So much activity in the first week of training camp. So many stories to mention. Just need to get them out of my browser tabs.
The secondary has lots of battles going on for starting positions. Senior Eric Thatcher appears set at free safety.
It was a battle in spring drills and it is still raging as Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields are trying to get the starting strong safety position.
The mix of experience and his ability to grasp the defense is what sets DeCicco apart, [Secondary Coach Jeff] Hafley said.
“Dom covers a lot of ground,” he said. “He’s very physical, he’s a great tackler and he’s an intelligent football player. He’s a young kid right now, he’s only really been playing college football for one season, but he’s pretty intelligent back there. That’s a position where he’s got to be a leader and he’s got to be a quarterback. He brings those intangibles to the defense.”
Fields also brings an important aspect to the Panthers defense. He lettered as a freshman in 2006, appearing in eight games on special teams, before redshirting last fall.
“I think I just have to learn the defense inside and out and make plays, do what I usually do,” Fields said. “(Dom and I) are both like the same size, with my speed, covering ability and closure to the ball and stuff like that, I think I’ve got a good shot.”
“Everybody kind of says the same thing, he’s a super athlete,” Hafley said of Fields. “He can run, jump, he’s physical, he’s got the size you want, he’s got great coverage skills and he’s learning the game. He’s done a nice job, he had a great offseason and we’re really hoping he becomes a part of it this year.”
DeCicco has the advantage of getting a year of practice and playing special teams, while Fields had to sit all of last year due to a suspension. I expect this one to get a lot more attention deeper into camp, and the final decision to come late.
Then there is cornerback. Aaron Berry isn’t going anywhere at field cornerback, but at the boundary position and determining the depth chart, it seems up in the air. Jovani Chappel came into the training camp at the top of the chart on that side, but that was definitely written in pencil.
Buddy Jackson has already gotten some early mentions by Coach Wannstedt, and his athleticism is a big reason why.
Jackson, a 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman from Plantation, Fla., runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, has a standing broad jump of almost 11 feet and sports a 41-inch vertical leap. He can dunk a basketball with two hands — after doing a 360-degree spin in the air — and ran the 100-meter dash in 10.4 seconds in high school.
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News of Jackson’s 40 time and other numbers began to circulate and as the summer wore on he began getting offers from programs in the SEC, ACC and even the Big 12.
Jackson stuck with his commitment to Pitt because it was the first school to give him a shot and because he said Pitt “just felt like home to me.” Coaches are hoping his knowledge of the position and football ability can match his physical ability sooner rather than later for Pitt, which is ranked 19th by Sports Illustrated in the magazine’s preseason poll being released today.
Jackson doesn’t shy away from contact, so that also helps him. Freshmen Ronald Hobby and Jared Holley have also been noticeable in the position battles. It is crowded back there with Chappel and Ricky Gary as well.
Good problem to have.
