It's clear looking at the projected 2020 offense on paper, it has plenty of experience. Pitt will likely start six seniors and three juniors. It all starts with senior quarterback Kenny Pickett. He has started 27 of the team's last 28 games dating back to his freshman season. The New Jersey native's only missed start was a game against Delaware last season. Pickett threw for 3,098 yards a year ago and accounted for 16 total touchdowns. The Pitt quarterback found ways to win games in crunch time as he engineered memorable game winning sequences against UCF, Duke, North Carolina, and Eastern Michigan, but the Panthers need a more consistent version of Pickett in 2020, especially when it comes to scoring. Pitt was ranked towards the bottom of red zone scoring in 2019 and that's something he and the entire offense needs to fix.
Looking at running back, senior A.J. Davis will get the first crack at being the starter. He accounted for 530 rushing yards and 269 receiving yards, but injuries and inconsistent play left the door open for other backs to make their mark a year ago. Davis is a good threat out of the backfield as a receiver, but needs to be more consistent between the tackles. He will be trying to fend off freshmen Israel Abanikanda and Daniel Carter as well as upperclassmen Todd Sibley and Vincent Davis.
Pitt loses Maurice Ffrench as the team's top receiver from last season, but senior Taysir Mack gives the Panthers a known commodity to anchor the receiving corps in 2020. Mack caught 63 passes for 736 yards last season and hauled in three touchdowns, including a dramatic game-winner in the Quick Lane Bowl. Mack has been known to come down with some spectacular catches, but needs to show he can be good for the easy ones as well. Shocky Jacques-Louis has battled through numerous injuries to start his career, but when healthy he does show big play threat as both a receiver and a guy that can carry the ball. Jordan Addison has been the talk of camp to date as a true freshman. Pat Narduzzi noted he was working with the first team last week, and there's a belief that not only can he start, but be a serious weapon for this offense in 2020. Jared Wayne is also pushing for a starting spot as well, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him come down with one given the way he closed out the 2019 season.
Tight end will be manned by a graduate transfer for a fourth straight season. Lucas Krull comes to Pitt after playing mostly as a reserve at Florida the past two seasons. There are high expectations for Krull already, as he has been named to the Mackey Award watch list with only nine career catches to his name. Pitt is expected to use the highly athletic Krull in many ways in 2020.
There are still some uncertainties on the offensive line. It does seem that center and left guard are settled entirely with veterans Jimmy Morrissey and Bryce Hargrove anchoring those spots. Morrissey is an All-ACC center and has started 36 games in his career and is a team leader. Hargrove has started 16 games in a row and was a third team All-ACC pick from last season.
After that it can get a little jumbled. Carter Warren should win the left tackle position, but guys like Carson Van Lynn and Hampton graduate transfer Keldrick Wilson are other options there. Jake Kradel impressed as a redshirt freshman last season and started seven games, though he is receiving some pressure from redshirt freshman Matthew Goncalves to win that job. The final spot is right tackle, and Gabe Houy could be the leader there. He started six games at right guards last season, but a move to tackle may suit him better. Houy is coming off an offseason surgery, so guys like Van Lynn and Wilson are names to keep in mind, perhaps even Blake Zubovic as well.
The Pitt defense has the chance to be one of the best this program has seen in quite some time. The Panthers have a deep defensive line that can see as many as 10 guys vying for the four spots on the field. The secondary is highlighted by two dynamic safeties and veteran cornerbacks, while the linebackers are perhaps the most athletic since Pat Narduzzi has taken over the program in 2015.
The defensive line is pretty well set for the most part. Patrick Jones on one side and Rashad Weaver on the other - that's the strength of the this Pitt team. Jones had a breakout 2019 season with 8.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. He is one of the top returning pass rushers in the country. Weaver is coming off a missed season due to injury, but his 2018 season was very good with 14.5 tackles for loss. Keyshon Camp should be the main man in the middle after also missing basically all of last season with an injury. The other interior spot is still up for grabs, but it does feel like Devin Danielson's name is being mentioned the most. Either way, look for Tyler Bentley, David Green, and Calijah Kancey to all push for that starting role as well.
Last year at this time Phil Campbell was transitioning from safety to linebacker. This year he is the featured linebacker on this defense. Campbell's athleticism allowed for him to have a productive 2019 season with 56 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He is taking over for Kylan Johnson at the money linebacker spot and should have the opportunity to put up even more numbers in 2020. Cam Bright was a part-time starter last year, but will have the star linebacker spot all to himself this year. Bright is an athletic player that can do some coverage but is also strong off the blitz. Perhaps the most competitive battle on the team right now is at middle linebacker with senior Chase Pine trying to separate himself from sophomore Wendell Davis. Pine has all the tools and plenty of game experience, while Davis was mostly a special teams guy prior to this season. This one may not be settled until the first game.
There aren't any real battles in the secondary right now. Damar Hamlin was granted a fifth year of eligibility and is the team leader back there. He registered 84 tackles a year ago and has started 30 games in his career. His running mate Paris Ford opted to return this season after thinking about entering his name in the NFL Draft. Ford has quickly risen to being one of the top safeties in college football after posting a team-high 97 tackles and three picks in 2019.
The cornerbacks have plenty of experience too. Damarri Mathis started 10 games a season ago and posted solid number with 11 pass break-ups and two interceptions. Jason Pinnock will be on the other side and has nine career starts to his name, though he has played quite a bit during his Pitt tenure.
Alex Kessman is set to begin his fourth season as the Panthers' primary kicker. He was 22-31 on field goal attempts last season. Kessman holds the school record with eight made field goals that are 50+ yards as he is one of the best deep ball kickers in the country. Kirk Christodoulou showed improvement from 2018 to 2019, but did still have some inconsistency issues which led to Kessman being the punter late in the season. Cal Adomitis has been the team's long snapper for the past 39 games.
Pat Narduzzi revealed last week that both true freshmen might have a leg up on the two return spots. Jordan Addison and Israel Abnikanda both have been receiving strong reviews early on in their careers. Shocky Jacques-Louis and Vincent Davis are also names to watch here as well.
