Buried at the bottom is some disappointing news.
One freshman who would have been in the lineup Saturday is receiver T.J. Porter, but he walked off the practice field Friday and his status with the team is uncertain. Porter, who is from Pahokee, Fla., was a heralded receiver and one of the team’s fastest players, but he struggled making the adjustment to college football.
Porter had left the team once before, but he returned a day later.
Earlier this week, however, there were some signs that Porter’s heart was not in it as he began to sit out of practices and miss drills because he said he wasn’t feeling well. The final straw came Friday when he walked off the field and went back to the locker room in frustration after Revis lined up opposite him in press man coverage and wouldn’t let him get off the line of scrimmage.
That’s a shame if he quits. There’s no question he’s got some growing up to do. From a talent standpoint, he appeared to be the top freshman receiver. It isn’t clear what the problem was — whether it was having to work so hard, homesickness, immaturity or what. It’s no longer simply being overwhelmed.
Given his talent and how he could still potentially help the team, do they just let him go? Do they work with him, maybe have him redshirt this season while he tries to get a grip on everything with a little less pressure and another season to mature?
This was from today’s press conference
This, to me, is good news and I hope it works out – we need a play maker at WR. Wonder if we’ll see Bynham move over to WR at some point – or Dickerson slide back over if Brooks and Howling-Stevens get hot.
“Dave Wannstedt’s second year as coach at Pittsburgh could be an interesting one, but the Panthers would need a lot to go right to contend for the crown.