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Plenty of position battles dwarfed the one at running back in training camp for Pitt this month, but the storylines in the backfield are without parallel.

The Panthers return the ACC Rookie of the Year, a sophomore with as much upside as anyone and a redshirt junior who excelled in situational roles prior to his injury last year, and they brought in an early-enrolling freshman who had the coaches proclaiming him ready for playing time back in April.

That quartet alone packs quite a punch. But, of course, they’re not the only running backs on the team. Pitt also returned James Conner, whose season-ending knee injury last fall became an almost-forgotten footnote when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in November.

After a spring of chemotherapy, Conner is free of cancer and practicing with the team. And while no one knows for sure how he’s going to hold up in a game, the question has lingered all summer:

Who will be the starting running back - Conner or Qadree Ollison?

For running backs coach Andre Powell, that’s not a question.

“He’s in the top spot,” Powell said of Conner this week. “He’s earned that and he’s done a good job. We’ve been really selective on the number of reps and all of those sorts of things, but he’s earned that right, he’s a talented guy and he’s got a lot of skill. So he’s the top guy. No doubt about it.”

Powell’s pronouncement came a few days after Pitt scrimmaged at Heinz Field, a practice that saw Conner draw praise from the coaches.

“He ran the ball really well and he really cut it loose,” Powell said. “We’re really encouraged by what we saw from him Saturday.”

“He lined up and got a few carries and looked really good doing it,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said this week. “I talked prior to camp starting that we weren’t going to wear him out, and before the scrimmage, I said, ‘Hey James, I want you to get in there; I don’t want to keep you in all day so don’t make me or make us. Let’s get in, let’s be sharp, let’s do what we’re doing and let’s get you out of there. Let’s get to September 3rd.”

For his part, Conner says his conditioning is fine. As for whether or not he can recapture the success of his breakout 1,765-yard, 26-touchdown performance from 2014, Conner is waiting to see like everyone else.

“2014 was a long time ago, you know,” he said. “I have to prove myself again, but I don’t feel any pressure. I’m just going to go out there and compete.

“Every day I give it everything I’ve got. So the numbers - to me, God already has a plan for me and the numbers are already set and I’m going to do what I’m going to do. It’s His plan. So as long as I give everything I’ve got, I don’t have any regrets.”