As Pitt’s players report to training camp Tuesday, several positions remain up for competition going into the final month before the season opener, Saturday, Aug. 31 against Kent State at Acrisure Stadium for a noon kickoff.

Here’s a look at some of the bigger position battles, who to watch for in camp, and our writers’ predictions for how they’ll play out this season:

Running backs

While Pitt returns its leading rusher from 2023, Rodney Hammond II is not coming off a strong performance. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior rushed for the most yards of his career, but was also part of Pitt finishing last in rushing in the ACC.

Add a new offense with coordinator Kade Bell, and there could be a change in how the Panthers deploy their running backs in the coming year. Bell’s offense depends on an up-tempo pace that benefits faster players who can catch lacking defenders off-guard, and Pitt has a few running back options who look faster than Hammond.

Christopher Carter

'Prove it': Pat Narduzzi's challenge to Pitt football — 2023 cannot happen again

Desmond Reid, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound junior comes from Bell’s offense at Western Carolina and has the home run speed to take advantage of defensive lapses. But so does redshirt junior Derrick Davis Jr., redshirt freshman Montravius Lloyd, and true freshman Juelz Goff. 

Predictions

Carter: Hammond is still the power runner that can wear down defenses. But expect him to be the starting running back with a heavy mixture of two more options. Mix his style with two of the other speed options out of the backfield, and Pitt might find a strong rotation that revives its ground game. That could very well come down to Reid and a battle between Davis, Lloyd and Goff for the third option. Hammond will most likely start games, but with the other two subbing in frequently to keep Pitt’s rushing attack fresh.

Thompson: Ham­mond’s been a solid re­serve rusher for the Pan­thers dur­ing his three years in Pitts­burgh, but he hasn’t yet been able to se­cure a per­ma­nent spot as a work­horse back, even af­ter Is­rael Abani­kanda left for the NFL.

Ham­mond en­tered the off­sea­son as the top dog but has se­ri­ous com­pe­ti­tion now in Western Car­o­lina trans­fer Reid. The coach­ing staff has raved about Reid’s home run-hit­ting abil­i­ties, and his knowl­edge of Kade Bell’s sys­tem won’t hurt.

Ham­mond and Reid will cer­tainly be the top two play­ers on the depth chart, with the ex­act or­der pend­ing their play in train­ing camp. Daniel Carter will re­prise his ver­sa­tile role as the third back, and Goff and Davis will bat­tle for what­ever snaps re­main, but speed kills and they both have plenty of it.

Linebackers

Pitt’s mix of linebackers features several young players looking to make their mark. Sixth-year Mike linebacker Brandon George is most likely a solidified starter. But everyone else around him should be in a serious competition for the outside linebacker spots.

Jason Mackey

Jason Mackey: After lousy 2023, Pitt football actually has intriguing ingredients that could net rebound

In the mix is redshirt sophomore Kyle Louis, graduate transfer Keye Thompson, sophomores Rasheem Biles and Jordan Bass, and true freshman Cam Lindsey. That will be a lot of talent to sift through in a matter of weeks for linebackers coach Ryan Manalac.

Predictions

Carter: While George starts at Mike linebacker, expect Louis and Biles to be the starters on the outside positions. Biles was one of the Panthers’ best performers in the Blue-Gold spring game and has the athleticism to play the fast-paced style Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates likes. Louis is the most experienced of the group, and also has good athleticism to mix in as a starter. But after that, expect a hard camp battle where Lindsey makes a strong push to be part of the rotation, and Bass and Thompson compete with each other for snaps.

Thompson: George is the only lock to start among this group and his ex­pe­ri­ence will make him a fine fit for the Mike spot. Louis was im­pres­sive in lim­ited ac­tion last sea­son and his ath­let­i­cism will fit well in the Money po­si­tion on the out­side. Op­po­site him, Bass was the first op­tion when start­ing Star line­backer Sol­o­mon DeShields went down with an in­jury against Wake For­est and is the best bet to fill that role again come Week 1.

The Pan­thers are as deep at line­backer as any po­si­tion on the ros­ter with Bray­lan Love­lace, Biles and Thomp­son also in the mix, so ex­pect some fre­quent ro­tat­ing.

