Chris Peak recently tweeted out that Pitt’s top incoming freshman, Jordan Whitehead, will start his career at safety. It’s an unexpected twist for Whitehead, whom many believed would compete to start at CB. With Reggie Mitchell viewed as a leader on the defense, this puts Whitehead in competition with Terrish Webb, Jevonte Pitts, and Patrick Amara for the other safety position. Amara may play nickel CB again, a role he saw playing time in as a freshman. In hindsight, this should not be a surprise though. Whitehead primarily played safety in high school and if coaches are high on Lafayette Pitts and Avonte Maddox, safety could be the quickest way to get Whitehead on the field. Depth behind those two is suspect, however.
Given Narduzzi’s defense relies on safeties to play man coverage, this could be a good segue into playing CB in 2016 after Lafayette Pitts graduates. Or perhaps Whitehead will find his home at safety and stay there. The NFL is severely lacking quality safeties and perhaps Whitehead’s best path there is roaming center field. He has the speed and smarts to handle it and if he can be a physical presence at the D1 level a lucrative career could await.
As I mentioned earlier, depth at CB is suspect, which is my main quibble with this move. Behind Maddox and Pitts, only Patrick Amara and Ryan Lewis have seen any playing time I can recall at CB (other than Reggie Mitchell of course). Lewis has not exactly had success at in limited snaps CB and Amara will be fighting to start at safety opposite of Mitchell. This places a lot of pressure on freshmen to fill out the depth chart, a move Pitt fans know has had disastrous results in the past. I will trust the coaches here until proven otherwise given their impressive track record coaching the defensive side of the ball.
In other news, ESPN’s David Hale makes the case for Pitt as a darkhorse contender in the ACC Coastal. David makes the same argument many Pitt fans have: the offense is really good and with Narduzzi in town the defense has to be better. David points out a simple fact of Pitt’s defense: when they were bad, Pitt lost.
When its defense held its opponent below its season average yards-per-play, Pitt was 6-0. When it didn’t, it was 0-7. That’s pretty astonishing, given that the Panthers had an offense that was more than capable of putting up enough points to overcome a bad defensive game or two. Still, it never happened. Every single time Pitt allowed an opponent to have an above-average game offensively, it lost.
His logic is sound but he mentions that Pitt has demons that defy statistical odds. That’s the thing with Pitt: we always find a way to grab a loss from the clutches of victory. Narduzzi was part of a culture change at MSU and if he’s to succeed at Pitt beyond the mediocrity we’ve experienced the past 30ish years, that’s the biggest hurdle.
He is an absolute PLAY-MAKER when he gets his hands on the football.
More than just about any D-Back who comes to mind… and this includes the name “Revis.”
It’s just that when it comes to running with the Football, Revis does what he does more with PURE ATHLETICISM than anything else.
Whitehead is much more natural RUNNING with the football.
He carries it with AUTHORITY… more in line with what you would expect from a RUNNINGBACK than a D-BACK.
No, he was an outstanding high school player. Now, just another freshman DB that has to prove he can make the transition to college.
Can he handle college classes?
Can he learn the play book?
Can he contribute on special teams?
Can he tackle James Conner?
Can he shed blocks from huge OL, TE, RB and WR?
Let’s not annoint him the next Revis just yet. We really put more attention on local kids. Maybe Malik Henderson is better. Who knows at this point?
If he is successful in those tasks, then this just might be a springboard season for the Panthers. No doubt about it, a good season will help this year’s recruiting class. There’s a lot of highly rated recruits waiting to see what the vibe will be on the field with Narduzzi at the helm this year. If he stumbles & bumbles out of the gate AKA Paul Chrystal, then we’re doomed to mediocrity for years to come. We end up 3-0 come the end of September and I think we have a real chance to upset VT yet again, and then who knows what the future holds for this young team?
Winning early is an absolute must. 2-0 going into the Iowa game has to happen or else the hype surrounding the program since Narduzzi has been hired evaporates quicker than the morning mist on a hot summer morn.
Hopefully we see Whitehead’s offensive skills after interceptions and on kick and punt returns.
We have offensive excellence, we need much more on D. That will make much more difference in wins and losses.
Unlike Revis, do believe Whitehead is going to prove himself worthy of getting REGULAR TOUCHES on Offense… especially after Boyd is GONE!
1. Can he handle not being treated like a ‘star’ when he gets to PITT like he most probably was in HS?
2. Can he handle being in college and living on his own with a new group of friends who are older than he is?
3. Can he handle not playing in his first year if he redshirts?
I list those because the main reasons for transfers out of PITT is that the recruits are never as highly valued in their first year or two as they were on their HS team and they get disillusioned… that and having been held in stricter discipline than they were in HS.
