The 3-2-1 Column: On defensive ends, recruiting trends and more
MORE HEADLINES - The four-year rebuilding process at defensive end | Podcast: The overlooked storyline with Pitt football in 2018 | FREE ARTICLE: Pitt wrestling is a "sleeping giant" | Learn about Randy Bates' defense: The fronts | Cover-4 and Cover-6 | The 30-coverages | Hoops breakdown: The center position on the 2018-19 roster
In this week's 3-2-1 Column, we're talking about the defensive end position, long-term effects of recruiting, All-ACC and more.
THREE THINGS WE KNOW
Defensive end is the under-the-radar storyline for 2018
We all talk a lot about Kenny Pickett, and for good reason: he’s an incredibly-promising but inexperienced potential stud at the most important position on the team.
We all talk about the offensive line, and for good reason: those guys need to protect Pickett, and there’s not much in the way of experience or proven ability.
We all talk about the receivers, and for good reason: that group lost two big names and has no obvious options to step up.
And on the flip side, we all talk about the secondary and the linebackers, and for good reason: those groups should be solid, at the very least, and quite possibly a good deal better than that.
But we don’t seem to talk about the defensive ends as much as those other spots - I would put that position group maybe seventh on the list of top storylines, behind the five I mentioned plus the tight ends - and yet the ends just might be as important as anyone.
When it comes down to it, the best and most effective defenses start with a strong push up front. You need support on the back end, of course; that’s why the defenses that were led by Ejuan Price still got shredded. But if you have talent in the back seven, it can be wasted without a great pass rush.
And that’s exactly what Pitt has been missing for a long time: a great pass rush. Outside of Price’s play in 2015 and 2016, Pitt hasn’t had a really good pass-rushing defensive end since Brandon Lindsey and Jabaal Sheard and Greg Romeus in 2010.
That’s not just hyperbole: since 2010, the only defensive end other than Price to record at least five sacks in a season was Rori Blair, who had 5.0 in 2014.
And let’s be honest: 5.0 sacks isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. Linebackers Mike Caprara and Matt Galambos each hit that number in 2015, and Seun Idowu had that many this past season. So we’re setting the bar low there; what Pitt really needs is a Lindsey-esque or Sheard-esque or Romeus-esque performance from the defensive ends this season.
Get that, and the defense just might have a chance to be as good as many are expecting/hoping/praying it might be in 2018.
There’s a reason the DE’s have underperformed
As always, if you want to find out why a certain position group has played well or understand why it hasn’t, the answer lies in recruiting. And when it comes to defensive ends, the recruiting over the last 10 years paints a pretty stark picture.
Consider the defensive ends Pitt has signed in the last 10 classes:
2009 - Jack Lippert, Bernardo Nunez
2010 - TJ Clemmings, Bryan Murphy
2011 - LaQuentin Smith, Devin Cook
2012 - None
2013 - Luke Maclean, Shakir Soto
2014 - Rori Blair, James Folston, Hez Trahan
2015 - Allen Edwards
2016 - Zack Gilbert, Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver
2017 - Deslin Alexandre
2018 - Habakkuk Baldonado, Kaymar Mimes, John Morgan, Noah Palmer
Obviously that last class isn’t relevant just yet, but those first nine…do not look great. Nunez and Lippert made little-to-no impact. Clemmings moved to the offensive line. Murphy showed flashes of potential but wasn’t consistent enough. Cook didn’t finish his eligibility at Pitt; Smith did but didn’t produce much. Maclean transferred. Soto moved to defensive tackle. Trahan transferred to Temple. Blair was kicked off the team. Gilbert was medically disqualified. Folston is still here and he’ll be a backup this season.
Dewayne Hendrix kind of belongs on that list; he was a 2015 acquisition as a transfer from Tennessee. But he’s one of just four returning upperclassmen at defensive end this season, and the reason there are only four is because of how the classes have fizzled out.
2017, in particular, is a rough one. Pitt got Alexandre as a flip from N.C. State, but the Panthers lost out on multiple defensive end targets that the coaches wanted to pair with Alexandre in the class. Six other DE prospects took official visits to Pitt that year; three went to Virginia Tech, one went to Notre Dame, one went to Nebraska and one went to Duke.
Those losses - perhaps even more than the well-documented WPIAL losses in the 2017 class - are hurting Pitt considerably right now (one of those losses, Victor Dimukeje, is returning starter at Duke this season).
But it’s bigger than one recruiting class; for whatever reason, defensive end has been a difficult position for Pitt to recruit over the last decade. Of course, any discussion of Pitt recruiting in the last decade has to include the caveats of the 2011, 2012 and 2015 classes - three transition classes including some really difficult situations in 2011 and 2012 - but the other classes aren’t exactly brimming with talent, even including Dave Wannstedt’s last couple groups.
Pat Narduzzi has definitely aimed for numbers in the last two classes since getting almost shut out in 2017. He signed four ends last year, and while one of those guys could move to tight end, most of them will stick on defense. And Pitt already has four defensive ends committed in the 2019 class; one of those players could move to offensive tackle, but even if the numbers settle at six ends in two classes, that’s a strong effort being made at rebuilding the depth.
