With spring camp 2022 just a few days away, it’s time to reset the projected 2022 Scholarship Board. Here’s a look at where things stand.
As of today, Pitt is projected to have 87 scholarship players on the 2022 roster. That’s obviously two over the limit of 85, which means the staff will have to trim two more players off to get the current projected group of players in, and any further additions to the roster - the staff seems to be still watching the transfer market - will require further attrition.
For spring camp, though, Pitt is projected to have 82 scholarship players. That’s a remarkably high number; in most typical years, teams have between 60 and 70 scholarship players in spring camp.
The difference this year, as with last year and the next few years, is the presence of super seniors. The NCAA declared that any player who was on a roster during the 2020 Covid season could get an extra year of eligibility.
For Pitt, six players have apparently decided to use the extra year in 2022: tight end Grant Carrigan, offensive linemen Owen Drexel, Gabe Houy, Marcus Minor and Carter Warren and defensive lineman Deslin Alexandre.
With those six returning, Pitt is projected to have 27 seniors on the 2022 roster. That would seem to portend a big 2023 recruiting class since those spots are the ones that will open for that class. But 21 of the 27 seniors will all have the option to return as super seniors in 2023, and each super senior who comes back will take a spot that would have gone to a recruit.
While it’s unlikely that all 21 will come back, the decisions those players make will have a direct impact on next year’s class in a key recruiting cycle for Pitt.
The other thing boosting Pitt’s roster numbers this spring is the influx of newcomers. Seven recruits and three transfers enrolled in January.
Taken together, the 10 newcomers and six super seniors are the difference between a more standard 66-man spring scholarship roster into the current 82.
