Pitt seemed ready to go for its regular season finale against Georgia Tech on Thursday night, but now a report indicates its defense could be down another star.
Matt Nenitz of AL.com reported that Rashad Weaver has signed an agent to prepare for the NFL Draft and will not play with Pitt against Georgia Tech:
Sources: The expectation is that Pittsburgh star defensive lineman Rashad Weaver won’t play again this season.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 7, 2020
Has already now signed with an agent.
Potential first-round draft pick who is tied for third nationally with 14.5 tackles for a loss.
The Panthers' defense already had Jalen Twyman opt out before the season began and Paris Ford opt out after the team lost to Notre Dame in late October.
Weaver had 7.5 sacks in the nine games he played season, second-most on the team behind Patrick Jones, and led Pitt with 14.5 tackles for loss. He and Jones were one of the most dominant edge rushing pairs in all of college football, combining for 17.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss.
Both were nominated Monday as semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik award, making Pitt the only team with two pass rushers among the acknowledged defenders.
The most recent tweet from Weaver was praise for his defensive line coach Charlie Partridge:
QBK 4eva. Best dline coach in the country https://t.co/qQJtg9CFh1
— Rashad Weaver (@R_Weaver17) December 8, 2020
Weaver finished his last game with Pitt against Clemson, sacking superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence twice and forcing a fumble in the process.
The move makes sense for Weaver to protect his health and prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. He's already one of the more recognized edge rushers in the country with weekly awards and nominations for yearly awards, and making big plays in ACC games.
One last game against Georgia Tech was unlikely to help increase his draft stock. There's also no guarantee that even if Pitt beats Georgia Tech to finish 6-5 that it will get invited to a bowl game because there's still plenty of uncertainty as to how many bowl games can even be played this season due to COVID-19.
So far, 11 bowl games have been officially canceled, including the Quick Lane Bowl which Pitt won last year against Eastern Michigan. As the number of those games diminish, so do the opportunities for middling programs like Pitt to get a chance to play a nationally televised game and for its players to put out one last impression of just how good they can be.
It more than makes sense for Weaver and other stars to not want to go through more practices and virus testing without the guarantee of a bowl game.