Newcomers look to bolster the offense
The Pitt offense needed a jolt heading into this season. The coaching staff signed some impressive skill position players in the class of 2020, and also bolstered the roster with some transfers as well. Pat Narduzzi, Mark Whipple, Kenny Pickett, and Jimmy Morrissey all addressed the media following the first day of fall camp and had plenty to say about the newcomers on the offensive side of the ball.
The Pitt passing attack improved in many ways from 2018 to 2019, but the offense still struggled at times to put points on the board. Dropped passes from tight ends and wide receivers stalled drives and cost the team points in the red zone.
Pitt needed to go out and find a tight end on the transfer market and came away with Lucas Krull, a 6’6” and 260-pound graduate transfer from Florida. Krull played in 25 games for the Gators over the past two seasons and caught just nine passes. Despite the limited production, he finds himself on the preseason Mackey Award watch list, which is given to the top tight end in college football.
Krull was around for spring ball and impressed the coaches and his teammates alike, and the early reviews on him are very positive, especially from senior quarterback Kenny Pickett.
“I think this is the deepest group we’ve had since my time here,” Pickett said of the receiving corps. “I think we added a lot of speed and added some size with Lucas, as well as speed with him, he’s kind of a freak of nature when you watch him. When he’s in there there’s just a different kind of feel when he’s over the middle.”
Second-year offensive coordinator believes Krull makes an instant impact and can help change the way he calls the game.
“We’re able to stretch the field more certainly with Lucas in there, Jordan Addison, and a couple of the young guys than we were last year,” Whipple explained. “I think Lucas had a really good first day. He played in the spring and that really helped and I think the walk through sessions have also really helped him.”
Jordan Addison is another newcomer on offense receiving a lot of buzz. The 6’0” and 170-pound freshman receiver from Maryland participated in spring ball and started to gain attention then and that buzz has carried over into fall camp. Addison’s speed grabs a lot of headlines, but Narduzzi sees him as the total package.
“Jordan Addison’s got the nicest, softest, smoothest hands,” said the sixth-year head coach. “He’s got great breaks, he’s electric. I see both of those guys playing for us this year because they had three days in spring ball and they were able to be on a ton of Zoom calls during our pandemic.”
Pickett is also excited to add Addison to a group of returning guys that includes Taysir Mack, Jared Wayne, and Shocky Jacques-Louis.
“Shocky’s playing at a high level, Jared Wayne had some really big plays today,” Pickett told reporters on Friday. “Taysir Mack has obviously done a great job and a young kid, Jordan Addison, I think is going to be an impact player for us and watching him early on he just adds a different element with his speed. I’m very excited, and a lot of work to be done, but I think we have some good pieces this year.”
The offensive line is another area where Pitt needs to see improvement in 2020. Back in May, Keldrick Wilson committed to Pitt as a graduate transfer from Hampton in the FCS. Wilson brings some versatility and experience to the offensive line room. Pitt returns five guys with starting experience, but the group still should benefit from the arrival of Wilson, even as he adjusts to playing at the power-five level.
“He’s having fun, he’s very athletic, and he’s going to make us better,” Narduzzi said of Wilson. “Where is he going to fit in the puzzle? We’ve got a lot of time to figure that out, but I can tell you this: he’s going to be an offensive lineman. But I think he’s athletic enough to play offensive tackle, but I believe Patrick Jones may have ran by him today, but he’s only going to keep getting better.”
Senior captain Jimmy Morrissey believes he’s fitting in well with a tight-knit group of offensive linemen.
“He’s doing great, Keldrick is a good guy,” Morrissey said. “I’m excited to see us put on the pads and watch him out there, so he’s doing a good job.”
Pickett is the starter for the 2020 season, but the quarterback room could also receive a boost this year as well. Joey Yellen transferred from Arizona State in the offseason. He played in one game for the Sun Devils and preserved his redshirt. Pitt and Yellen have applied for a waiver to be granted immediate eligibility. He is still awaiting that decision from the NCAA, but Narduzzi is hopeful it will come.
“I’ve got confidence that that waiver is going to go through, so I’m really not worried,” he said. “If I thought it was 50/50 shot, I might start worrying, but for his sake I sure hope it goes through the right way, because it should knowing some of the circumstances that I have knowledge of.”