued progress come training camp."
Heading into year two, Williams looks poised to retain the starting right guard job for the entire season and a strong spring session should be a springboard for him entering training camp in August. Williams will line up for the Gold team for today’s spring game.
The defensive winner of the award was not much of a surprise for those who have followed along for the past month. Cruce Brookins has been getting a lot of attention for his play this spring, whether it was from players, his teammates, or general observations.
Brookins’ helmet was often adorned with ‘takeaway’ stickers throughout spring practice, suggesting he has been making a significant amount of plays for his safety position. The 6-foor-2 and 195-pound redshirt freshman is expected to make an impact in his second year with the program.
Brookins appeared in two games last season, but was continually talked up by the coaching staff, and has made the most of his opportunity this spring to make an impact. He came to Pitt as a lightly-recruited prospect from nearby Steel Valley High School, but had a highly productive prep career and led the Ironmen to a WPIAL championship during his senior year, while playing quarterback for his team.
"We knew Cruce was a football player when we signed him out of Steel Valley," Narduzzi said. "He loves everything about the game, including the preparation part of it. Cruce made a great impression on both his teammates and coaches this spring. We know he will be an asset for us this season."
The competition at safety is expected to continue once fall practice picks back up in the fall. The Panthers return a trio of experienced safeties in Javon McIntyre, Donovan McMillon, and PJ O’Brien, but given the impression Brookins made in the spring, he is expected to be in that mix at the start of next season.