Impact: How five inactives affect Pitt in 2016

Pitt announced some tough news Friday with word that five players will be inactive for this season and two of those five are done with their careers, all due to health reasons.

Redshirt junior defensive tackle Justin Moody and freshman safety George Hill will no longer play, while freshman defensive lineman Zack Gilbert will be re-evaluated after this season to determine his future participation. Sophomore tight end Chris Clark and redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Mike Grimm both had offseason surgery.

The most relevant impact of these announcements was for the players themselves. Hill and Gilbert were both diagnosed with pre-existing cardiac conditions- conditions that could have been dangerous if they had continued to be undiagnosed. Moody suffers from a spinal issue that was not football-related. Clark and Grimm should be fine after rehab.

For Pitt, the impact of these situations varies. None of those five players contributed for the Panthers last season; Moody and Grimm were the only two who were on the team (Hill and Gilbert are freshmen and Clark transferred from UCLA). Moody played in the final six games of the season and recorded one tackle and one pass breakup, while Grimm did not see the field.

Clark wasn’t going to be available in 2016 while he sits out due to NCAA transfer rules, but the other four figured to have roles of varying significance. With three defensive tackles gone from the 2015 roster, Moody was likely to be in the rotation behind Tyrique Jarrett and Shakir Soto. Grimm was also projected to be a depth player, probably serving as one of the backups at guard.

The freshmen were interesting cases, though. Hill came to Pitt as one of the Panthers’ top-ranked recruits in the class of 2016, and his speed and athleticism created a variety of possibilities for how he might be used. The coaches had him slotted as a defensive back - most likely safety - but there was a good chance he could see some playing time on offense, and his game-breaking speed with the ball in his hands might have been his best opportunity to see the field this season.

Gilbert signed with Pitt as a defensive end but, but the son of former Pitt great Sean Gilbert was most likely headed for a move to the interior, where he would have provided even more depth at defensive tackle. Whether he saw the field this year was up in the air; he would have been one of several freshman defensive tackles, and while one or two of the newcomers will almost certainly play, Keyshon Camp and Amir Watts were the most likely candidates.

Still, Gilbert looked like he could be an impact player for Pitt over the next few years, as did Hill.

In terms of numbers, the departures of Hill and Moody move Pitt to 84 projected scholarship players for 2016 - assuming no more attrition and that all returning players stay on scholarship.