Camp opens on Tuesday, and the questions are many. The primary questions are about how many freshmen will not simply end up on the 2-deep depth chart? It’s about how many freshmen will be starting?
“It’s been proven that, in today’s game, with the limited amount of scholarships and things turning over faster than they used to, you have to have your freshmen make an impact in some capacity,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Regardless of how good or bad your team is, freshmen are forced to be part of it. The question is: Are you playing freshmen because of a lack of depth or a lack of talent, or because they’re truly the best players and they truly give you best chance to win?
“That’s what we have to identify.”
It’s nothing new for the Panthers, who relied on a handful of freshmen last season. The most notable was tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling, their leading rusher with 434 yards on 96 carries.
“We had six tailbacks last year,” Wannstedt said. “The reason LaRod played wasn’t because of depth, it was because he was fastest guy and could make plays. Those are scenarios you like.”
Others were forced into starting roles on the offensive and defensive lines. C.J. Davis and Dom Williams split time at left guard and John Bachman was a backup tackle. On defense, end Gus Mustakas finished second in sacks with three, while interior linemen Corey Davis and Rashad Duncan received extensive playing time.
The question of whether the young kids are playing because they are the best or because there’s no one else appears to be a theme for today, and likely throughout camp.
The Panthers have one of their most-talented recruiting classes in years, which is just what the doctor ordered for a team whose depth had become shallow over the past three years. There are many positions where the Panthers are thin, so a number of the freshmen are going to have to play. One of the problem areas is the defensive line, and freshmen defensive linemen, regardless of talent, usually struggle because they face experienced offensive linemen who are stronger and understand technique better. “The hope is the freshmen come in and win their positions because they are just that good,” Wannstedt said. “If we start having to fill positions by default, that’s a very bad sign. I don’t have a problem playing a freshman if he is the best player, but I’d love for us to be able to say each freshman that is in the lineup did so because they outplayed a very good group of players. If that’s the case, we’ll be fine.”
I don’t have any questions about the team leaders in Palko and Blades. Seniors and the best players on each side of the ball willing to be vocal.
Zeise highlights 5 positions that are essentially wide open. Left Tackle, Defensive Tackle, RB, WR, CB (opposite Revis). I don’t think he has any clearer an idea as the rest of us.
Now despite the fact that freshmen will be in mix for starting and immediate back-up rolls because of talent and need, and the fact that for the first week or so the camps will be split between freshmen/new players and returning players Coach Wannstedt is going to start early on figuring out the 2-deep.
“Training camp is to get ready for the season,” Wannstedt said. “It isn’t to get in shape, it isn’t to get stronger or learn the plays — that’s what spring ball and offseason conditioning is for. When we start on Tuesday, you’d better be ready to play as if it is the day before the Virginia game. So we will take that first week and try to get a long, hard look at every player. But once we bring them together, we’ll have a depth chart in place and we’ll start getting ready for game time.
“Now, the depth chart will be a tentative one as competition is ongoing throughout the season, but at least we will have a framework. Last year, we waited too long into the camp to put together a workable depth chart, and I think it hurt us early on.”
The article also noted that FanFest will be on August 24, and also an Alumni Day for past players to come to the South Side complex.
Wannstedt said Aug. 19 will be football alumni day at camp, when every Pitt football alumnus is invited back. They can sit in on pre- and post-practice meetings, interact with coaches and join the team for a barbecue lunch after the workout, which ends at 12:45 p.m. He said this will become an annual event that will be linked with the football alumni golf outing, which will be the day before at Montour Heights Country Club.
“We want this to be a program that has a family atmosphere, and this is just one more way to do it,” Wannstedt said. “Once you are a Panther, you are always a Panther, and we want you to be a part of this because it is your program, too. It will be good for our players to be able to talk with some of the older guys, especially those guys from the days when Pitt was competing for national championships.”
Cool.
