Linebackers can often be seen as the backbone of a defense. They constantly play close to the line of scrimmage to help stop the run and drop back in coverage on passing downs to cover the middle of the field.
They also bring energy, physicality and overall athleticism when chasing down opponents from sideline to sideline.
So, as Pitt looks to bounce back from a dull 3-9 season and a dingy defensive performance, one can look directly at the team's linebacking corps. The room is filled with playing experience, talent, heart, athleticism and a determination to help the Panthers return to where they once were.
"We have that edge back. We have that edge that we lost a little bit over the last couple of years, but that’s not us anymore," said Brandon George, the leader of the linebacker room and a sixth-year senior. "We’re a hungry group of individuals ready to prove that we deserve an ACC Championship."
Over the past five seasons, George has been a mainstay at the position as a reserve middle linebacker. He played mostly special teams as a freshman and missed most of the 2022 season with an injury. But, he's coming off a year where he tallied a career-high 49 tackles with 4.5 going for a loss and one interception.
George will be a veteran voice alongside Keye Thompson, a transfer from Ohio University who earned first-team All-MAC honors this past season after tallying 94 tackles, 10 TFLs, 1.5 sacks and an interception. Thompson didn't get a chance to play in spring ball due to an injury but linebackers coach Ryan Manalac has challenged Thompson to get up to speed as quickly as possible so he can feel comfortable in the system.
"We just have to continue to see him grow and get confident in our system and go out and make plays," Manalac said. "Scrimmage days will be huge for him to be able to present that."
A host of sophomores who received playing time last year and showed flashes of what they could do, join the two veterans. That group includes Braylan Lovelace, Jordan Bass, Rasheem Biles and Kyle Louis. Also, don't be surprised if freshman Cameron Lindsey, an Aliquippa native, works his way into the mix as well.
Defensive coordinator Randy Bates characterized the room as one with "a lot of guys who have experience but fewer guys who have started a lot of games." Which is true. Not counting Thompson and Lindsey, the other five linebackers played in a combined 51 games last season, but only started in three. Louis tallied starts against North Carolina and Virginia Tech while Bass earned a start against Wake Forest.
There's also a good mixture of athleticism, size and knowledge of the defense. George knows the defense like the back of his hand and can provide insight for the younger players. But, those sophomores can also provide a different perspective as well.
"It’s a good relationship," George said. "There’s an understanding where sometimes I may see something from a different perspective that they see it from and they’ll see something that I don’t see. So having the ability to communicate with one another on a daily basis to kinda express that, allows for a really really diverse room when it comes to thought processes on the football field."
Lovelace, who returned a fumble for a touchdown last season and also recorded 24 tackles and one TFL, said that despite the age gap between George, Thompson and the younger players, they are always competing. No matter what the situation is, they are finding ways to improve and get better.
That being said, the younger players are also always trying to learn and are constantly asking questions about football or just life in general.
"They are teaching us what they’ve learned throughout their college experience, like coming to football or even coming to the world in general," Lovelace said. "It’s nice having them so we can learn off of them, from their mistakes. But they have some insights because they’ve played in a bunch of games."
George thinks it also builds up a foundation for the future of the program as well. The younger players have guys to lean on and learn from and they'll have an idea of what they need to do. They can learn what the program has done in the past and what is expected of them.
"We have a lot of guys that can rotate in and out, a lot of guys with experience, a lot of guys that are young and hungry, which plays into having a good room," George said. "That helps a lot, kinda the older guys guiding the way so it’s not just a blind path forward, it’s a path that’s drawn out and that will really shape our team moving forward."
With how the room is put together, the Panthers will have the ability to do several different things as they all have different skill sets which will help them accomplish their ultimate goal of setting the standard for the Pitt defense.
George spoke about it at length during Pitt's first day of fall camp and said they want to be known as one of the most aggressive defenses in the country.
"We're trying to knock people's teeth out on a daily basis," George said. "You're going to hear a lot of people say, we're trying to prove a point now. We're trying to prove that we are the most aggressive defense in the country and that we are coming on business."
