Ford's opting out another sign of Pitt's freefall

In a season with plenty of blows to Pitt, the Panthers now have to stomach another as a report has surfaced that star safety Paris Ford has opted out of the rest of Pitt's 2020 season.

The report from Pittsburgh Sports Now indicated Ford's season was done on Monday morning. Sources confirm the report, ending Ford's tenure with the Panthers as he'll prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Ford is a redshirt junior for Pitt who came back this season to be one of the leaders on the team. He recorded three interceptions in 2020, doubling his career total to six, finishing his collegiate career with 136 tackles, 5.5 for losses, one touchdown, ten passes defensed and three forced fumbles across 23 games.

Widely regarded as one of the country's top safeties for the 2021 NFL Draft before the season, there's little doubt that Ford will come back next season, even with the waiver in effect that would allow him to maintain his redshirt junior status.

Ford's decision to opt out comes in the middle of a four game losing streak for Pitt that has dropped the once 3-0 Panthers to 3-4, 2-4 in ACC play, and scrambling for answers to rebound. The decision also comes in a stretch where the Panthers have surrendered more than 30 points to opponents in those four consecutive losses, while also giving up averages of 308.8 passing yards and 3.5 touchdowns per game during that stretch.

Even with Ford recording three interceptions on the season, being part of a secondary that was consistently giving up those types of numbers and potentially giving up even more in Pitt's final four games could put a dent in his draft stock. 

Ford began the season ranked as the second best safety of the 2021 NFL Draft class according to TheDraftNetwork.com. But Since then, he's jumped up to be the top ranked safety of this class, projected to be selected somewhere at the end of the first round.

Ford's decision to preserve his status and health during a pandemic adds up for his career, but is another blow to a Pitt team that already lost star defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman who opted out before the season began, and a team that has to find answers before it faces Florida State this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Pat Narduzzi addressed Ford's decision in his Monday afternoon press conference.

"Paris Ford has decided to move on to the next chapter of his life," Narduzzi said. "Paris is a tremendous football player, a tremendous person, a guy that we’ve got a lot of respect for and we appreciate all the efforts he's put in here in his really three and a half, four years and really for the six years we've known him through the whole recruiting process. We wish him all the best in his endeavors as he moves on through this football world and the rest of his life."

The opt out decision was created in the NCAA for student athletes as a response to COVID-19 and the pandemic, but Narduzzi made it clear Ford's decision was not about any concerns over the coronavirus, as Pitt hasn't had any players miss due to COVID-19 complications for five straight weeks.

"No, no," Narduzzi said when asked if Ford has concerns over COVID-19 in their discussions before he opted out. "We've been really safe, so no. We've been really good. Talking COVID… don't you let your guard down either, guys. I continually tell our guys, don't let your guard down. You guys watch the news and you see it spiking everywhere around the country. Again, it's a great thing that the ACC got us started early. Some teams are starting to play this weekend when it's starting to crank up, so we're very, very fortunate to have made it through seven games. Right now we're trying to get to eight, and every day is an important day when it comes to wearing your mask and doing the right thing and knowing who you're around and washing your hands.

Narduzzi then made it official that redshirt freshman safety Brandon Hill would replace Ford at safety. Hill has primarily played on special teams this season but has come in when the team has deployed packages with more defensive backs. He has 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble recorded on the season.

"Obviously replacing Paris Ford in the lineup and a guy that we've got a ton of confidence in," Narduzzi said. "I think I might have mentioned a week or two weeks ago, a guy we feel like he's a starter, Brandon Hill is a guy that has played the last couple weeks, has played special teams. He's a playmaker. He's physical, he's strong, and he'll be the guy that will line up and play in that position as we sit here today. It's an opportunity for that guy to take it over and be the future safety at that spot, and I really think you guys will be impressed with what you see back there out of him." 

"I think he's a fantastic football player," Narduzzi continued on Hill. "He's athletic, he's tough, he's physical, and he flies around with a ton of effort. It's next man up. It's a great opportunity for him, and that's really what my focus goes to is obviously to Florida State like we did in practice today and focus on what we can control and the guys that are in those meeting rooms and on that football field."

