Training Camp Report: 8/11/23

The Pitt football team was back out on the practice field on Friday morning in the South Side. It marked the eighth session of training camp and concluded the second full week of practice. The Panthers will be back out on the field tomorrow, without the media present, for one of the first big scrimmages of fall camp. Obviously those scrimmages can be make or break on position battles, but our next chance to view practice and be around the team is Tuesday, so we'll have a few days before we actually hear how it goes.

— Given that tomorrow is a scrimmage, today sort of served as a walk through. The team was not in full pads and practice itself was a little shorter today for that reason, mainly to keep everyone healthy and fresh for tomorrow.

— I believe the intention is to hold tomorrow's scrimmage at Acrisure Stadium under the lights, but weather will ultimately decide that.

— The initial talk with Pat Narduzzi during his press briefing was about the Alliance 412 deal announced yesterday. In case you missed it, Pitt's NIL collective otherwise known as Alliance 412 announced an NIL deal for all 85 players on the roster. Reportedly each player will be receiving at least five digits simply for playing football at the University of Pittsburgh.

— Narduzzi was upbeat about the news and he indicated he liked the idea of having something in place for the whole team. He feels it can create tension in locker rooms when some guys are getting NIL deals and others aren't, so he relayed that thought through to Chris Bickell who has been the driving force between making all of this NIL business happen for the program.

— I've been wondering about the running backs a bit, because thinking back to Pitt's offense last year, Izzy Abanikanda saved them more often than not with his speed. With how lackluster the passing game was last season, his long runs accounted for a lot of the team's 'explosive plays' I wonder where those type of plays will come from this year, because no offense to any of the current running backs, but they are all slower than Izzy. Narduzzi said a lot of it can be dependent upon blocking and he's encouraged with what he's seen there, but noted there is still some work in pass protection. If you recall, Pitt was a bit slow out of the gates in that area before finishing strong.

— I noticed a few more players with turnover stickers on their helmet. It appears the new guys to generate some turnovers include MJ Devonshire, Brandon George, Devin Danielson, and Bam Brima,

— Speaking of Bam Brima, I think he's really going to have a chance to make an impact this year. He has always been physically impressive, since he was in high school really, but the door is wide open for him to play. I think Dayon Hayes will have one starting job, and it really should be him on the other side unless he allows one of the underclassmen to pass him.

— And speaking of Danielson, I believe Chris pointed this out today, but he's actually one of the protectors on punts. Usually that area of special teams is for offensive guys, not defensive linemen. I believe in the past Patrick Jones held that role. As we know, Danielson is probably not a good guy to mess with, so I could see the punters being comfortable having him as a blocker. Remember, Pitt had punts blocked in three diferent games last year. Coincidentally enough, they overcame all of them and won all three games.

— FWIW, I noticed scouts from the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles today. No former Big Ten coaches giving speeches, however.

— I watched the wide receivers for a good portion of the practice because since they were in shells, it wasn't an overly physical or exciting practice to watch. I continue to be impressed with the freshmen receivers. I predicted in my 3-2-1 Column one of them will be the third leading receiver on the team, and Narduzzi gave me some validation and said they are all still very much in the mix. They are all athletic, but Zion Fowler-El really seems to glide when he is out there. Kenny Johnson's routes are crisp.

-- Izzy Polk has been injured, but Narduzzi himself admitted it during his presser, so I think I'm good to report on it. (Correct me if I'm wrong, EJ). Polk was back on the field today and looked to have no ill effects of whatever was ailing him.

— The core two of the receivers are still Means and Mumpfield and they continue to look sharp from what I can see. They are leading the pack, which is to be expected. Here is some video of them catching some corner routes.

— I usually try to focus on a new player or two to see how they compare physically to some of the upperclassmen. I don't know what I was expecting, but Montravious Lloyd looks really good in pads. Of the two true freshmen backs, I expected probably TJ Harvison to have a chance to play this year, but based on the way Lloyd moves, how he looks, and some Narduzzi praise for him the other day, it might actually be him. Again, there are some veteran backs ahead of him, but you likely need multiple to get through the season.

— Again, today was effectively a walk through for tomorrow's scrimmage. So it was not necessarily an action-packed practice to report on, even acknowledging the usual constraints we face from the head coach. We'll have some more interviews, videos, and articles in the days between now and the next media availability on Tuesday.