Habakkuk Baldonado isn't wasting his opportunity this year after only playing four games in 2020 due to an injury that sidelined him for most of the season.
During training camp he became one of Pitt's better players and earned the starting defensive end spot across from Deslin Alexandre amidst a competitive room with talented younger players like John Morgan III and Dayon Hayes pushing for more reps.
What's been most notable about Baldonado is how many different ways he's impressed defensive line coach Charlie Partridge leading into the 2021 season.
"I'm really proud of how (Baldonado) has recovered physically," Partridge said Tuesday after practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. " He's doing a great job taking care of his body. He's approaching the game like a veteran should. He's done a great job preparing mentally, asking all the right questions, doing everything he can to get tips on how to steal plays. He's played with great technique and he's had a great camp and I'm excited to see him play on Saturday."
Partridge is a position coach who just grew three players in Jaylen Twyman, Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones from being three-star recruits to earn All-American and First Team All-ACC honors on their way to being NFL Draft picks.
Baldonado, a 6-foot-5, 260 lbs., redshirt junior has the same exact listed measurements as Jones did in his senior season last year. He's affectionately referred to as his nickname, "Haba," by coaches and teammates. But on top of his physical recovery, his attention to technique and play throughout camp, Partridge was additionally impressed by how Baldonado evolved as a leader in the locker room.
"The credit goes to Haba in terms of his ability to teach," Partirdge said. "His empathy when he sees a young player who's down on himself because they're shocked by the level of play like every young player deals with sometimes. Haba has the ability to feel a human's emotions, go over and lift them up to make them better. That style of leadership is going to take him far in life."
Baldonado also gets the benefit of working alongside Alexandre, who was announced as a team captain Friday at Pitt's Kickoff Luncheon at the Downtown Pittsburgh Westin Hotel. Alexandre was a contributor who didn't talk much last year behind Jones and Weaver, but has quickly emerged as a tone-setter for the rest of the team and a smart player who puts forward the kind of effort Partridge expects from his best defensive linemen. Baldonado has appeared more and more in his shadow leading up to the season.
"They definitely feed off each other," Partridge said of Alexandre and Baldonado's relationship. "They work a lot together in the film room and bounce ideas off each other. The fun thing to watch when they're in action is how they choreograph their work with the tackles next to them. There's a bigger rapport being built with each of the guys lined up inside. I've got five to six guys both inside and outside who can all work really well together."
In addition to feeling good about his mix of Alexandre, Baldonado, Morgan III and Hayes on the edge, Partridge is also excited to see his defensive tackles get to work this season. Keyshon Camp has been a player who's looked really good in limited opportunities due to injuries, but was noted to not have any such concerns throughout all of camp by Partridge, a factor he finds very encouraging. He's joined by sophomore upstart Calijah Kancey, and rising players like Devin Danielson, DeAndre Jules, David Green and Tyler Bentley.
Kancey made Freshman All-American last season and Jules has been a notedly improved camp standout by both Partridge and Pat Narduzzi. For all these young, up and coming faces to replace three NFL-caliber players there's a sense around the defensive line room that they have a duty to uphold the high standards set in recent years by Partridge's group.
All three of Weaver's, Twyman's, and Jones' jerseys sit in framed boxes at the top of the team's cafeteria in their facility alongside the likes of other Pitt players in the NFL like Jordan Whitehead, James Conner and Aaron Donald.
"You're talking about the standard of the room," Partridge said when asked about replacing Jones and Weaver. "When we refer to the standard we say it's not what we preach but what we're willing to tolerate. Our guys hold each other to a high standard all the time. We certainly reference what those two were able to accomplish with their hard work because we're proud of those guys."
Part of what's also helped this group push to meet that standard has been their competition, the offensive line. After a tough 2020 season marred with injuries and COVID-19 complications, Pitt's 2021 offensive line boasts a starting unit with a good amount of experience. Their work under offensive line coach Dave Borbely, nicknamed "Borbs," has pushed Partridge's defensive linemen to improve all through camp.
"I give Borbs a ton of credit," Partridge said of Pitt's offensive line. "This group has been impressive to see develop. Between Carter Warren, Gabe Houy and Owen Drexel, each of them have done a great job. Blake Zubovic has done a good job and Marcus Minor has been a nice addition. They're playing together with pride and been very physical."
"They've made it a very competitive camp," Partridge continued about Pitt's offensive line. "That's really helped turn the notch up for the defensive line to make us come out and compete every day against those guys. It's fun to see that group develop and I'm excited to see what they do Saturday."
