Lucas Krull came to Pitt to be the answer at tight end for the 2020 season. The Florida graduate transfer did not play a ton for the Gators in 2019, but Pitt was quick to jump on him once he entered the transfer portal anyway.
The buzz around the new Pitt tight end started shortly after he committed. Krull, with his athletic 6’6” and 260-pound frame, stood out in offseason workouts and was a player that earned early praise in the condensed spring football session of 2020.
The hype continued into fall camp, but really it did not go any further from there. Krull missed the season opener, played in the team’s second game against Syracuse and caught one pass, but then missed the remaining nine games with a knee injury.
Pitt suffered with tight end production because of it. The Panthers’ tight ends combined for just ten catches in 2020, but Krull is looking to change that in 2021 with a clean bill of health and a new appreciation for the game.
“Obviously you know when you get the opportunity to play the game and you have it taken away from you for a short period of time, you’re going to do whatever you can to get back on that field,” Krull told reporters over Zoom last week.
Krull worked tirelessly to return from his injury before the end of last season. He targeted a potential bowl game for that return, but the team opted not to participate in the postseason, thus ending any chance of that. So Krull’s return to football has been the first few practices of spring ball, and he said he’s feeling as good as new.
“If we were going to play in a bowl game, then I was going to play,” Krull said. “I feel 100%. I feel wonderful, and it’s a joy to be back out there with my teammates and make plays again in the spring ball atmosphere.”
Krull has had to adapt, but that’s nothing new to him. Before coming to Pitt, he started his collegiate athletic career as a baseball player. He then found himself in Gainesville before arriving at Pitt a year ago.
The plan for Krull was simple: take advantage of one year in Pittsburgh as the starter, perform well on the field, and have a chance to play in the NFL. Krull’s time at Pitt was meant to be for a year, but it didn’t work out that way, but he's OK with how it has all worked out so far.
“I’m not going to sit here and act like everything was sunshine and rainbows because there were a lot of dark days I’ll be honest,” Krull said of missing ten games in 2020. "It’s tough you know when you have everything on the line for that year and I was blessed with the opportunity to come back with the COVID year.”
Krull knew what kind of situation he was walking into at Pitt. The tight end position has not produced at a high rate since the 2016 season for this program. There have been some recruiting failures as well, simply put: the position has seen better days.
Krull is aware of all of it, and is ready to change it.
“I understand that, but that was the past,” Krull said of the questions surrounding the tight end position. “We have to worry about what’s here right now and the future right now is with me and the younger guys and I’m preaching to them everyday that we just got to be playmakers when our number is called and go out there and make a play.”
Making a play this season might be easier with the return of senior quarterback Kenny Pickett. Like Krull, he is also taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility being provided by the NCAA. Pickett was instrumental in recruiting Krull to Pitt, and the two had high expectations to play with one another last season. At long last, the Pickett to Krull connection will have that chance this season.
“Words can’t describe how excited I am,” Krull said of Pickett’s return. “You kind of see it right now in day three, we’re already putting in a lot of new stuff for him and I. It’s going to be a lot of fun, I’ll tell you that. It’s going to be an exciting season 8 to 7, there’s going to be a lot of connections.”
