MORE HEADLINES - Narduzzi on spring standouts, the Blue-Gold Game and more | PODCAST: Everything you need to know for the spring game | Spring camp news and notes: The final practice in the South Side | Four-star OL recaps first visit to Pitt | 2023 DB Cost after Pitt visit: "They're a top school" | Spring game preview: The projected Blue Team two-deep | Spring game preview: The projected Gold Team two-deep | 2023 DE Burns has Pitt in his top six
In this week’s 3-2-1 Column I preview this weekend’s spring game for the Pitt football team: who to watch, what to expect, and more. I also check in on the surging Pitt baseball team, and discuss Pitt basketball’s newest addition.
THREE THINGS WE KNOW
It will be a relaxed day for the starters
If you have your heart set on seeing Pitt star receiver Jordan Addison making all kinds of acrobatic catches and Calijah Kancey blowing plays in the backfield during Pitt’s spring game on Saturday, perhaps tempter those expectations a bit.
If we know one thing about the 2022 Pitt football team’s approach to spring ball this year, it has been to stay healthy and minimize any type of injury. Pitt returns plenty of experience on each side of the ball and that led to less position battles up for grabs than usual this spring. The objective hasn’t been about identifying starters, but rather keeping starters healthy.
Pitt returns 9 All-ACC players from a season ago (a league-high) and 16 starters total. It is an experienced team that does not really need to push itself extensively this spring. Given the way the Blue and Gold team captains picked the rosters on Wednesday, it only suggests that this game is going to be mostly be about the underclassmen. Addison was not the first receiver taken, heck if he plays more than a series on Saturday it will be a surprise.
In total, Pitt is holding out 14 scholarship players on Saturday. I don’t think any of the injuries are significant for those guys that it would extend into fall camp, but clearly they are significant enough that it is not worth participating in a scrimmage in April either.
Among those 14 players not participating, you have main contributors like Rodney Hammond, Jake Kradel, Owen Drexel, Gabe Houy, Deslin Alexadre and Tyler Bentley sitting out on Saturday. Narduzzi even expanded on Alexandre’s status on Thursday after practice, revealing that the senior defensive end got hurt in the spring game a year ago.
"I didn’t advertise it last year, but Deslin got hurt last year in the spring game and really missed all of his lifting and stuff, so Des is not going to play in the spring game,” Narduzzi said. “It was miserable for him, it was miserable for us, we all feel bad and don’t want that to happen. So we have to prevent that.”
So that may or may not have served as a cautionary tale for this current season.
I mentioned Addison and Kancey as guys that likely won’t play much, but it’s probably also safe to assume other key returning players like Gavin Bartholomew, Habakkuk Baldonado, Sir’Vocea Dennis, and Brandon Hill might have short work days as well.
Throw in the fact that the quarterbacks will be in red jerseys and not available to contact, there is going to be minimal excitement on display, which has generally been the case in spring games under Pat Narduzzi.
In the end, take the spring game at face value: it is a scrimmage in April. Go meet your tailgate buddies for a couple of hours and see what the first and second year players can do on the field.
Nelly Cummings is a nice addition
Pitt added Colgate transfer guard Nelly Cummings one week ago. In the aftermath from that commitment, we talked to Cummings about why he picked Pitt. We also had our guy Stephen Gertz break down his game in not only one, but two separate pieces describing what he can bring to Pitt next season. It was a much-needed addition for Jeff Capel and his program, and while the news is one week old I still want to touch on it a bit today.
Cummings gives Pitt a veteran guard that can lead the offense next season. He fared well when he stepped up and played power-five competition throughout his career, including a 20-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist game in the NCAA Tournament against Wisconsin last month.
In Stephen’s breakdowns, he hit on Cummings’ ability to thrive in pick and roll situations and also with his interior passing. Given that Pitt has one of the top returning big men in the league in John Hugley, the Panthers may finally have a competent pick and roll combination for the first time since…?
