Focus of today. Primarily some pieces on tackles and the secondary.

Stories today looked at the position changes for Brian O’Neill and Shakir Soto. In no small part owing to their game against Georgia Tech. Both have been thriving all season, but they really shined this past weekend.

Shakir Soto was recruited, and last year started, as a defensive end. The outcome wasn’t great. There was little choice, because the depth on the defense last year left little behind him. So, even as Ejuan Price surged back that season, Soto was frustrating to watch. Not fast enough, and unable to really bring pressure from his side that the defense needed.

With the graduation of K.K. Mosley-Smith, Pitt needed more help inside with Tyrique Jarrett and Soto became the guy.

The result — along with a lot of work on the field and in the weight room — has been a booming transformation from defensive end to defensive tackle.

Soto, who gained 40-plus pounds for the role change, finished Saturday’s win against Georgia Tech with a game-high 7.5 tackles, including two for loss.

“He’s been special inside, and he’s been good all year to be honest with you,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It was one of the great moves of the offseason. I don’t know if he knew it, but we knew it.”

Soto’s position coach expects his pupil will continue to thrive as the Panthers (4-2, 1-1 ACC) travel to Virginia (2-3, 1-0 ACC) this weekend looking for another win.

“Since I’ve had him, that’s the best performance we’ve had and we expect him to build on it this week,” said Tom Sims, Pitt’s defensive line coach.

…

The coaching staff approached Soto after the Military Bowl last year about the possibility of becoming an interior lineman, after spending the first three years of his Pitt career at defensive end.

“He embraced it. He wants us to have success and we felt moving him down in there would give us a better opportunity,” Sims said. “He’s trying to grow with it, and learn, push himself. He’s done a good job, and I think we’re seeing improvement from him.”

Soto said his biggest concern was gaining weight while keeping his athleticism. He went from 245 pounds to 275 last spring, then hit a high of 290 this summer.

The 2015 media guide listed Soto at 270 pounds, so just like with recruiting sites, I kind of take the weight stuff at limited value. Clearly he added weight, but the amount is debatable.

That’s not as relevant as how the change in position has worked out. Where he was just a touch too slow on the outside, he is showing great speed and movement on the inside of the line. Creating pressure up front with Jarrett.

Soto was a 3-star recruit from a small school out in Wilkes-Barre who was one of the first commits in 2013. He got some late interest from PSU and Rutgers, but enrolled early at Pitt. He wants to be here. He’s one of those kids that you want to see succeed.

As for O’Neill, the way he talks it sounds more like finding himself.

O’Neill said he grew up thinking for many years he was a wide receiver or tight end. In the end, his move to offensive tackle two years ago was more than an alteration of the depth chart.

“We know what I am now,” he said, his voice filled with the pride of someone who found his football identity. “It’s a kind of change in lifestyle in terms of having that mentality that every day is going to be a grind.”

Both players said they embraced the change because it is what the team wanted and needed. Coach Pat Narduzzi mentioned to O’Neill, a redshirt sophomore, that it might be his best ticket to the NFL.

O’Neill was brought in as tight end, but immediately seemed to be more of a blocking tight end for Paul Chryst with a 6-6 frame and weighing (per 2014 media guide) 245 pounds. His bulking up has not been as difficult. I think the only one surprised at his move from TE to tackle is O’Neill. The blossoming in the position to being a legitimate NFL prospect as a redshirt sophomore is the surprising part.

O’Neill also earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week (it’s a real thing), though that may have had as much to do with his touchdown. The Pitt O-line is on the mid-season honor roll of top offensive lines in the country.

Averaging more than 244 yards per game rushing, the resurgent Panthers O-line unit is opening holes for the rushing game, as their RBs are gaining an average of 2.9 yards before contact. Pitt leads the ACC with the fewest sacks allowed (4) and their QB is only pressured on just over 13% of drop backs. Senior tackle Brian O-Neill is this week’s ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week, as he led a unit that produced 407 yards of offense and scored the game’s first points when he ran 24 yards for a touchdown after catching a lateral pass.

Moving on to redshirts. We’ve already seen the wide receivers losing redshirts — and taking advantage of it. Along with running back Chawntez Moss. It seems increasingly clear that the defensive side of the ball is going to need to do something with the secondary.

Freshmen defensive backs Damar Hamlin and Therran Coleman made their career debuts on Pitt’s depth chart Monday. Hamlin was listed third at one cornerback position, behind Avonte Maddox and Dane Jackson; Coleman was third at the opposite cornerback spot, behind Ryan Lewis and Phillipie Motley.

Both were highly rated coming out of high schools with Hamlin from Central Catholic and Coleman from Brashear. Their potential has caused some to wonder whether the plan to redshirt them will be scrapped six games into the season in order to help heal an ailing secondary.

Narduzzi said, more than anything, the move was made as a result of their impressive play of late.

“Damar and Therran, for really the past three weeks, have been battling back and forth,” he said. “We’ve traveled with both of them I think the past two or three weeks. They’re just getting closer. They’re freshmen, and we’ll see how much closer they are.”

Both Hamlin and Therran are at least 6-0. When your defensive scheme requires the corners to regularly by one-on-one, they need to have some size. Both have that, and it seems to have reached a point where they have to be put out there. Even though, it is clear the coaches really, really wanted to redshirt them.

I really don’t mind burning the redshirts. Not simply because the fact that Pitt is 126 out of 128 in the FBS in defending pass plays of 40 or more yards. So either the D-line has to get to the QB even faster, or the DBs have to defend better. I think a player like Hamlin, who has NFL potential, being redshirted doesn’t do much. If he turns pro early, it means he could leave as a redshirt sophomore rather than a junior. Which serves the program more?

Extra: A nice piece on Ejuan Price and his big season.

A week into the season, Price’s partner at the opposite end of Pitt’s line, Dewayne Hendrix, went down with an injury. Price already was getting more attention from opposing coaches, and now he’d see more double-teams.

But that problem, like all the others, has been solved easily enough. Play each play like it might be the last. Go hard, and see what happens. And the funny thing is, eventually, it all works out.

“It took me a while to realize I was 100 percent and could have fun again,” Price said. “I’m glad I’m here at this point. You couldn’t see it at the time, but I’m ecstatic to be here right now.”