Plenty of Pitt's cast from its ACC Championship run is set to return, but Pat Narduzzi still had several holes to fill entering the 2022 season.
While some of the Panthers' returning players are set to step up into new roles, Narduzzi hit the transfer portal hard for other options which are set to make immediate impacts at kickoff next Thursday against West Virginia.
The newcomers have exceeded Narduzzi's expectations throughout training camp, which entered its final week on Monday.
"Any time you've got a newcomer that just comes in -- a guy that comes in and you don't know anything about -- Karter Johnson. Impressive. Tylar Wiltz. Impressive," Narduzzi said. "We've really just done a great job of evaluating these guys. They come in, and you're like, 'Wow, they're who we thought they were.' Sometimes you watch tape and they're not what you thought they were."
The losses of Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison will be made up for, and while a starting quarterback has not officially been named, Southern California transfer Kedon Slovis is in the running for the job. When it comes to replacing Addison, the Panthers are expected to look to Akron transfer Konata Mumpfield and Louisiana Tech transfer Bub Means for support.
The running back room looks crowded at the surface, but up to five players are expected to work in some fashion throughout the season. That includes Notre Dame transfer C'Bo Flemister.
"He's really smart," running back Daniel Carter said. "He's older, so he's got a lot of experience. He'll give you tips. ... He's really smart. He adds a lot of experience to the room."
Lucas Krull has moved on from the tight ends room, and while Gavin Bartholomew is expected to seamlessly transition into the primary tight end spot, Narduzzi has raved about Johnson's arrival from junior college, where he converted to tight end from the defensive line.
Johnson said he lost 123 pounds -- from 338 to 215 -- in fewer than nine months, in order to get into shape for the position. He is currently listed at 250 pounds.
"All those guys are great," Johnson said of his fellow tight ends. "Great players, great teammates, great people. My job is to be the best I can for the team, and that's all I've got to do. ... You've really got to be patient on offense. Really read your reads and learn the playbook."
On defense, the linebackers were hit hard by three key losses -- John Petrishen, Phil Campbell, and Cam Bright -- but Narduzzi regrouped to find Notre Dame's Shayne Simon and Missouri State's Wiltz through the transfer portal to compete for the starting outside spots.
"They're both doing great," defensive coordinator Randy Bates said. "They're still learning parts of the game. The problem and the hardest thing for a new guy coming in that late is that we have the entire defense put in during the course of our two-a-days. So, now, we can limit it a little bit, and it will make it a ton easier for them. But they're doing great, they're playing well. You'll see them a lot on the field."
Wiltz came over from Football Championship Subdivision program Missouri State, where he was noted as a third-team FCS All-American by Phil Steele and was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection following last season. He registered 14.5 tackles for loss and 106 total stops.
Bates said you never would have recognized that Wiltz spent time in the FCS based on his play. He noted on Monday that the Panthers could rotate in six and an upwards of seven linebackers, so Wiltz and Simon both should be significant parts of that rotation.
"He plays fast, he plays physical, he makes plays," Bates said of Wiltz. "He's what we expected him to be."
Simon is a prime candidate to start at one of the two vacant outside spots, after playing in 32 career games at Notre Dame.
"We've been trying to be very versatile," Simon said of himself and Wiltz. "I think we both can play multiple positions and learn the defense as a whole. I think we've got some great veterans in the room that can teach us, as well as coach (Ryan) Manalay, so just coming in and trying to sponge as much as possible and take in s much as possible."
SCRIMMAGE SATISFACTION
Here are some notes Narduzzi shared from Pitt's closed scrimmage on Saturday:
■ Pitt ran 132 live plays across the first-, second-, and third-teamers, with the special teams units working in additional 32 snaps.
■ The offense won "pretty handedly" because zero turnovers were recorded by the defense.
"When you look at turnovers, our running backs did a good job of not putting it on the ground," Narduzzi said.
■ Regarding his quarterbacks, Narduzzi said each were "efficient" and made some good plays.
■ The play from wide receiver Jaylon Barden was highlighted. He was considered by Narduzzi as the MVP of the scrimmage.
"These were contested catches, and he went up there and took one out of the air," Bates said. "It was just a one-on-one, and it was against one of our younger guys, and (the defender) took a chance. We talk to them all the time about, in practice, take a chance. Risk, reward. He took the risk and learned the hard way that the reward was not there on that one."
QUARTERBACK COUNTDOWN
The now-daily update revealed nothing new, as Narduzzi said he's "getting closer" to an official announcement on whether Slovis or Patti will start at quarterback against West Virginia. Last week, he noted he hasn't "picked a day yet" on when he will name a starter. It could come as early as the end of the week, or he could announce it publicly Monday of next week, which would mark two full days until the season's kickoff.
It's not impossible to think he would nix a public announcement altogether, in order to leave West Virginia in the dark and force them to gameplan for two quarterbacks instead of one. Or, he could "announce" one as a smokescreen and start the other. If or when he does publicly announce it, however, it should be taken at face value.
ALL-AMERICAN
To no surprise, Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was recognized as a preseason second-team Associated Press All-American on Monday, after earning third-team honors following the 2021 season.
The redshirt junior racked up a team-high 13 tackles for loss, and his seven sacks were second for a team which finished third in Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks last season. Kancey was also recognized as a preseason first-team All-ACC selection in late July.