I also want to touch on Cummings’ interview with me after he committed. He is of course a local player, and he turned down opportunities from better programs to come play for his hometown team.
“I really remember the times in third grade when I was in that gym and I remember that vibe with Sam Young and those guys for years, so I really want to bring that back, and I want to inspire that and keep it going from here. I want my year to be the first step and I just want it to continue to grow and grow back into what I remember it being.”
Look, I know a one year graduate transfer guard from the Patriot League probably isn’t going to change the trajectory of Pitt’s program moving forward significantly, but he can make his impact felt in one season at the very least.
That was a pretty strong quote by him. He at least understands Pitt was something in the college basketball world not all that long ago and he was around for it and lived it. I think this program still has a long way to go, but it might take a little nudge and some pride from someone that gets it and has seen it before to help get things rolling a bit for the first time in a few seasons.
I do think Cummings is a good player, he fits a need, compliments the returning guys, and can also be a leader for the team. It was a winning pickup, but of course with seven additional roster spots, he will need help.
The dead period is over this weekend, and the craziness of the transfer portal will almost double than what it has been. It will be a busy time to see how the coaches handle the next few weeks as the juggle recruiting for future classes with AAU events, while also trying to complete the roster for next season by hosting visitors.
Pitt baseball making a move
The Pitt baseball team was a pleasant surprise in 2021. The Panthers climbed into the national rankings and were chosen as a possible host for the NCAA Tournament. Given that Pitt hasn’t made the big dance since 1995, it was a big deal for Mike Bell and his program at the time.
It all changed with a COVID shutdown. Pitt was 20-11 and was coming off a series win over North Carolina, but COVID forced the team to shut down for two weeks and they never really recovered. Pitt closed the year 3-9 and missed the NCAA Tournament yet again.
I wouldn’t say the slow start to the current 2022 season was out of character. It can take Northern schools a few weeks to get settled in, but Pitt was only 10-10 entering a series against Clemson and had lost two straight games to Virginia Tech by a combined score of 29-7.
It is hard to say exactly what has happened since, but things are starting to click for this Panthers team and probably at the right time. Pitt is 6-1 over its last seven games with a pair of series wins over traditional ACC powers Clemson and Louisville. Bell’s squad is looking like that team that caught fire last season, and perhaps this team can close stronger than it did a year ago.
The ACC is a bear this year with six teams in the league currently ranked according to Baseball America, along with a few more knocking on the door of the rankings. Pitt has a difficult weekend series almost every week.
This is an entertaining group to watch. Pitt likely doesn’t have an All-American or a player that will be picked near the top of the MLB Draft, but they do have a collection of guys that have been around for a while and look more comfortable going through the rigors of the ACC with each passing year.
Pitt is among the top slugging teams in the country. If home runs are your thing, they have 49 of them this year. Mainstay middle of the order bats like Ron Washington Jr. and Kyle Hess have been joined by talented LaSalle transfer Tatem Levins to give the Panthers plenty of pop at the top of the order.
Pitching will always be the question mark with this team, but Matt Gilbertson is a gritty Friday night starter and is likely underrated in the hierarchy of pitchers in the ACC this season. He's been good, it's just a matter of the rest of the staff carrying their weight as well.
Pitt takes on Boston College this weekend on the road, but then next week the Panthers will welcome Virginia to Cost Field. The Cavaliers are currently ranked No. 2 in the country according to Baseball America, and could be No. 1 by next weekend. It will be one of the biggest series Pitt has hosted in some time.
Football and basketball will always be the top sports at Pitt, but there have been some other programs making some noise in the background for the past couple of years, and perhaps baseball is the next one in line to capture the minds of the Pitt fanbase.
TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE
Who are the players to watch Saturday on offense?
Throughout spring, we have heard different coaches and players talk up certain guys on the team. Of course, Chris and I also have the chance to watch some practice twice a week, but for the most part Saturday will be the first real, live look at the 2022 Pitt team for everyone.
