Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi was talked into doing last year’s spring game as offense vs. defense. It allowed both the coaches and fans to see the first-stringers go head to head. This year, it’s going back to what the Panthers have done in the past.
Narduzzi was already leaning toward going back to the draft model — the seniors are split up and then draft players from each position group — but his decision was cemented when multiple players came up and asked him if they were doing a draft.
“I just didn't like it last year,” Narduzzi said. “I think it's just another day of practice. I guess that's one of the reasons I was going to a draft anyway.”
Don’t expect a lot of matchups between the guys at the top of the depth chart. Because the players are drafting the teams, it’ll be a mix of ones, twos and threes. You’re not going to get the best look at what this Pitt squad is going to look like, but it’s going to shake things up.
“It's just to have some fun competition, split it up,” Narduzzi said. “There's some adversity. Quarterbacks got to work with a different center maybe than he had in spring. It gives everyone an opportunity. Maybe the backup right guard is making plays with a left tackle or it gives you a defensive end working with a D-tackle or a safety that's working with a different core that he doesn't normally work with. It gives guys an opportunity to practice with somebody else, play the game with somebody else and maybe learn something from it.”
The spring game is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. It will be televised on the ACC Network.
It’ll still be exciting for fans because it’s the first time they’ll get to see new offensive coordinator Kade Bell's scheme. While the defense has won every scrimmage so far this season, the offense got close on Saturday.
Narduzzi specifically called out Nate Yarnell for throwing for 254 yards.
The offense is installing a new style, giving the defense a chance to shine because there aren’t too many differences from previous years. Freshman Sincere Edwards said he wouldn’t consider it an advantage for the defense simply because of how young so many players are.
“We have a lot of new faces on defense, including me,” Edwards said. “So, in my opinion, I feel like it's kinda even because you have guys on defense who're learning the playbook and you got guys on offense, even older guys who are still learning the playbook.”
Nate Matlack, a defensive lineman transfer from Kansas State, is excited for the chance to play a spring game. He never had one while playing in Manhattan, Kan. While a senior, he won’t be one of the players running the draft on Wednesday.
That didn’t stop him from sharing whom his first overall picks would be. He said he’d go for redshirt freshman defensive back Cruce Brookins on defense and senior tight end Gavin Bartholomew on offense.
Mostly, Matlack’s just excited to show what the linebackers have in store for the upcoming season.
“The fans are gonna see a lot of plays being made by those [young] guys,” Matlack said. “Just in the last scrimmage, Sincere had two back-to-back plays where he had two sacks. He's gonna be really good. You had Francis [Brewu] just pushing people back into the quarterback. You have a lot of young guys that people don't know yet, and the fans are gonna see what they're all about.”
Playing for a starting spot
Edwards had a goal in sight when he committed to playing for the Panthers: He wants to be a freshman All-American. Not only does he want the honor, but he wants it as a true freshman.
It’s one of the reasons he decided to forgo his second semester in his senior year of high school. It’s also why he’s trying to learn as much as he can from veteran Dayon Hayes. The fifth-year has spoken highly of Edwards, saying Pitt got “lucky” with the freshman signing.
“Coming in early and you know Dayon is going to be one of the people who's wanting to lead next year, so you hear that from an older cat, that makes me proud,” Edwards said.
Edwards has been leaning on fellow freshman Brewu, as both of them are hoping to be key players on the defense this year. Edwards said the pair of them and some of the other young players — including Zach Crothers — have been staying late at the facility to go over the playbook every single day.
“The three guys that came in this winter are super talented,” Matlack said. “They've already come ready to play, and you can tell that they're physically ready to play, too. I'd say we have a lot of up and coming guys that are going to be really special players here soon.”
Narduzzi took a moment to shout out Edwards and his emphasis on toughness during spring workouts. Narduzzi joked that if you lined up a group of people, Edwards would run through everyone with zero hesitation.
“For freshmen, he is a different level guy right now,” Narduzzi said. “He's reckless. Some guys would be a freshman coming in and cautious to look around like, ‘Am I allowed to do that?’ He plays reckless and practices reckless. I can't wait to see him in a game.”
There's openings for the four-star recruit out of Apopka, Fla., to earn himself a spot up front.
Last year’s starting defensive end was Hayes, and he’s expected to continue in that role. The other defensive tackle spot rotated between Nate Temple, Bam Brima and Samuel Okunlola. Temple is out for the season with a leg injury, and Okunlola entered the transfer portal.
Brima has switched to nose tackle, and no other defensive ends have been talked about as much as Edwards. So it’s fair to say Hayes and Matlack are in front of Edwards, but the third spot is up for grabs.
“If [I’m] not starting, [I’m] definitely a heavy second string,” Edwards said. “I’m competing against myself every day.”
Settling in offensively
While a majority of the offense is working on learning the new offense, transfer running back Desmond Reid has a bit of advantage. He is already familiar with Bell’s style as he came with Bell from Western Carolina.
Reid was part of the Catamounts offense that led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in total offense with an average of 504.1 yards per game. So he’s doing his part to help the other players transition.
“I try to tell them looks I think we'll get into, like a certain play or a certain coverage and try to tell them, ‘Be ready for this,’ ” Reid said. “The running back room, we’re getting it and we’re all close. It's a brotherhood. The offense, we just have to keep coming together, but we're gonna get there, for sure.”
He said the biggest thing they’re working on is just the connection needed to play at such a fast pace. It’s definitely gotten better, as he said the first scrimmage of the spring was a bit rough, but everyone has settled in a bit.
“All of them are coming together real fast, faster than what I thought,” Reid said, “especially the running back room. At the school I was at, they didn't. They didn't learn as fast as the guys here.”
Abby Schnable: aschnable@post-gazette.com and @AbbySchnable on X
First Published: April 9, 2024, 7:45 p.m.
