More Pitt Freshmen Primed for Bigger Roles

The Pitt Panthers are ready to begin phasing in the next generation of players.

PITTSBURGH -- Slowly but surely, the Pitt Panthers have gotten the wheels turning on a growing youth movement that is poised to carry them through the remainder of the regular season and that process will continue to pick up steam as the second half progresses. 

But Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi and his coaching staff are in somewhat of a purgatory with some of their talented freshman, who could be deserving of playing time but still eligible for redshirts as well. They could help fuel a crucial second half turnaround but Pitt has to consider the future as well. 

“We’re still trying to save and protect the kids if we can," Narduzzi said. "It’s not just about us, it’s about the kids too and I think kids see that we’re trying to protect them and keep their years.”

That said, there are a few players that Narduzzi has already thrown into the fire and a couple more he plans on mixing in this week as the Panthers travel to Winston-Salem for a date with Wake Forest. 

Offensive guard B.J. Williams has already played in six games, mostly out of necessity as Pitt's offensive line deals with a laundry list of injuries both short and long term. Kenny Johnson has been one of this team's stars since training camp and has played his way into a starting role. Neither will be eligible for a redshirt after seeing the field for valuable snaps. 

The same goes for linebacker Braylan Lovelace, a summer enrollee and training camp standout who's played all season on special teams and helped fill in while starter Bangally Kamara was hurt. 

Jordan Bass got his first taste of defensive snaps against Louisville - just four plays but that number will continue to grow gradually, according to Narduzzi. And fellow class of 2023 commit Rahseem Biles - an explosive athlete that's already blocked a pair of punts this season - is primed to join him on defense against the Demon Deacons. 

"Rasheem Biles is a guy that’s played a lot of special teams," Narduzzi said. "He’s a football player. He’s going to be really good. We’ll probably get him some snaps this week as well just little by little, get his feet wet and then see what happens."

While these players have to be eased into live action slowly, the Panthers don't want to waste one of their valuable four allotted games on just a handful of snaps. If a guy gets in, Pitt wants to make sure they're really using him. 

So as players like Biles and Bass appear in the lineup more and more, expect them to become increasingly important parts of the regular rotation as Pitt unleashes it's young talent. 

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