Did you miss seeing this?
Note the first cut from the clip above: That is Phil Jurkovec throwing to Daejon Reynolds while Christian Veilleux throws to Konata Mumpfield, followed by a switching of places and Jurkovec completing to Peter Vardzel and Veilleux to Bub Means.
Jurkovec, Veilleux, and Reynolds are new to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex -- relatively, as spring drills began here last week in advance of the April 15 Blue and Gold Spring Game -- and are set to usher in a new era of Pitt football in 2023, along with the rest of the healthy blend of newcomers and returners.
The more things change ... the more they stay the same?
The expectations for Pitt football remain the same, and the focus is, right now, on meshing what is new with what is back on the South Side. This era of college football brings forward transfers into each program, regardless of level, and what is here now is being blended with incoming freshmen and transfers set to replace a plethora of outgoing talent.
It helps that Pat Narduzzi was able to retain his entire coaching staff from last season.
"I know it's important for my sanity," Narduzzi said after Tuesday's spring practice. "I can tell you that, having to go through that, do that, that's a job. It just adds to your job as a head coach. It's not as easy as it is, dealing with all the other things you have to go through, but when you don't have to hire coaching, you have continuity, I think that's huge. I'm not coaching a coach."
Tuesday marked Day 4 of spring drills for Narduzzi's group, which is coming off a 9-4 season which ended with a thrilling 37-35 victory in the Sun Bowl over UCLA and finished with an Associated Press Top 25 ranking of No. 22. Frank Cignetti, Jr., was vocal as usual, commanding the plays to Jurkovec and Veilleux and the rest of the (seven!) quarterbacks on the spring roster. One corner of the indoor facility saw offensive line coach Dave Borbely working on timing drills with what is going to be a new-look offensive line anchored inside by veterans Jake Kradel and Blake Zubovic at center and right guard, respectively.
(It was weird not seeing either of the since-graduated Carter Warren, Owen Drexel, or Gabe Houy suited up in the blue practice jerseys, after the trio spent the better part of a half-decade with the program.)
The other corner had defensive line coach Charlie Partridge working with, as Nahki Johnson said after practice, the "new era" of his room, which is meant to describe the young group of Johnson, Elliot Donald, Samuel Okunlola, Sean FitzSimmons, and true freshman Isaiah Neal to go along with veterans Dayon Hayes, David Green, Devin Danielson, and Deandre Jules.
"Last year we liked to call it 'new era,' but the older guys didn't like that because the older guys liked to stick to the traditional base," Johnson said, "but we called it 'new era,' and I think we're going to go by that this year, you know. 'QBK,' 'new era,' so it's just a new era of D-linemen, and a lot of guys didn't get to play, and just being able to get out there this year, it's going to be fun."
Senior Brandon George is the elder statesman of Ryan Manalac's linebackers room, which is returning a solid corps along with returning starters Shayne Simon and Bangally Kamara.
With captain SirVocea Dennis and Tylar Wiltz testing out the NFL waters -- more on that below -- there will be holes to fill within the rotations of the room.
"I think it's an opportunity for everybody," George said. "We lost a lot of good guys going to the (NFL) Draft, everybody's achieving their dreams, but that gives for a lot of opportunities for guys to step up now. All the young guys that have been prepping all this time, all the years they've been here, to step up, get ready to attack, and get ready to win some football games. ... As a team I think we, even our young guys, settle in real quick just because of the bond we have as a brotherhood. Definitely helps a little bit having guys that have been around the game a little bit, have been around college football a little bit, so they know what to expect, they know how intense the playbook could be, what they have to do to prepare each and every day."
Jurkovec will be the third starting quarterback for Narduzzi in three seasons, going back to Kenny Pickett before he was drafted to the Steelers and with Kedon Slovis transferring from USC before departing the program for BYU in the offseason.
With Jurkovec comes the returning receivers in Mumpfield and Means to go along with the Florida transfer Reynolds atop the depth chart. This is Year 2 of Cignetti's offense in his return to Pitt -- a system which Jurkovec is familiar with from his time at Boston College with Cignetti -- and for the returners, it's about continuing to grow along with it as Reynolds becomes comfortable with the system.
"There's the guys that are going to talk a lot, there's the guys that are going to do it by example and shut their mouth and just work hard," Narduzzi said. "The guys I hear -- sometimes you don't see what's going on in the locker room -- I hear David Green a lot. I hear Marquis (Williams) a lot. I hear Bub Means a lot, leading. Matt Goncalves, leading. Phil Jurkovec, I hear him a lot. He's not afraid to lead. He's not shy. I see a lot of guys doing it by example."
What Reynolds is going through now is exactly what Mumpfield, an Akron transfer, and Means, a Tennessee transfer, experienced one year ago in spring camp.
"It seemed like he was ready to go," Mumpfield said of Reynolds. "He was on his P's and Q's, he put in the work outside of football and outside of being here, he put in the work, so it seemed like it was a pretty smooth transition ... Just (me) being more comfortable with the offense, just understanding how Cig works, and then just also getting in that weight room, being stronger, faster, just working on the little things that I felt like I needed to work on."
MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE
• Pitt's pro day is officially set for next Wednesday, March 29, at 10:30 a.m. at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The workouts and drills will begin inside Pitt's weight room at the complex at 10:30 a.m. before being moved across the parking lot onto the field at the indoor facility for vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, pro shuttle, three-cone, and position skill work drills.
The following players, listed alphabetically, will test at Pitt's pro day:
- Israel Abanikanda, running back
- Deslin Alexandre, defensive lineman
- Habakkuk Baldonado, defensive lineman
- SirVocea Dennis, linebacker
- Owen Drexel, offensive lineman
- Erick Hallett II, defensive back
- Brandon Hill, defensive back
- Gabe Houy, offensive lineman
- Calijah Kancey, defensive lineman
- Marcus Minor, offensive lineman
- Carter Warren, offensive lineman
- Jared Wayne, wide receiver
- Tylar Wiltz, linebacker
