Ford, Campbell, Tipton and Warren named most improved

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Pitt’s four most improved players of spring include a former four-star prospect, a redshirt senior, a player who changed positions and a young lineman who emerged as a first-team candidate over the last month.

Paris Ford, Phil Campbell, Tre Tipton and Carter Warren were named the 2019 winners of the Ed Conway Award as the most improved players of spring camp, the team announced Saturday before the Blue-Gold Game at Heinz Field.

Ford has as much hype around him as any player on the roster. A local prospect in the class of 2017, he was the highest-rated recruit to sign with Pitt under Pat Narduzzi, but his career as a Panther hasn’t yet lived up to the expectations. He redshirted in 2017 and then played in just nine games last season as the coaches experimented with him playing cornerback.

This spring, Ford moved back to boundary safety and is in a battle for the starting job there.

“Paris made outstanding strides this entire offseason,” Narduzzi said in a press release. “He matured and developed into a real force for us defending the run and pass.”

Campbell played boundary safety the last three seasons, but this spring he moved to outside linebacker, learning both the Star and Money positions. Late in camp, Narduzzi said that Campbell was pushing for playing time and could be a starter at either spot.

“Phil really showed playmaking ability at linebacker this spring,” Narduzzi said. “His speed and athleticism will be great strengths at that position.”

On offense, Tipton is looking to rebound from several injury-marred seasons. He played in 13 total games over his first three seasons, including missing all of 2017. Last year, he appeared in all 14 games but caught just five passes.

“We are looking for a big senior year from Tre,” Narduzzi said. “He is fully healthy and, with continued progress, can be a huge asset in our passing game this fall.”

Warren, a redshirt sophomore offensive lineman, was one of the big risers in spring camp. After bouncing between tackle and guard the last two seasons, he seemingly cemented himself at left tackle in the last month. And in recent weeks, Warren appeared to have moved to the first team at that position - a positive development for an offensive line that needs to replace four starters.

“Carter really seized his opportunities this spring,” Narduzzi said. “He did an outstanding job and put himself in position to earn a starting job at tackle.”