Closer to full pads. Closer to full contact. The shoulder pads went on and the effects of three straight days of practice are starting to hit the players.

Freshman offensive tackle Dorian Johnson said after practice that he actually felt better following the shoulder pads-only practice than he did after the non-pad practices.

“I don’t feel as bad as I did yesterday,” he said Thursday afternoon.

Of course, Johnson sputtered out that sentence in between gulps of air, and the freshman from Belle Vernon was more than a little winded as he walked off the field. Johnson has been “double-shifting,” working on the second team and third team at right tackle since Pitt doesn’t quite have enough tackles to fill three full shifts.

That doesn’t mean Johnson is bemoaning the workload, though.

“It’s a little rough, but it’s worth it. I get extra reps. I’m not complaining about that.”

No doubt because Johnson has his sights set on grabbing the starting right tackle job.

A job that Juantez Hollins wants back and T.J. Clemmings presently in a position to take.

Still, with all the action in front of him, Clemmings is always looking over his shoulder for who’s behind him:

Offensive line coach Jim Hueber.

“Like I told him, I need to be on him,” Hueber said. “I need to ride him as hard as I can, so when he goes on the field, it’s easy. He doesn’t need to worry about anything else because I’m not out there with him, but he needs to be looking over his shoulder right now, and he knows that.”

Clemmings is competing to earn Pitt’s starting right tackle job on opening night against Florida State. Despite never playing a game on the offensive line, the redshirt junior is adjusting to his new role, and Hueber is pushing him to be the best.

“He got right on me from the jump,” Clemmings said of his new position coach. “His coaching style is amazing and he wants perfection. He wants you to be the best that you can be. He’s not yelling for no reason, so he’s helped me out a lot and the whole offensive line.”

Clemmings, 6’6″ 305, was moved from defensive end to offensive tackle during bowl practice last season. He worked primarily as the first-team right tackle during spring practice and has continued that role as fall camp began.

Needless to say, the redshirt junior has never played a down along the offensive line, but he has gotten plenty of reps throughout the off-season to prepare himself for his role. Hueber has also put pressure on Clemmings – along with every other lineman – to make things easier in an actual game.

“He puts a lot of pressure on you out in practice, so once you’re out on the field it becomes easy,” Clemmings said. “Hopefully in the games, it’ll be easy since he puts so much pressure on us now. It’s really good for us.”

Clemmings came to Pitt as one of the jewels in that recruiting class a 4-star defensive lineman, his biggest hindrance has been that his temperament did not match his position. By all accounts he is much more suited — mentally — to be an offensive lineman. That he has the potential to be the starter without any experience is either proof of that, proof of what kind of O-line coach Jim Hueber is, or a terrifying indictment of the state of Pitt’s offensive linemen. I’m hoping for some combination of the first two.

The center spot may not be as solidly Gabe Roberts‘ as it seemed after the spring practices.

Artie Rowell got some more reps with the first-team offensive line today than he did earlier in the week. Offensive line coach Jim Hueber praised Rowell after yesterday’s practice, and Chryst said Monday that Gabe Roberts doesn’t necessarily have the starting center spot locked down. Rowell might not fit this staff’s prototypical offensive lineman build, but he’s big and can move. He also has experience, which is always a plus on the offensive line.

Rowell may be a few inches shorter than Roberts (both are listed at 305 pounds), but Rowell actually played center when he was recruited. Roberts was converted. Given that Rowell is a redshirt sophomore and Roberts a redshirt freshman, Rowell should have the extra motivation to know that if he doesn’t make a push in this camp he may be a permanent back-up.

Very little talk about the QBs from the beat writers. Savage seems to be doing all first team work and Voytik on second team. But, you know, no decision has been made yet.

James Conner is not going to be the starting tailback. But he is looking good in the first few days of practice to have a shot to make the depth chart. Or as Coach Chryst has put it each day,

““I’m glad he’s here and he’s working,” Chryst said. “After day one, he’s earned the right to stay at running back for day two.”

And he’s repeated the “earned the right to stay at running back” after each practice. Clearly Coach Chryst is employing Dread Pirate Roberts motivational techniques with Conner.

Kevin Weatherspoon helped to recruit Tyler Boyd to Pitt, even as he knew it might hurt his chances to get on the field.

“All of us are together,” Weatherspoon said of Pitt’s five Clairton graduates. “Those are my boys.

“I just told (Boyd) when it all comes down to it, the team that is hometown, they are going to show you the better love. I know coach (Paul) Chryst. I know (wide receivers) coach (Bobby) Engram. I know they know how to use us.”

The result of Weatherspoon’s recruiting efforts are playing out at training camp. Boyd, a freshman and one of Pitt’s most prized recruits in years, is stepping up and challenging for playing time that still could go to Weatherspoon, a redshirt junior.

Pitt has a desperate need for a wide receiver to line up opposite senior Devin Street, and Weatherspoon and Boyd are two contenders.

“That is the most open of the spots on our offense,” Chryst said. “Probably on the team.”

At the very least, Boyd is going to be on the field for special teams. I’m kind of envisioning a punt/kick returning duo of Tyler Boyd and Jester Weah.