I get that everyone thinks Whitehead will play sooner rather than later but as Notrocket said, that isn’t a given by any means. He was a consensus 4 * star recruit across all four recruiting sites but we have had many 4* kids not get anywhere near expectations… or play average ball all around.
That said, here is a fun video clip of him:
Unlike many of the other players you’re likely alluding to… he appears to be an exceptionally BRIGHT kid with a lot of CHARACTER.
And NOT AVERAGE when it comes to “toting the rock” if “13 yards per carry” means anything.
There are no guarantees, but from all appearances Whitehead looks to be a pretty good bet to succeed… at least at the COLLEGE level.
Right now, there is no right or wrong.
I think Quadree Henderson is the incoming offensive star, both as a returner and a slot receiver.
IMO, with all of the talent we have stocked at RB, using him on defense makes sense.
But wouldn’t it be something if he plays like Polamalu at safety. Lol
“Let’s not annoint him the next Revis just yet. We really put more attention on local kids. Maybe Malik Henderson is better. Who knows at this point?”
—– You are a Rocket Scientist lol: as much as I love to Hype-It-Up, in the end the only thing that matters is what players bring it in those 60 minutes windows during the Real Football Seasons.
How many times in College Football History (Heck, Pitt Football History!) has some all-World High School, Incredible-Hype young man been ushered onto campus in a Stretch and led down the Red Velvet Carpet —- only in the end to be totally Out-Shown by some no-name, Unheralded, Un-Hyped no star / 2 star / maybe 3 star player. Many times — and that’s also exciting!
There are some future NFL contributors on this team, My Friends, from Freshmen to RS Seniors on this squad —- frankly it will be exciting to see who plays like a Champ come the Youngstown State and on.
That said — Jordan Whitehead as a Ball-Hawking, True Center-Field Safety in this defense that relies so heavily on a Safety truly not letting anything behind him is an unbelievably Enticing Prospect!
Him as a safety really gives confidence that he can break on deep-balls and beat out receivers way downfield, as well really make QB’s not feel confident throwing any bombs.
Jordan Whitehead seems like an “Ed Reed-type” —- a “Pretty-Boy” ballhawking deep safety who breaks hard and gets Interceptions (and great returns on them) — but is no Troy Polamalu in Run Support lol
Football players need to give a maximum effort, focus and execute for about 6 seconds for each play. Is that really too much to ask? Seems like it can be broken down that easily. If Whitehead is the best player at Safety, play him. If he is the best player at CB, play him. Same at WR. The problem is that he could probably be our best solution at three different spots. One body, three spots, need depth. Maybe we get a bucket full of WPIAL players to commit before their respective final year practices (and risk of injury)begin. I wouldn’t wait if I was in their shoes.
This is ‘hold-your-breath’ weekend for Pitt fans. According to PennLive, here is who is visiting PSU this weekend:
2016
Detroit (MI) four-star CB Lavert Hill
Old Tappan (N.J.) four-star athlete Jordan Fuller
Melbourne (Fla.) Viera four-star receiver Tre Nixon
Mckeepsport three-star athlete Khaleke Hudson
Potomac (Md.) Bullis School four-star linebacker Cameron Brown
Nassau Community College (juco) defensive tackle Tyrell Chavis
Philadelphia Imhotep OL Johncarlo Valentin (still not confirmed, he said)
Philadelphia Imhotep Charter four-star DE/LB Shaka Toney
Pittsburgh Central Catholic four-star corner Damar Hamlin
Rockford, Mich., four-star K Quinn Nordin
Class of 2017 visitors
Cincinnati, Ohio St. Xavier four-star QB Sean Clifford – committed
Baltimore (Md.) Gilman School three-star QB Kasim Hill
IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star OT Cam Spence
Wexford, Pa., North Allegheny four-star OT Josh Lugg
Essex, Md., Our Lady of Mt. Carmel four-star DE Josh Kaindoh
Harrisburg, Pa., four-star DE Damion Barber
Princeton, N.J., Hun School four-star DT Fred Hansard
Beaver Falls four-star DT Donovan Jeter
Pittsburgh Central Catholic four-star ILB David Adams
Sherando, Va., four-star OLB Dylan Rivers
Seton-La Salle four-star ATH Paris Ford
Clairton, Pa., four-star ATH Lamont Wade
They always get lots of kids visiting. Who cares.
F*ck em. Maybe after that godforsaken ride over the Ho Chi Minh trail, to Creepy Valley, some of these kids will realize.
This place is in the middle of nowhere.
Thought this kid was going to be a ‘lockdown’ CB.
Unless they’re planning on using Whitehead as some sort of hybrid ‘PantherBack’ type player.
Somewhat on the order of they way the Steelers used Troy Polamalu. As a major impact player, who disrupts the opposing teams offense, from all different angles on the field.