So who should you be watching for when Pitt is offense? Here are five players I will be keeping an eye on for Saturday. I think quarterback is a given, so I won’t include them here, but of course everyone will be watching Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti and how they look on Saturday, even if they won't be going with full contact.
Daniel Carter
Daniel Carter has 86 career rushing yards and three total touchdowns in two season as a Pitt running back. Despite the modest production and a bevy of running backs ahead of him on the depth chart, the Florida native has garnered some high praise this spring. Carter played last season in a fullback role, but I am getting the sense he can also get some carries at running back this season. Wherever he lines up, I think he is in for an expanded role this season and he should be one of the featured players on Saturday, as he was given dual-roster capabilities and can play for both the Blue and Gold teams.
Jaden Bradley
Pitt has two really good, experienced wide receivers returning in Jordan Addison and Jared Wayne. The coaches also brought in Konata Mumpfield as a transfer to help with the position. Still, I think there is room for another player or two to emerge at wide receiver and Jaden Bradley feels like he can be one of those guys. He is likely Pitt’s tallest and lankiest receiver on the team. Bradley earned the trust of the coaches last season and saw his role expand throughout the season. He did not see a lot of targets, but Bradley was on the field late in the season in a lot of key moments. I expect him to be a bigger part of the offense in 2022, and he should command some attention on Saturday as he lines up for the Blue team and will get a chance to catch passes from Kedon Slovis.
Konata Mumpfield
I mentioned him briefly above, but I think Mumpfield has a chance to be a really high impact transfer in the ACC this season. He was a freshman All-American a year ago at Akron, and I think playing on a more talented roster and opposite a guy like Jordan Addison will only allow him to flourish even more. Mumpfield struck me early on in camp as a more physically put together guy than I expected. I assumed he was built more like Addison and was a straight speed guy. While he is certainly fast, he has some muscle to him and should be a valuable weapon on offense and might be able to bring something different to the table. He will suit up for Gold on Saturday and should be Nick Patti’s top option, assuming Jared Wayne is on a pitch count of sorts.
Jake Renda
Jake Renda came to Pitt as a 225-pound tight end, and he is now listed at 250 pounds in his second year, and I tend to think he is bigger than that. It has been quite a transformation physically, and I think Renda has a chance to be sort of that second tight end in the offense and perhaps make a surprise impact this year the way Gavin Bartholomew did a season ago. Renda is fighting with fellow redshirt freshman Cole Mitchell as well as veterans Kyi Wright and Kaymar Mimes for snaps, but he is one I want to get a better look at on Saturday while lining up for the Blue team.
Ryan Baer
Pat Narduzzi has praised true freshman Ryan Baer several times throughout spring ball. He even recently said he believes the true freshman tackle can help this season. For that reason alone, I would like to see what he can do on Saturday. I am not entirely sure how much he can help this year with five starters back, and three more guys pretty close to starting also returning, but Baer is the highest rated linemen Pitt has landed in years. Even if he can force his way into short-yardage situations or special teams, it could be a win. The way it is looking now, Pitt may need five new offensive linemen for 2023 and Baer proving he belongs would be a big step in helping fill one of those spots in the future.
Who are the players to watch Saturday on defense?
The Pitt defense has its top four defensive ends returning, four defensive tackles with starting experience, an all-conference linebacker, and five players in the secondary with starting experience back. It is a group with few surprises at this point. We know what Baladonado and Dennis can do, so Saturday may be more about that next wave of guys.
Here are five (loose interpretation here) guys that I will be watching for on Saturday during the Blue & Gold Game.
