Predicting Pitt's First Two Deep

There are position battles abound for the Pitt Panthers

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers arrive at 2023 training camp with a roster missing many of the key veterans that made their 2022 team hum. There will be plenty of position battles over the final month of the summer as they try to find their best 22 to field for the season opener against Wofford. 

So I took a stab at predicting what that 22 - and a few more - will look like for Pitt at the beginning of the season in September.

 We'll revisit this at the end of camp and prior to the Wofford game, when depth charts become something resembling official, even though they are a hard and fast dogma dictating how the Panthers will operate this season. But for now, it's fun to make some predictions. That's what this time of the college football calendar is all about.   

Quarterback

1	2
Phil Jurkovec	Christian Veilleux

Barring an unforeseen disaster, Jurkovec will be the starter for the Wofford game and through the rest of the season. Narduzzi awarded him that distinction in training camp and hadn't changed his mind as of ACC Kickoff last week. 

View of Veilleux has been limited - he started just one game at Penn State and played in Pitt's spring game - but he looked good in both instances. As much as I like Nate Yarnell, Veilleux is the more talented player and I expect him to win the backup competition. 

Running Back

1	2
Rodney Hammond	C'Borius Flemister

This one is a no-brainer. The Sun Bowl MVP, Hammond is the unquestioned starter and Flemister, now with a full set of spring practices and training camp to work with, should be ready to take on a backup role that will still have him involved quite a bit. 

Tight End

1	2
Gavin Bartholomew	Karter Johnson

This is another position where the backup battle is more interesting than the starter. Bartholomew is locked in as the No. 1 but Ed Conway Award winner Karter Johnson, the most improved player on offense during spring ball, will compete with USC and Texas transfer Malcolm Epps for the reserve snaps. 

Offensive Line

Position	1	2
RT	Matt Goncalves	Jason Collier
RG	Blake Zubovic	Dorien Ford
C	Jake Kradel	Terrance Moore
LG	Ryan Jacoby	Ryan Baer
LT	Branson Taylor	Jackson Brown

Moving right to left, Goncalves, Zubovic, Kradel and Taylor are as good as locks to start. That leaves one position battle at left guard and I gave the nod to the more experienced Ryan Jacoby over the talented Ryan Baer.

Depth is something the Panthers haven't had issue with in a while at this position, but a scan of the roster indicates they may struggle to overcome injuries, should they pop up during the season. 

Defensive Line

Position	1	2
DE	Dayon Hayes	Nate Temple
DT	David Green	Sean FitzSimmons
DT	Devin Danielson	Deandre Jules
DE	Nahki Johnson	Sam Okunlola

Hayes and Johnson - the Conway Award winner on defense - are budding stars at defensive end and Pitt is excited about redshirt freshman, Okunlola as well. Temple returns from a season-ending injury to add some much-needed depth behind Hayes. 

Expect the defensive tackle spot to feature a mostly even three-man rotation between Danielson, FitzSimmons and David Green. 

Linebacker

Position	1	2
STAR	Kamara	Henningham
MIKE	Simon	George
MONEY	DeShields	Lovelace

This position group, despite losing just two players from last year's roster, suffered as much as any of it's peers. Still, two starters return in Simon and Kamara, with experienced veterans in George and DeShields returning to battle for one last starting spot. Those four will all play, even if one is left on the outside of a starting job.  

Cornerback

1	2
Devonshire	Woods
Williams	Battle

This one is easy. Three productive, reliable veterans - Devonshire, Woods and Williams - will split reps as co-starters. Woods is typically the most underrated of this trio, but he led the Panthers in pass break ups last season. 

Safety

Position	1	2
SS	McMillon	Hall
FS	McIntyre	O'Brien

McIntyre and O'Brien are rising stars and McMillon brings an injection of blue-chip talent after transferring from Florida. I think O'Brien will play, but the staff will be careful as they try to channel his boundless energy into productive ends. 

Special Teams

Position	1
PK	Ben Sauls
P	Caleb Junko
LS	Byron Floyd
KR	Rodney Hammond
PR	M.J. Devonshire

Sauls and Devonshire have All-ACC and All-American potential at their respective positions. Junko kicked a program record 85-yard punt in the Sun Bowl and used it as a launching point for spring ball, where he was far and away the best at his position. Doesn't seem like another three-man punting platoon is in the cards for this season. 

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