Now some of those guys have to show that they can make plays.
Pitt hoops has a similar story
I’ll admit it: one of my favorite things to do in this job is look at a current situation or recent trend and try to find the source thereof in the recruiting.
To me, that’s among the biggest benefits of following and covering recruiting: when something develops in a season or over the course of a few seasons, it’s not hard to figure out why it’s happening if you’ve been following recruiting. So if you see that Pitt only has four returning upperclassmen at defensive end in Year Four of the Narduzzi era, you probably already know about the 2017 class and the 2015 class and how those two classes have contributed to the current situation.
So you have the answer. Others are saying, “Why is Pitt so thin?” But you already know because you’ve followed the recruiting.
There’s a similar one in Pitt basketball that I’ve been watching for a little while now, and it probably doesn’t get mentioned enough when talking about the woes of the past few years:
The center position.
After a really strong run of success, Pitt has fallen into a black hole at center over the last 10 years or so. Jamie Dixon did well for a long time, with Ontario Lett, Chevy Troutman, Chris Taft, Aaron Gray and Dejuan Blair creating a pretty impressive string of high-performing centers.
But then some issues cropped up. Dante Taylor never became the versatile threat the coaches expected at the position. And Gary McGhee’s offense never developed to complement his defensive ability and strength on the glass. Those two handled the position after Blair left early for the NBA, but never matched the effectiveness of the guys who played under the hoop at the Petersen Events Center before then.
And then things got worse. The 2011 recruiting class brought two centers to Pitt: Malcolm Gilbert and Khem Birch, and one of those two was expected to be a major impact player for the Panthers. Birch was a five-star prospect, the No. 9 overall recruit in the class of 2011 and a huge score for Dixon.
That lasted for all of 10 games, as Birch left the team without playing in a single Big East conference. He averaged 4.4 points and 5 rebounds per game, and his departure was a major step in how Pitt’s continuity at the center position fell apart.
Step No. 2 on that path came a year later. Dixon came back from the Birch debacle by signing a center prospect who was ranked even higher in the 2012 class. Steven Adams was the No. 5 overall recruit in 2012 and the No. 3 center, and while he was raw, he was going to be a multi-year answer at the position.
Until he wasn’t. Adams left for the NBA after his freshman year; that departure plus Birch leaving (and Malcolm Gilbert transferring out midway through the 2012-13 season) created a huge hole, and Pitt never dug out of it.
Dixon’s efforts to fix the problem were epically ineffective. In the 2013 class he signed Joe Uchebo and brought in Derrick Randall as a transfer from Rutgers. In 2014, he added Tyrone Haughton from the JUCO ranks. The next year, Dixon put three new centers on the roster: JUCO Rozelle Nix and grad transfers Rafael Maia and Alonzo-Ododa.
You don’t need me to lay out the results of those additions to the roster. They were stopgap options who didn't stop anything.
The origin point of all of it comes back to Birch and Adams leaving sooner than expected. Dante Taylor never reached his top-end potential, and that was a problem, but getting more than one year (or less, in the case of Birch) out of Adams and Birch set the program back and it never recovered.
That’s why the center position remains the biggest issue for Jeff Capel: he inherited a hole and is going to work very hard to fill it.
TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE
Is there an issue with personnel turnover?
I suppose we can’t go through the column without touching on the topic that got a lot of people fired up this week. No, I’m not talking about Penn State looking at a home-and-home with Temple; we’ve wasted enough oxygen on that one, and I think everyone is pretty much in agreement on the topic.
I’m talking about Tim Enright’s resignation as equipment manager for the football team. Enright, known affectionately as “Ox,” quit on Monday after three decades with the University, dating back to his time as an undergrad. He has been the football team’s equipment manager for more than 20 years, and the guy was an institution; he was just always there.
I’ll be honest: I like Tim Enright. He’s been a friendly face in a building where the faces changed a lot over the last 10 years. As Todd Graham more or less purged the program, there were only a few recognizable figures left. Chris LaSala was one. Bob Junko was another. Head trainer Rob Blanc was one, too. And so was Tim Enright.
He knew the program as well as anyone, and when you’re the equipment manager, you’re tasked with doing more than just making sure the third-string linebacker has clean socks. Road trips alone were a big reason Enright didn’t have much hair on his head; the stories that guy could tell you are enough to make anyone want to stay away from that particular line of work.
And if you watch a football practice, you know that coaches want to start every drill at exactly the moment they want to start it. The two things that can hold up a drill are: 1. Players lollygagging about, and 2. Not having the right equipment.
The equipment manager is responsible for making sure everything is where it’s supposed to be at the time it’s supposed to be there. That’s one of those behind-the-scenes positions that really do make the whole thing work, and Enright was good at his job.
So why did he quit a 20-year job at his alma mater less than two weeks before the start of training camp?
In my opinion, his reasons for quitting are his personal business; the simple fact that he reached the decision to leave probably says enough about how he viewed the work environment. Does that mean Pat Narduzzi is a bad boss? I can’t say that since I’ve never worked for him.