Wide receivers

If Pitt’s passing attack is going to get back into a groove this season, it will need playmaker wide receivers to step up both in getting open and getting yards after the catch. Luckily for the Panthers, several players with experience return to the team in senior Konata Mumpfield, sophomore Kenny Johnson and redshirt junior Daejon Reynolds. But behind them is a mix of transfers with experience in Bell’s offense in junior Censere Lee and redshirt junior Raphael Williams Jr., as well as redshirt freshmen Zion Fowler-El and Lamar Seymore.

Predictions

Carter: Mumpfield is the bonafide WR1 of the team and will be in position to boost his draft stock this season. Expect Johnson to fill in as the second receiver, but then after that will be a battle. Reynolds had an underwhelming first season with Pitt last season but also was in a tough situation with the struggling quarterback play. Still, he’ll have to fend off two receivers who know Bell’s system and two other receivers who the Panthers are developing. Expect Reynolds or one of the Western Carolina transfers to get the initial look as the team’s third option at wide receiver, but for either Fowler-El or Seymore to get more looks in that spot by midseason.

Thompson: The start­ers are set in stone — Mump­field, Rey­nolds and John­son will take the first snap of ev­ery game. But work­ing in an of­fense that hopes to play a lot more snaps at a faster pace, trans­fers Lee and Wil­liams and Sey­more can’t be counted out, ei­ther. They’ll all play a lot.

Cornerback

Pitt enjoyed consecutive seasons with three productive, experienced cornerbacks written in permanent ink at the top of every depth chart. But those three veterans have graduated, leaving the Panthers extremely inexperienced and eager to find the next generation at summer camp.

Predictions

Carter: The one solidified starter at cornerback is Ryland Gandy, who’s earned praise as a young, developing player on the roster the last two seasons. But behind him is a big competition for multiple spots. Jaremiah Anglin Jr. — a redshirt freshman — and Tamon Lynum — a redshirt senior — both come in as transfers. They’ll face players who’ve come up on Pitt’s roster in redshirt senior Rashad Battle and redshirt juniors Noah Big­low and Tamarion Crumpley. I expect Battle and Crumpley to get the initial look at the top cornerback spots, but for Lymun and Anglin to make a hard push by end of camp.

Thompson: Gandy appeared to be lapping the rest of the field during spring ball and it’s unlikely there will be enough of a jump from anyone else in the group to take away his assumed starting job. Anglin, the transfer from Kentucky, is expected to make a transition from safety to cornerback and he should be a favorite to fill the other starting spot opposite Gandy. Battle’s experience will give him a leg up as Pitt looks for a third player to fill out the rotation. 

Defensive tackle

The Panthers turned over their entire defensive tackle unit from a year ago, but for a unit that wasn’t very strong last season, a purge isn’t the worst thing in the world. No one who played more than 200 snaps in 2023 is back in 2024, and that means there will be a full rotation for position coach Tim Daoust to fill out over the next month.

Predictions

Carter: Look for Sean FitzSimmons and Nahki Johnson to lead this group, but for the rotation behind them to be a big competition in camp. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Neal was one of the more talked-about young players on last year’s teams that waited to see time, while Nick James is a big-name transfer who will compete for playing time.

But don’t overlook Jahsear Whittington, the true freshman from Philadelphia who was a major part of this year’s recruiting class. Narduzzi may want to preserve his redshirt, but Whittington’s talent level may make that hard to do.

Thompson: Bates said during spring practices that the defensive line room might get smaller, but it’d be quicker and more athletic — staffed by more Calijah Kancey-like bodies than physiques resembling Tyrique Jarrett, if you will.

To that end, Sean FitzSimmons and Nahki Johnson seem like perfect candidates to start and lead the rotation. They are both smaller, each weighing under 290 pounds, but their quickness will be useful.

As far as the rest of the rotation, James and Neal, both former blue-chip recruits, will be expected to turn the recruiting pedigree into production. Anthony Johnson, a post-spring transfer from Youngstown State, could provide a change of pace with his size and power.

Christopher Carter: ccarter@post-gazette.com and @CarterCritiques on X

Stephen Thompson: sthompson@post-gazette.com and @stephenethom on X

First Published: July 29, 2024, 2:27 p.m.
Updated: July 30, 2024, 2:04 a.m.