Pitt updates depth chart for Iowa week

Pitt released its latest depth chart on Monday, and while there were still a few adjustments, they weren't quite as notable as last week's changes.

Perhaps the biggest change is in the defensive front seven, where redshirt senior Brandon Lindsey is the listed starter. For the last two weeks, redshirt senior Justin Hargrove and sophomore Aaron Donald were listed as co-starters at end. But in the game against Maine on Saturday, Lindsey was the starting end and played almost the entire first half with his hand on the ground.

The move of Lindsey to end was most likely a product of the coaching staff working to get freshman Juan Price on the field. Price started the Maine game at Panther linebacker, where Lindsey previously started.

Price played almost 30 snaps in the first half against Maine, but Todd Graham said that Price's conditioning is not to the point where he can play a full game yet, so his snaps were limited to mostly third-down work in the second half. As a result, all but a few of Lindsey's snaps in the second half were at Panther linebacker, although he did work at defensive end on a few third downs.

Lindsey finished the game with three tackles (all solo), one sack, and one tackle for loss. Price had three tackles, two solo stops, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hurry.

The coaching staff's interests in getting Lindsey and Price on the field would have conflicted with Donald's playing time, though, so the coaches moved the sophomore from Penn Hills to nose tackle in the Maine game. In the latest depth chart, Donald is listed as the backup nose tackle behind redshirt senior Myles Caragein.

Donald is one of Pitt's most disruptive defensive players, with two tackles for loss, one sack, and a team-high four quarterback hurries after two games. He played on all but one series in the Maine game and was the coaching staff's preferred option to team with redshirt senior Chas Alecxih on Pitt's two-man defensive line for third downs.

Elsewhere on the depth chart, freshman LaQuentin Smith is now the listed backup at Panther linebacker behind Price. Smith made his collegiate debut on Saturday and played a handful of snaps on third down, mostly working on third down as an added pass-rusher opposite Price. Smith recorded one tackle in the game.

The rest of the defensive depth chart was unchanged in the Monday update, and there were no changes to the offensive depth chart.