I’ll understand if you thought it was a no-brainer that Devin Street would return for his senior year. I know I leaned that way. That doesn’t necessarily mean, he would (*cough* Greg Lee *cough*). Street made it official yesterday.

Wide receiver Devin Street considered a jump to the NFL but decided it was best to return to Pitt for his redshirt senior season. He announced Thursday on his Twitter account that he will return to school.

“My heart is at Pitt and with my teammates,” he wrote. “I want to grow as a person and player. Therefore I‘ll be staying my senior year.”

It’s not something Pitt fans should take for granted. The offense would have been in big trouble next year if Street wasn’t coming back. As less-than-good the O-line was this past season, try to imagine it if Chris Jacobson hadn’t been given a sixth year. That’s the sort of situation the passing game could have found itself.

Street hauled in the most passes of any receiver this year, he finished 8 yards behind Mike Shanahan in receiving yards. (983 to 975). More importantly, look at how much Pitt is losing from the offense. Shanahan, Ray Graham, Hubie Graham, and Cam Saddle. There are 8 other players who caught passes last year that are returning in 2013. In total they accounted for 60 receptions and 687 yards.

Tyler Boyd is a stud WR and will make an immediate impact, but he can’t do it alone. Not having Street would have put whoever the starting QB is next year in a bad spot, and too much pressure on Boyd to be perfect.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like about some of the receivers and TEs, beyond simply Boyd and Street. Holtz and Carswell will have more of an impact. Ed Tinker took advantage of his opportunities to show something. Demetrious Davis and Brendon Felder still have a chance to make an impact.

But for depth and talent, Street coming back for his senior year was vital.