Pitt's rushing offense is a key focus for Pat Narduzzi and Mark Whipple to fix this offseason after ranking 13th in the ACC last season.
Improving that part of the Panthers' offense will require better blocking across the board. Narduzzi mentioned last week how the team's tight ends, receivers and offensive line have shown significant improvement there. Meanwhile, Narduzzi had maintained all throughout spring practices that Vincent Davis still held onto the Panthers' starting spot at running back.
But that may be changing as well.
"Who did I say was the starting tailback at the beginning of spring?" Narduzzi asked rhetorically at his Tuesday media availability. "Vince Davis right? Well, not so fast. I shouldn't say stuff like that. I sit there and declared that and then all of a sudden, Izzy (Israel Abanikanda) is coming on. Vince is still a good back, but Izzy is getting after it. There's a battle going on there. Maybe me declaring a winner before spring ball lit a fire under Izzy."
As a freshman, Abanikanda only gained 95 yards on 28 carries in 2020. The Panthers called upon sophomore Davis to run the ball the most, taking 143 carries for 632 yards and six touchdowns. While returning senior A.J. Davis is still in the running back room, Abanikanda's speed, power and explosiveness have been something to keep an eye on as a developmental player.
After struggling to put all the necessary running back skills together last year, Abanikanda has put together solid spring practices to gain traction. Just last week he busted out a huge run that impressed Narduzzi in the same scrimmage where Davis fumbled. From what it sounds like, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y., is coming into form more and more with each practice.
"We knew he could always run," Narduzzi said about Abanikanda. "We saw that in practice a year ago. But the thing about Izzy is he's picked up the pass protection. He's gotten a lot more mature in understanding that it's not just about carrying the ball. He has to be able to protect our quarterback and he's done that a lot better than a year ago. It's hard for freshmen, but he's big, fast, physical with patience and got great vision. Tailbacks set their blocks up in how they attack the holes and he's done a great job doing that."
Davis looked strong finishing the year with 247 rushing yards on 25 carries in Pitt's season finale at Georgia Tech. But he also struggled last season when Pitt's offensive line couldn't open up holes consistently and the most missed tackles he forced came at the second level when he picked up enough steam.
If Abanikanda is going to take Davis' spot, it could be a result of him creating more out of the backfield while also putting together the necessary skills to be a complete back.
• Narduzzi also mentioned that Pitt will choose its coaches, captains and rosters Wednesday for the Panthers' Blue and Gold game to be played Saturday at Heinz Field at 1 p.m.