But I can say that I think Narduzzi is a demanding boss. I think he can be a tough boss. And I think he expects a lot out of the people who work in his program, whether it’s the assistant coaches, the support staff, the administrative staff or really anyone else who comes into contact with Pitt football.
He expects a lot of everyone - including himself - and the people who work in the program put in a lot of long hours. At some point, you’re going to have employees who say, “I don’t really want to do this anymore.” That’s natural. It’s just unfortunate when the employee who makes that decision is someone who had been around as long as Tim Enright.
Which new coach will have the biggest impact?
Speaking of personnel turnover, obviously there was a bit of that this offseason. Three coaches departed the staff - some by their choice, some not by their choice and some by a little bit of both - and four new coaches were hired, thanks to the NCAA adding a spot for a 10th assistant coach on the staff.
Gone are defensive coordinator Josh Conklin (now the head coach at Wofford), defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill (now with the Miami Dolphins) and offensive line coach John Peterson (destination unknown). Conklin was replaced by Northwestern linebackers coach Randy Bates; Peterson was replaced by Maryland assistant Dave Borbely. And for the defensive backs, Narduzzi hired two coaches: Archie Collins and Cory Sanders.
We’ve talked about those assistants a number of times since they were hired; we’ve observed them on the field and on the recruiting trail. But in the upcoming season, which one will have the biggest - ostensibly most positive - impact?
The best case scenario for Pitt is that Borbely is the answer to that question. Quite frankly, the Panthers need Borbely to be an instant-impact coach, if such a thing exists with a position that’s as inherently developmental as the offensive line.
But it’s for precisely the developmental nature of the OL that Borbely was hired. Narduzzi didn’t think the young linemen were developing well enough under Peterson, so he found a veteran line coach who could, ideally, bring those players along better.
Borbely certainly knows his business and has been around football long enough to have some base of knowledge. Throughout spring camp, Narduzzi and the players talked at length about how much better the coaching was and how much better the line’s technique would be as a result of that coaching.
All parties involved better hope that translates to play on the field. Pitt has some upperclassmen for the line in 2018, with redshirt seniors penciled in as starters at both tackles and both guards. But at some point now or next spring, the crop of linemen that have been recruited since Narduzzi arrived have to take a big step forward, and that’s on Borbely. It’s what he was brought here to do.
So while Collins has made an impact on the recruiting trail and Sanders seems to be well-received by the players and recruits and Bates has added some energy to the carried-over scheme of the defense, Borbely is the new assistant whose work can do the most to create success for the team in the short and long terms.
ONE PREDICTION
Pitt will match last year’s total in All-ACC selections
The All-ACC preseason team was announced this week, and in what should be a surprise to no one, Pitt didn’t have any selections.
The Panthers were one of three teams to not get included on the list, along with fellow Coastal competitors Virginia and Virginia Tech; Syracuse and North Carolina didn’t fare much better - they had one each, and both were specialists.
Like I said, though, it’s not a surprise. Pitt is coming off a 5-7 season, having lost a number of key players - including last year’s All-ACC preseason selections, Brian O’Neill and Quadree Henderson - and not showing the public many signs of improvement.
I’ve talked before about how things look different when you’re closer to a team or a program, and I’m not just talking about media. You, me and the rest of the people who follow Pitt know that Kenny Pickett looks legit and Dane Jackson can be really good and Alex Bookser is a solid offensive lineman and Paris Ford is waiting to be unleashed and the linebackers are experienced, talented and deep. We know those things, but the rest of the ACC media might not be quite so aware because, quite frankly, it’s easy to forget about a 5-7 team that’s roughly 500 miles away from the Triangle.
That’s fine. Like we’ve said, Pitt isn’t getting much respect because Pitt hasn’t earned much respect, and there will be plenty of opportunities to do so over the course of the 2018 season.
By the end of that season, I think the Panthers will have a fair amount of representation on the all-conference lists.
One important point: the preseason All-ACC team is really just one team - a starting 13 on offense, a starting 11 on defense and three specialists - but the postseason all-conference team is much, much bigger, comprised of a first team, a second team, a third team and honorable mentions.
Last year, that translated as 126 All-ACC selections (the honorable mentions alone tallied 43). So yeah, Pitt probably should have a few on that list. Nine Panthers made the cut in 2017, led by two first-team selections: O’Neill and punter Ryan Winslow.
I think Pitt can get close to or pass that total number this year. Alex Bookser and Seun Idowu are the only two of those nine who are back this season, but I think those guys should both make the cut again. I see all-conference honors for Jackson, too. I think Dewayne Hendrix or Rashad Weaver (or both) can make it. And I think another linebacker can join Idowu. That’s five or six right there, just from Bookser and the defense.
The offense is obviously more of a question mark, but it would be in everyone’s best interests if Stefano Millin could put in an all-conference performance. And Pickett, too; that goes without saying. Then perhaps one of the receivers could get a respectable reception total and find himself getting recognized by the ACC.
I also think Pitt has the potential for some dynamic returns, so Ford or Maurice Ffrench could have a chance if they get good blocking.
So there’s a possibility for nine or 10. How many can make the first team? That’s another story altogether. But I do believe some individual Pitt players will come out of the season with a bit more respect than they have going in.