Pitt's Alexandre doing good work on and off the field

"We want to win every game." Pitt senior defensive end Deslin Alexandre made that statement twice during a brief five-minute interview Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. For the Panthers to achieve that lofty goal, Alexandre will need to continue to lead the way.

Entering his sixth season with the Panthers, the Pompano Beach, Florida native was selected as a team captain last year and he responded with his best season as a Panther. He compiled 41 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, including a season high 6 tackles against Wake Forest in the ACC Championship game. For Alexandre, the key to his and the team's success lies in the details.

"It's definitely consistency with the little things," Alexandre told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "We talk about the minute details all day, every day. That's the difference between something big and something small. It's just all the littlest details."

According to Alexandre, when the team does not maintain that focus, they end up having a let down, like last year's loss to Western Michigan, a game in which they committed three turnovers and gave up 516 yards.

"A game like Western Michigan, we did not dot all of our Is and cross all of our Ts," Alexandre said. "You want to make sure that doesn't show up again ... We want to win every game we play."

As a team captain he will be counted on to ensure the team avoids any distractions this offseason, including the transfer of Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addision to USC. Alexandre once again mentioned focus when it comes to dealing with such a loss.

"Jordan made a decision for himself. We wish him the best, but we just want to focus on the guys we have here. We have guys like Konata (Mumpfield, transfer from Akron), Jared Wayne, and Bub Means, another great addition to this team (transfer from Louisiana Tech). So, we have a lot of core guys who are going to do great."

A loss the magnitude of Addison who had 100 receptions for 1,594 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021, certainly could derail Pitt's hopes, but Alexandre credits the coaching staff with instilling a sense of team over any one individual.

"From the day I stepped on campus to today, the coaches make it easier to be a leader," said Alexandre. "Guys are not worried about themselves. It's 'we not me.' The sum of the whole is bigger than all of us."

Alexandre also exemplifies the "we not me" mentality off the field and in the classroom. He's twice been named to the All-ACC Academic Team and he's very involved in various community endeavors, such as serving food to the homeless, visiting patients at the VA Medical Center or donating his player per diem to city football youth teams. As a result of these efforts, he's Pitt's 2022 nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which honors those college football players who have made an exceptional commitment and impact in the community. 

As he enters his final season as a Panther, Alexandre certainly has done a lot of good work for Pitt. He's hoping it ends with an undefeated season.