Inside The Panthers

Rising Pitt DB Impressing Veterans in Spring Ball

The Pitt Panthers believe they have a future star rising in the defensive backfield.

Stephen Thompson

Rising Pitt DB Impressing Veterans in Spring Ball
Rising Pitt DB Impressing Veterans in Spring Ball /
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PITTSBURGH -- Javon McIntyre is all of a sudden one of the old men in the Pitt Panthers' defensive secondary but he hasn't lost touch with the next generation coming up behind him. 

McIntyre said there is a fast-rising redshirt freshman that has already started earning second-team reps as Pitt opens spring practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. 

“Cruce Brookins, for sure he’s going to be that guy," McIntyre said. "He’s the safety behind [Donovan McMillon], second safety and trust me, he’s going to be a player.”

Pitt's coaches had been impressed with Brookins during fall camp last season, when he arrived as a former three-star safety recruit out of Steel Valley High School in Homestead. Head coach Pat Narduzzi said late in the 2023 season that the Panthers coaching staff was looking for ways to get him some more snaps. 

"It’s a great question because there’s one guy that I’ve got to mention, and we’ve got four games left and he has not played," Narduzzi said before Pitt took on Florida State last season. "We’ve got a green light on him right now. His name is in green right now. It’s Cruce Brookins. He’s going to be a phenomenal football player. We like how he plays fast, he just keeps getting smarter every week."

Brookins played in just two games to preserve a redshirt as he sat behind the starting trio of Donovan McMillon, Javon McIntyre and P.J. O'Brien. He made one tackle but the Panthers believe there are bigger things in his future and they are coming soon. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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