Whitehead making a switch

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Jordan Whitehead has all the usual offseason goals: improving fundamentals, getting better at tackling, gaining a broader understanding of the defense.

But he’s also got a specific goal - one that’s a little more exciting.

“Definitely more interceptions this year,” Whitehead said Tuesday. And if positional alignments are any indication, a few extra picks in 2017 are getting more likely by the day.

After spending the first two years of his Pitt career working as the strong safety in Pat Narduzzi’s defense, the junior from Central Valley has been learning the free safety spot this spring. The strong safety - which plays on the boundary or short side of the field more than it aligns with an offense’s strengths or weaknesses - tends to be positioned closer to the line of scrimmage and figures prominently in the run defense that has been a hallmark of Narduzzi’s scheme dating back to his days at Michigan State.

That’s how Whitehead rolled up a team-leading 109 tackles his freshman year and 65 stops in nine games (more than seven tackles per game - also a team best) last season. He was a key piece of the run defense at strong safety, but one stat that is rather conspicuously absent from his resume, given his pedigree as an elite athlete, is interceptions. He’s got just two in two seasons, but that is largely a product of opportunity, which stems from his role as boundary safety.

But this spring, the coaches have been working with him on the free safety, which plays to the wide side of the field and, generally speaking, has more opportunities to play the pass.

“It’s a little different covering, but I’m thinking more plays out there - at least, more passing plays,” he said. “That’s more interceptions and that’s what I want.”

Narduzzi said the same thing while discussing the move: the coaches want a more athletic player lining up at free safety, thus adding more speed to the back end of Pitt’s defense. That position was manned last season by Reggie Mitchell and Terrish Webb, two experienced players who combined for 71 solo tackles, one interception and nine pass breakups while splitting time and working together after Whitehead suffered a season-ending injury against Clemson.

Both Mitchell and Webb are gone, leaving a void of experience in the secondary. Whitehead hasn’t played that position in the past, but his on-field experience and top-shelf skills made him a natural candidate.

“As soon as spring started, I moved to the field,” he said. “We lost Reggie Mitchell and T-Webb last year, so I was like the only guy, really, who kind of knew that spot. So I’m learning both now, just in case they need me, I’ll be ready.”