Jordan Bass eager for an opportunity

Calling Jordan Bass the best high school football player in the state of Virginia last year would hardly be a stretch, if anything, there are few that would have a better case than he did.

Bass led Phoebus High School to a perfect 15-0 state championship season as a senior. He posted 41 total touchdowns and did so in four different ways: 30 receiving, five rushing, four interception returns, and two kickoff returns. Defensively he totaled 88 tackles, 10 interceptions, and his team as a whole allowed just 4.3 points per game for the season with Bass leading the way.

The credentials are there, and now Bass is taking on a new challenge, and that is working his way onto the field as a true freshman in Pitt’s defense. Bass is listed at 6’4” and 215-pounds and barely resembles someone who graduated high school a couple of months ago.

“Of course it’s a stepping stone coming from high school to college,” Bass told reporters after Pitt’s first practice in full pads. “The difference in the playbook is that it’s much more detailed. If you really just lock-in and take your time out of your day to look at it and analyze it, you’ll be fine at the end of the day.”

Bass is confident in himself, but is also aware of what it takes to get on the field in his first season. In most cases, freshmen have to get the playbook down in order for the coaches to put them in a position to play. Ryan Manalac, Pitt’s third-year linebacker coach, knows that freshmen have four games to play before redshirting, but if his younger guys can contribute in a positive way, more playing time will come their way.

“They’re going to be in the fire,” Manalac said at Pitt’s media day. “We’re going to find a way to get them to contribute and again if they have success, demonstrate that, and gain some confidence and we gain confidence in them from that demonstration of success, they’re going to be in that rotation.”

Pitt has an experienced set of linebackers heading into the 2023 season. Bangally Kamara and Shayne Simon are two returning starters. Brandon George has appeared in 40 games over the past four seasons, and Solomon DeShields was a key part of the rotation last year. Beyond those four, there is an opportunity for a freshman or two to see some significant action.

Bass was the most highly decorated recruit among the three linebackers in the class of 2023, but Rasheem Biles has been making noise early on in camp, and of course Braylan Lovelace surprised a lot of people with how he performed during spring ball.

“I feel like we’re always going to look for the best players to play,” Manalac said. “We have three really good true freshmen, really long athletes that have a chance.”

Bass recognizes the opportunity in front of him. He came to Pitt to primarily play the ‘star’ linebacker position, but said he is trying to learn all three spots to make himself as valuable to the team as possible.

“I’m really trying to be one or those versatile guys that can just be on the field whenever you need me and whatever situation you need me,” Bass explained. “I’m there, I’m ready to play. As a freshman that’s a big thing to have in my opinion.”

Any college football player understands he has to be coached up and Bass embraces that. He said he looks forward to hearing what Manalac has to say when they meet during film study.

“Normally it’s just him critiquing me,” Bass said of those film sessions. “There’s always things I can get better at and I appreciate that and I will always want him to critique me instead of just giving me praise.”

It’s a group effort as well. While Bass is trying to make a name for himself, he is working with his fellow freshmen to become better collectively.

“We always work together, me and ‘Heem (Rasheem Biles) work together,” he said. “We always look at the playbook together and we’re in the film session together. We’re always helping each other learn and at the same time helping each other get better.”

Getting the playbook down is part of being a true freshman, but Tuesday marked the first day of full pads. Bass is a natural football player and going up against players older than him did not make him shy away from the competition.

“I was just eager to hit somebody,” Bass said. “It didn’t really hit me as differently as people would think it would.”