Spring drills for the football team start on Saturday.

Wannstedt said his top three priorities in the spring are evaluating players, installing a new offense and laying a foundation for the Panthers to become tough-minded, mentally strong and physical.

That final point means practices likely will be more physical than in the past, and players will be pushed as if it were training camp. Wannstedt is an old-school coach and has a reputation for running tough practices.

Pitt is coming off an 8-4 season, a Bowl Championship Series Fiesta Bowl bid and has nine starters returning on offense and seven on defense. Usually, a team with that profile would use the spring to fill a couple of holes and tune up for the season.

But with a new coaching staff in place, every job is up for grabs.

I get the feeling there might be a few more than usual media types covering spring practice this year.