Morrissey gets closer to the field
A morning full of running, pushing sleds and general conditioning might not sound appealing to most, but for Jimmy Morrissey, it’s certainly better than the alternative.
Morrissey’s 2018 season was cut short by three games last year when he suffered an ankle injury that required subsequent surgery in a win against Wake Forest on Nov. 17. After months of rehab and recovery that kept the redshirt junior center’s mobility limited, Morrissey is back, or at least back enough to participate in Pitt’s “fourth quarter program”, a series of conditioning sessions that will lead into the start of spring camp this week.
“It’s an ongoing process I would say,” Morrissey said. “I wouldn’t say I’m fully where I want to be yet, but it’s definitely nice to get out of the boot, get out the scooter, start running around now and start doing some o-line drills.”
For an offensive line that had to break in three new starters last season, Morrissey was an anchor. The Panthers lost that anchor on a trick play, a lateral to left tackle Stefano Millin that yielded a touchdown but also an injury, as Millin dove into the endzone and rolled up Morrissey's ankle.
It was a crushing blow to Morrissey, but if there’s a small consolation, he gained strength during the time off his feet. After initially dropping 20 pounds following surgery, Morrissey has put all that weight back on plus more, jumping to a bit over 300 pounds. Much of that strength was added to Morrissey’s upper body, an area he long sought to add muscle to.
“I feel lot stronger in my upper body, which was definitely a weakness of mine that I needed to work on, so I feel confident going into the season with my upper body strength,” Morrissey said.
“I’ve always wanted to gain a little bit more weight, be a little heavier. Not that the injury has helped me with that, but it’s allowed me to focus more time on my upper body.”
Pat Narduzzi said that he’s going to be “smart” with Morrissey, which means that he’ll likely limit him at times during spring practice, which starts on Wednesday. Certainly, though, Pitt will need Morrissey out on the practice field as much as possible.
Morrissey is Pitt’s only returning starter on the offensive line due to the graduation of Alex Bookser, Mike Herndon, Connor Dintino and Millin. Redshirt junior Bryce Hargrove started three games at guard after Morrissey’s injury, and redshirt sophomore Gabe Houy started at right tackle in Pitt’s opener against Albany.
The group full of inexperienced players will need Morrissey, a two-year starter, to be a leader in helping bring everybody along, even if his return to the practice field is delayed.
“I want to be out there with the boys, the o-line, because we’ve got a lot of new guys, but we’ll be smart about it, take it one day at a time and see how I feel,” Morrissey said.
Morrissey said it's “weird” to now be considered the elder statesman in his position group. The situation might not seem all that dissimilar from last year’s group, which returned just two starters in Morrissey and Bookser. But things were a little bit more settled last spring, as Morrissey said the group knew Millin, a Kent State grad transfer, was going to start at left tackle when he arrived. Plus, Herndon and Dintino, despite their lack of game experience, were “the best vets you could find,” Morrissey said.
Comparatively, things look rather wide open this season, outside of the center spot.
“We’ve talking about that a long time,” Morrissey said. “There’s a lot of open spots that we haven’t had before.”
Thus far, Morrissey said Pitt’s redshirt sophomore class, comprised of players such as Huoy, center Owen Drexel and tackles Jerry Drake, Carson Van Lynn and Carter Warren, have stuck out on the line. He is anxious to see who steps up when practice starts when he can join his teammates back on the field once again, even if the faces beside him on the line are different.
“They’re come a long very nice. And it’s time for them to step up,” Morrissey said. “They should be excited for the challenge.”