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Pitt’s first significant offseason injury struck over the weekend when redshirt sophomore receiver Tre Tipton suffered an ACL injury that will sideline him for the 2017 season.
Pat Narduzzi announced the news in a press release Monday afternoon.
“I know I speak for the entire team in saying we are all disappointed for Tre,” Narduzzi said. “He is an absolutely outstanding young man and teammate. Even though he is unable to play this fall, we know Tre is going to be an invaluable figure in our wide receivers room while he rehabs. That’s the type of person and competitor he is, and he’ll have our fullest support as he works for a full recovery.”
The injury is Tipton’s third season-ending injury in three years at Pitt; a knee injury ended his freshman season in 2015 after four games, and he missed the final four games of 2016 with an injury sustained in the Panthers’ loss at Miami.
In each of those seasons, he was a reserve receiver, at best, but he figured to play a larger role in 2017. Redshirt senior Jester Weah and sophomore Quadree Henderson are the projected starters at receiver, but with Henderson working in the slot more this season, Tipton was expected to be on the first team in Pitt’s three-receiver sets, which figured to be a frequently-used personnel grouping this year.
Now that Tipton is out for the season, Pitt will have to find some different options. One could be sophomore Maurice Ffrench; he practiced on both sides of the ball this spring and the coaches seemed to be intent on using him at cornerback and receiver in 2017. On offense, he primarily worked behind Henderson in the slot, but he could move to Tipton’s position and potentially be the top number-three receiver (which would likely limit his playing time on defense).
Ffrench could be a good replacement for Tipton if Tipton’s role in 2017 was going to resemble what it was in 2016. He recorded 23 offensive touches - 11 rushing attempts and 12 receptions (plus a pass attempt) and gained 203 yards and a touchdown, good for 8.8 yards per touch.
Despite playing receiver, Ffrench didn’t catch a pass last year, but he did rush 12 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns (including a 77-yard touchdown run against Syracuse). The run/pass versatility that Ffrench has could be a good fit next to Henderson and Weah, provided new offensive coordinator Shawn Watson wants to build on what Matt Canada called last year.
Pitt also returns sophomore Aaron Mathews, who played in 12 games and caught six passes last season, but his size and skill set probably projects better as a backup for Weah. The same goes for redshirt freshman Ruben Flowers.
Similarly, redshirt sophomore Rafael Araujo-Lopes showed some potential in brief flashes last season, but his best role is behind Henderson.
Pitt did add a trio of receivers in the 2017 recruiting class, and they could possibly help as well. Michael Smith is probably the most likely to see the field from that group; he is listed as being one inch taller than Tipton and 15 pounds heavier, and he’s got the skill set to play in that position.
Overall, Weah and Henderson are still the bell cows of the receiving corps, but Tipton’s job as the number-three receiver in an offense that will look to spread the ball was an important one, and there is no obvious option to step up and replace him.
If there’s even a modest upside to Tipton’s injury, it’s that he missed so much time in the last two season - 13 games total, plus the entirety of the 2017 season - that he should be a candidate for a sixth year of eligibility, should he desire one.
