Number Four on my list of concerns, five being the least worrisome and one being the most, is our remaining talent at Running Back.

Anyone who has been following PITT football, (and letting our FSU friends in on it), has to know by now our projected starting tailback, Rushel Shell, has taken his ball and gone home.  Actually, he isn’t going home as that is in the local area but going about as far away from PITT, the city of Pittsburgh, home and his fiancée’ and twins as he can get.  He’ll end up in the Pac-10.

Shell was a prime recruit for PITT in that he was a local product and one who set the schoolboy record for yards gained in a high school career.  Not only that, he went to the same HS as PITT god Tony Dorsett and ran to glory on “Tony Dorsett Field”.  Here is a sampling of what he did in his high school career:

“Shell rushed for a state-record 9,078 yards on 1,107 carries (8.2 avg.)…scored 110 career touchdowns, the most in WPIAL history…set a national record with 39 consecutive 100-yard games, eclipsing former Oklahoma Sooners great Billy Sims’ mark of 38 set in 1975…Shell rushed for 200 yards or more in 25 games…in 44 career contests, he averaged 206 yards per game…rushed for more than 2,000 yards in each of his final three seasons” …etc, etc.

So not only did he set PA records but topped some national marks as well.  Seems like he’d be a perfect fit at his local university wouldn’t he? Especially since PITT is a school with a strong track record of putting running backs into the NFL.

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by Lilburn Nole for Chantrant

I’ll be honest from the start here, I don’t think who ends up starting at quarterback in 2013 will make a huge difference. The reason I say this is that I foresee this being a run-oriented team that isn’t going to require the QB to shoulder the load. However, as the “sexy” position and leader of the offense it will grab the most attention from the majority of Nole fans, myself included.

There are already some intriguing stories to consider heading into spring ball. First, Jacob Coker (RS Soph.) has been spotted on campus in a walking boot. There is little to no information on the severity of the injury so it could be a non-factor in his preparation for spring and ability to compete. Second, how much will a commitment to the baseball team prevent Jameis Winston (RS Fresh.) from being on the football field getting reps in his attempt to earn the starting QB job?

Spring opens with Clint Trickett (RS Jr.) as the #1 QB as he has spent the past two seasons as the backup to EJ Manuel. Trickett has an adequate arm, a bit of “gunslinger” mentality, is rumored to do a good job taking on a leadership role, and makes quick decisions. Having been in the system for 3 seasons and around the game all his life as a coaches son (his Dad is the OL coach), Trickett has an excellent grasp of the offense and could be an excellent game manager. He is the smallest and least athletic of the 3 QBs and has shown the tendency to force balls on occasion. Though he is far from a statue in the pocket, Trickett will not be a QB that uses his legs often and makes a defense respect the threat.

Jacob Coker has good size and athletic ability, but we don’t know much about him. He played in a predominantly run first offense in high school, though Coach Fisher was high on him. At 6’5″ 230 lbs he is just about how you would design a QB. Word from fall camp in 2012 was that Coker gave Trickett a pretty good battle to be the back up, so obviously there is not a huge gap in terms of the coaches confidence in Coker.

Jamies Winston is the highly sought after dual threat QB whose potential has Nole fans salivating. Winston has size, arm strength, and athleticism. He has only been in the system for the fall, however, and it will be interesting to see how he does in the mental aspect of the QB position. A valedictorian candidate in high school, Winston possess the intelligence required to grasp Fisher’s offense, though academic ability doesn’t always translate to the mental requirements on the football field. Winston certainly has the most potential of the three QBs, but as Bobby Bowden use to say, “Potential means you haven’t done anything yet.”

Flying home from Houston today. If we could avoid any more transfers or quitting the team today, that would be great.

On the bright side, at least Mike Rice isn’t/wasn’t Pitt’s basketball coach.