The actual season doesn’t start for another six months. But in a sense, Pitt’s ACC title defense is already underway. The Panthers’ pursuit for another Coastal division crown and conference championship began in the weight room this winter and continues with the opening of spring camp on Monday.
Between now and the end of camp, there will be plenty of questions asked about Pat Narduzzi’s 2022 team. Here are five we’re focused on:
What will the post-Kenny Pickett era look like?
On more than one occasion last season, Narduzzi uttered four words: “We ride with Kenny.” In truth, the Panthers were riding with Kenny since he upset No. 2 Miami in 2017. Ever since, Pitt has had its quarterback position sorted.
That changed on Dec. 16, when Pickett announced he was opting out of the Peach Bowl. It was at that moment that the post-Pickett era started for Pitt, and all eyes turned to Nick Patti. Five days later, those eyes turned to USC transfer Kedon Slovis.
Slovis and Patti — as well as Davis Beville, Joey Yellen and Nate Yarnell — will compete for Pickett’s old job. Slovis, arguably the best quarterback in this offseason’s jam-packed transfer portal, is the favorite. He was one of college football’s best passers in 2019 and 2020 and chose Pitt over a host of Power Five programs.
But Patti should get his shot. The fifth-year player is well-established in the locker room. When healthy, he was Pickett’s top backup the last three seasons. He started the Peach Bowl and shined early before suffering a broken collarbone — an injury that will not be a hindrance to him in camp. Patti is fully recovered and ready for a competition.
We might not get a firm answer to who the starter is by the end of spring. But these practices should provide a good indication of who will start against West Virginia.
What will Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense look like?
Last spring, we wondered if Pitt’s offense would adopt “GoGo” principles with the arrival of wide receivers coach Brennan Marion. What everyone ultimately watched was Mark Whipple’s traditional pro-style offense, and it was effective. Pitt averaged 41.4 points per game, third-most in the country.
Now, Whipple and Marion are at Nebraska and Texas, respectively. Cignetti is Pitt’s play-caller with Tiquan Underwood as receivers coach and pass game coordinator.
Truthfully, we won’t get a good look at Cignetti’s system until the spring game (and even then it’ll likely be in its most vanilla form). But Cignetti’s pro-style influences are apparent, from coaching Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning to implementing those principles at the college level, most recently with Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec.
It’ll be interesting to ask the offensive players, from Slovis and Patti to Jordan Addison and Gavin Bartholomew, about Cignetti’s system and how installs are going.
Who will be the next standout?
Speaking of Bartholomew, he was the guy everyone raved about last spring. The early enrollee impressed from the jump and parlayed that into a prominent role in the fall, logging 326 receiving yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman.
Can another early enrollee do the same? Perhaps wide receiver Addison Copeland III breaks out. Maybe Marquan Pope makes a difference in a thin linebacker room (more on that in a bit).
The most obvious breakout candidate among the newcomers — aside from Slovis — is wide receiver Konata Mumpfield. The Akron transfer was a freshman All-American last year, hauling in 63 catches for 751 yards and eight touchdowns. Mumpfield working opposite or next to Addison and Jared Wayne could form a dangerous trio.
What’s the situation at linebacker?
Pope, as mentioned, is an early enrollee. But it wasn’t until Narduzzi visited Pope and his family in Texas after December’s signing period that the linebacker decided to arrive at Pitt in January and not the summer. The reason for that is obvious.
Last spring, linebackers coach Ryan Manalac had 12 scholarship players to work with. This spring, he’ll have eight: SirVocea Dennis, Brandon George, Bangally Kamara, Solomon DeShields, Aydin Henningham, Preston Lavant, Pope and Notre Dame transfer Shayne Simon. Freshman signee Kyle Louis will join the team in the summer.
With so many departures, linebacker is the position most influx on Pitt’s roster. Phil Campbell, Chase Pine and Johnny Petrishen are out of eligibility and preparing for pro day while Cam Bright, Wendell Davis, Leslie Smith and A.J. Roberts all transferred.
Dennis will be the leader of the defense at middle linebacker. Simon, who brings starting experience for a Notre Dame team that reached the College Football Playoff in 2020, will likely start on the outside opposite Kamara. But even Kamara and Simon — not to mention Lavant, DeShields, Henningham and Pope — are question marks.
Manalac, Narduzzi and coordinator Randy Bates will have their work cut out for them.
Who sees the writing on the wall?
As thin as it is at linebacker, Pitt’s currently over the 85-scholarship limit. The Panthers are currently projected for 86 scholarship players after wide receiver John Vardzel entered the portal on Thursday.
Narduzzi and his staff will have to clear a spot before August training camp — and even more spots if they want to keep adding from the portal. That means tough conversations will be had after spring camp.
Looking at where Pitt has its most depth, tight end is a bloated position with six players. With 12 in tow, Pitt could afford to lose another defensive end even after Naquan Brown’s transfer. And obviously a quarterback could leave if Slovis is named the starter in April.
August training camp is where depth chart battles are won. But a roster spot or two will be determined this spring, one of many storylines to keep an eye on.
Johnny McGonigal: jmcgonigal@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jmcgonigal9
First Published: February 28, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: February 28, 2022, 12:09 p.m.