Sam Okunlola / Sean FitzSimmons
Both true freshman defensive linemen have earned praise throughout spring game. It struck me in particular about Okunlola that when I interview prospective Pitt recruits, they mention he is a player that is talking and showing them around. If a true freshman early enrollee is comfortable showing players around on recruiting visits already, chances are he is not overwhelmed with the playbook. I caught him sticking around after practice one day for extra work as well. He seems very mature for a freshman that should still be in high school. FitzSimmons just had one of the most dominant runs ever for a WPIAL defensive linemen capped off with two state titles. He was not a highly coveted recruit, but I think some schools will eventually regret that. I heard he can contribute this year, and that’s saying something for a true freshman under Charlie Partridge.
Elliot Donald
Elliot Donald was the prized recruit in the 2021 recruiting class and after his second year in the program, the expectations may start to follow him around a bit more. Donald has been working hard on his body and on the field. He is really taking to Partridge’s coaching and is looking to carve out a role for this season. Again, Pitt’s defensive line is so competitive right now, but I’ll be watching Donald closely on Saturday to see if he is ready to slide into a larger role.
Solomon DeShields / Bangally Kamara
These two have been talked about all offseason in unison, heck they’ve been brought up as a pair since they were recruited in the same class of 2020. We have always heard about how athletic and promising Bangally Kamara and Solomon DeShields are, and the spring game should be a good showcase for both. I think it’s possible, if not likely, that these two are Pitt’s starting outside linebackers come September. We got to see flashes of Kamara last season, but this will be the first real look at DeShields. So will the production follow the expectations? We’ll get to see on Saturday for the first time.
Rashad Battle
Rashad Battle played safety a season ago, and that did not really work out as planned. If you recall last offseason, it felt as though Battle and Erick Hallett were in a deadlock battle for the starting job. Hallett won out the spot, and steadily got better throughout the season. Battle fought off injuries and couldn’t really catch Hallett. Now he’s back at cornerback, where he started off his career as a freshman. Battle is tall and athletic and could push his way onto the depth chart right away. I’ll be looking to see how he moves around back at his more natural position and if he is ready to compete this season. He made a few big interceptions during spring, the team even tweeted out video of a couple of them, so he is clearly making some strides.
PJ O’Brien
Part of Battle’s return to cornerback could be attributed to PJ O’Brien. He is a hard-hitting safety that should play a lot of football for Pitt this season. I don’t think he will unseat one of the starters, but once Hill and or Hallett leave, he can be almost be penciled in as a starter. I believe O’Brien is going to be a big player before his time at Pitt is done. I’m interested to see how he approaches Saturday, because it is a scrimmage but Narduzzi sort of joked earlier this spring that O’Brien has trouble going half speed. He is wired to be physical and hit people, which is exactly how you would want a safety to play.
ONE PREDICTION
Pitt picks up a few commitments prior to June
It is like clockwork that Pitt enters June with one of two commitments for the current recruiting class, and by the end of the month the class is nearly filled. I feel pretty confident that it will play out that way again this year. Pitt already has a lot of players lined up to visit for June, heck even one picked out a date already. It is how this staff likes to operate.
Pitt has done well for itself in June getting the whole staff on board for the official visits and making them truly special experiences for the prospects they are hosting. No, Pitt isn’t doing any special or different than other programs, but they seem to emphasize large pushes in June maybe more so than other places.
I believe that will happen again, and that is all well and good. But man, you’d think by now they would have captured that good faith from winning the ACC and finishing in the top 15 and parlayed that into a few commitments by now. It simply hasn’t happened. Zion Fowler is the lone recruit in the class, but I’m predicting he won’t be the only one come June.
I think a few more guys join him. We’ve seen the Pitt coaches really push hard this spring and they have brought in a lot of offered visitors for junior days in January to hosting players at nearly every spring practice leading up to the game tomorrow (where there are more recruits expected to visit). I think at some point that translates to a few additions to the class here in April or May.
Pitt has hosted over 40 offered prospects in the class of 2023 during its spring football sessions according to our count. Throw in more players that have visited that could add offers eventually and also the 2024 class. It has been a productive offseason of getting players on campus, and now there needs to be more production in the way of commitments and I expect to see that pretty soon.
