The wait is almost over.
Like the first flower blooming in the spring months, the first leaf falling off an autumn tree, and the first snowflake falling in the winter, the sights and sounds of football training camp will soon grace the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and usher in the start of the college football season.
Monday marks the one-month-away mark from Pitt football's season opener, the revival of the Backyard Brawl on Sept. 1 at Acrisure Stadium.
Before that, though, the Panthers have one month of growth, development, and fine-tuning to accomplish.
As is the case for every season, some starters aren't set in stone as fall camp opens.
All eyes will be on Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti, the two candidates to replace Kenny Pickett as the Panthers' starting quarterback. The seniors will be given the month of August to win the job over the other, as Pat Narduzzi has previously commented on.
Taking on and adjusting to a new role is not just limited to players. The Panthers will operate under first-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., and his scheme will likely look different from what Mark Whipple ran with Pickett and Co.
Along with the ongoing quarterback battle is also a contest between transfer wide receivers Konata Mumpfield and Bub Means. One is expected to start opposite Jared Wayne outside, while the other could contest for reps outside or inside the slot.
The linebacking corps has senior transfers Shayne Simon and Tylar Wiltz to work in, as honorable mention All-ACC selection John Petrishen and starting money linebacker Phil Campbell have moved on. Simon played parts of four seasons at Notre Dame, and Wiltz was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference played at the Football Championship Subdivision's Missouri State. Wiltz was recognized as an FCS All-American by Phil Steele after last season.
Let's keep some perspective, here, too, as the Panthers embark on another season with high expectations.
Pitt won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship last season.
Clemson didn't lose it. Wake Forest didn't lose it. Pitt won it.
Much of the talk during the offseason, especially during the ACC Kickoff media event a couple of weeks ago in Charlotte, N.C., was about how Clemson failed to live up to the expectation of winning the conference going away and making a case as a contender for the College Football Playoff.
Pitt did it. And, now, they're the hunted team in the league, as opposed to being the chasers.
The Panthers may have lost Pickett and Addison, but that doesn't completely void the Panthers of talent at those positions. The incoming starter at quarterback will be a veteran and not an inexperienced freshman or sophomore. Their best starting wide receiver, set to be the senior Wayne, is fully capable of shouldering a No. 1-worthy workload, and the Panthers' strengths are in the trenches, with a senior-filled offensive line and a defensive line set to be among the best in college football.
Pitt was picked to finish second in the Coastal Division by a polling of media members behind Miami. (I voted them to win the division and face Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, but that's besides the point.) The Hurricanes surely will have a shot at the division title, led by first-year coach Mario Cristobal and backed by the No. 16-rated recruiting class in the country, but the Panthers are returning with many major pieces from last season's championship team and shouldn't be discounted just because Pickett and Addison are gone.
Position breakdowns:
• Quarterbacks/specialists
• Running backs
• Wide receivers/Tight ends
• Offensive line
• Defensive line
• Linebackers
• Defensive backs