Narduzzi would also name other players who could be called upon to fill in at safety in Ford's absence.

"Judson Tallandier has been a guy that -- I'm texting last week after Thursday's practice saying, ‘Jud, you're playing really good.’ He's coming around. I could pull out his text and show it to you, but he's like, ‘Coach, I've got more confidence than I've ever had, like I'm locked in.’ Which is good to hear. So Jud is one of those guys, and Buddy Mack. Buddy Mack is a guy, even last week we put him in there to get some reps and he's got recall. Buddy Mack is another guy that you could possibly see on the field. Obviously you've got Erick Hallett. He's a swing guy. He's probably the most versatile football player on our team because he can play corner, he can play safety, he can play star. He can do it all."

Narduzzi further expressed confidence in Hill and his backups when he indicated the defense wouldn't do too much adjusting to its scheme in the absence of Ford.

"Some new things you spring," Narduzzi said about potentially changing the game plan. You think about the old -- when you were in chemistry class back in the day and you've got that vial and you pour the wrong stuff and everything explodes on you. I'm going to try not to look for any explosions, try to make sure the chemicals are right. I'm going to do what our guys know how to do. I think that’s probably the best advice. And, again, I've got a lot of faith in Brandon [Hill]. I don't think we have to -- we've got different changeups every week, but we've just got to play smart and know what we're doing and be consistent back there."

But Narduzzi would also further address how conversations with Ford went over the past week, acknowledging that Ford had considered opting out before the season began and that the two had multiple conversations between last week and Monday morning.

"All along," Narduzzi said. "Paris has had these thoughts in his mind going back to last year in February when he decided to stay, and then there's all the opting out going on in the middle of summer during camp. So he took a few days back then to think about it long and hard. We've had conversations last week. We had conversations this week, as early as this morning was our last conversation, and one yesterday. There's been conversations, yeah. There's always conversations."

When asked about how his players was reacting to Ford's decision, he said there hadn't been much conversation with him.

"There really hasn't been a whole lot of talk," Narduzzi said. "Maybe they have talked by themselves, but I'm focused on Florida State and I think our football team is. Went out and had a nice practice today, and that's where the focus is."

When asked if he expected other players to follow Ford's lead and opt out of the season, Narduzzi indicated he didn't see any other players making such a decision:

"No, I don't," Narduzzi said. "I don't at all. I don't see that. But, you know, I don't have a crystal ball, and you never know. But I don't see that right now, no."

The defense still has two stars as redshirt seniors in edge rushers Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver who have been key playmakers for the Panthers. They would be the biggest names that could create the most significant impact by also choosing to opt out. Jones projects as a potential second-third round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft while Weaver projects more into the middle rounds.

But after all the issues Pitt has shown in the four-game losing streak, it's only natural to wonder if other players will consider opting out to avoid major injuries in the middle of a season that already seems lost.

• Narduzzi also noted that Pitt practiced Monday, instead of the normal practice on Tuesday, because the team will have off Election Day on Tuesday so that students who haven't already voted can cast their votes in the presidential election.

"We practiced today, which is unusual circumstance for us practicing on a Monday," Narduzzi said. "But we obviously gave our kids the opportunity to have the day off tomorrow because obviously it's an important day across this country for our kids to go out and vote. So we will not practice tomorrow, and our kids, I would say 50 percent of them, have already voted. We've got them all registered. Maybe you've heard throughout the time, really back in the summer had them registered to vote back home and get that taken care of. So we really stressed that really in the last couple months to make sure their voices are heard."

• Pitt announced its first evening kickoff time against the season when it goes to face Georgia Tech in two weeks:

• Still no official declaration on the status of Kenny Pickett, who was injured against Boston College back in October and has missed the team's last two games. It doesn't look good for the team's captain and starting quarterback to return to action this week based off Narduzzi's comments.

"No," Narduzzi said about Pickett. "I wish I could tell you. I wish I could confirm that he's good to go. I think he gets better every week. We'll just keep working at it."

Narduzzi further indicated that Joey Yellen is running the first team offense in Pickett's absence.

"Yeah, he's still taking the majority. Kenny can go out and throw but he's not moving great obviously, but he's out there watching at least this week."