The offensive line is the lifeblood of any college football team. It may sound cliche, but things really do start in the trenches, so that is partially why there is a lot of attention surrounding the Pitt offensive line just three practices into spring football. Pitt is set to replace four senior starters for one, additionally junior center and team leader Jimmy Morrissey is coming off a season-ending injury, and the potential starting right tackle Nolan Ulizio is not even on campus yet.
Needless to say, the offensive line is a legitimate concern from just about every angle. During Tuesday’s first day of fall pads, the coaches finally got to analyze what is in front of them.
The first question asked to head coach Pat Narduzzi following Tuesday’s practice was about his offensive line.
"It’s coming; I mean I’ve said I think the defensive line is ahead of them, but they should be and we anticipated they would be here after three and maybe after ten it’s still that case,” Narduzzi said. “The O-line takes time to develop, but they’re doing some good things - really some good things. I’ve got a lot of faith in Coach Borbs will have those guys ready to go.”
Added offensive line coach Dave Borbely, “What I learned was that we have a long way to go, which I knew,” he said. “Frankly I would have been shocked if it had turned out differently.”
The offensive line situation is nothing new for both Narduzzi and Borbely. Both were aware of what the situation was coming into spring, and they had to embark on a similar project last year. Pitt started a pair of first-year starters in Connor Dintino and Mike Herndon, along with Kent State graduate transfer Stefano Millin. It was also Borbely’s first year on the job, and the patchwork line helped pave the way for two 1,000-yard rushers in Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison.
Having been here for a year, there is a comfort level around Borbely's coaching style and many believe the unit is ahead of where it was last year at this point.
“It’s coming along a lot better honestly than what I expected,” said Jimmy Morrissey. “They’re younger, except for Bryce (Hargrove) and Brandon (Ford), but the learning curve this year from having Coach Borbely for a year - it’s been a lot better than what last year was.”
Borbely echoed those same thoughts. “It makes it a heck of a lot harder, and really in some regards we really have to start over, but in another sense I feel like we’ve got a little more athleticism and as I told the players, we’re a lot further along mentally than we were a year ago at this time and that includes today, so from that standpoint we don’t have as much progress to make,” he said. “The kids understand the verbiage, they understand conceptually what we’re trying to do - we just have to do a better job of doing it.”
Narduzzi thinks it really just comes down to repetitions with this group. “It’s not about who they are, big they are, or how fast they are - it’s knowing what you’re doing, getting your body, feet, and your fundamentals and techniques where they need to be and they’re getting repetitions - I think the reps are everything,” he said.
For now, Pitt will be working with an inexperienced line as they try to get more reps during the next 12 spring practices. Pitt has been using Ford, Morrissey, Hargrove, Gabe Houy, and Jerry Drake Jr. as the starting line through the first few practices, but help will eventually be on the way with the addition of Michigan graduate transfer Nolan Ulizio.
Pitt also has guys like Carson Van Lynn, Jake Kradel, and Blake Zubovic getting some opportunities as well. While there seems to be some separation, there is a chance for some movement as well and these young guys have a chance to make a name while Ulizio will join the team later this year.
“I mean they are well aware of that and obviously they are going to get 15 days ahead of Nolan here in spring ball,” Narduzzi said. “But we’ll see what happens in the fall gets here, but they know and it’s called competition and that makes everybody better.”