Just playing a regular Safety position, I think his talents would be wasted. You generally don’t put one of better athletes at Safety, as they don’t get in on enough plays to be a major impact on the game. Again unless it’s as some sort of hybrid ‘PantherBack’.
I’d like to see him on Offense this season, with Boyd. So you would have a very dynamic #2 WR, and another guy you can run reverses with and move around the field. They say offense is easier to pickup and be a factor as a freshman than defense as well.
Comment by alcofan 07.17.15 @ 7:19 am
Whitehead was injured in the first half, ribs.
Only carried the ball 13 times.
Previous to that Jordan averaged 14/yards/carry.
——– Well, this year and moving-forward, there is no more “Typical Defense”. Narduzzi doesn’t “Play ‘Dat”.
It’s all one-on-one coverage no matter what the score, and that means you need at least one Super-Athletic safety who can stop the deep-bombs if a Corner gets burned, as well as make the Desperation-stop if a play Breaks-Open for the Opposing Team.
Jordan Whitehead seems like he has the potential to be “That Guy” for Pitt and Narduzzi.
With the exception of Miles Saunders who already committed to PSU and Shad Wheeler who is announcing in a few weeks, these are the best prospects that WPa has to offer.
Although it may be unlikely, if some of these guys band together and mass commit, it will be a serious blow .. and FRanlklinkstein knows it.
Yea I get that, but seriously have many deep-bomb’s are thrown a game.
I can’t even remember many Pitt Safeties over the years.
Only ones that come to mind are Bob Jury and Carlton Williamson.
The Ghost of Sandusky still haunts them.
Everyone is issued soap on a rope for precautionary purposes.
I remember looking at Michigan State pre Narduzzi and Co. And watching them lose game after game in odd/ unforeseen ways and thinking that they were even more torture to watch than Pitt.
We’ve got the right staff. Fall is going to be more fun than any of you expect!
Another Pitt Guard needing surgery, this time Chris Jones.
“It’s borderline ridiculous how many injury issues the team has had this offseason. Starting point guard James Robinson and transfer guard Sterling Smith both had surgery earlier this summer. Back in May, reserve guard Josh Newkirk had knee surgery. Those four expect to make up a large part of the backcourt and with all of them on the shelf, that isn’t great news.”
Also lost:
7/17/2015 – 2013 PG Joshua Ko (6-1, 150, 2*) left the team for personal reasons.
7/15/2015 – 2016 C Schnider Herard (6-10, 242, 4*) | Overall Rank: 58 | Position Rank: 6 has received an offer from Pittsburgh. – Per Link
Probably have no chance of landing him. Since he’s from Texas and everyone in Texas has offered him.
Dixon is excited about Nelson-Ododa’s abilities and the depth he adds to the frontcourt. That excitement, though, comes with a caveat: he needs to remain on the court. Nelson-Ododa has missed offseason workouts because of surgery on his eye resulting from an infection in a fractured cheekbone, which was operated on last season.
He just keeps signing injured transfers. Desperation bigtime.
Is any Pitt fan really surprised that Boyd was dropped from the Biletnikoff award list? You all know why that happened right?
Here is the criteria:
1. The Biletnikoff Award candidate must be an active collegiate football receiver (any player who receives a thrown pass regardless of position) at an NCAA Division 1 (FBS) institution.
2. The candidate, to remain a candidate, must not have been declared ineligible to participate in Division l (FBS) football by the NCAA at the time of any vote of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee.
3. The candidate, to remain a candidate, must not have been declared ineligible to participate in Division l (FBS) football by the candidate’s institution at the time of any vote of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee.
4. An ineligible player cannot be placed on the watch list and cannot remain on the watch list during that ineligibility; he can be added to or reestablished to the watch list based on proper conduct and on-field performance when his eligibility is restored at the discretion of the Foundation.
5. The candidate must display leadership and self-discipline; and he must have a significant, positive impact on his team’s success.
6. The candidate must display a commitment to be the best player he can be.
Let’s read #5 again: “…must display leadership and self-discipline…”
I find it hard to believe that anyone could find fault with this specific criteria and find any reason, after what we saw and know about Boyd’s actions, to think Boyd meets it.
Sorry guys, I’ve been made sick by reading the message boards and some twitter stuff about the opinions that ‘Boyd is being robbed of his chance…’
“An email from a Biletnikoff Award spokesperson said “player conduct/misconduct is a criterion,” which would seem to indicate that the DUI charge Boyd is facing is the reason.”
As being left off the list, was all about Drunk Driving now being viewed as Politically Incorrect.
And we all know how Universities are in ‘lock step’ with Political Correctness.
We might not have him for several games now I’m thinking.
So you might to rethink not using Whitehead on offense.
Personally I think, as I did with Tyler Boyd(and btw I posted as much pre 2013 season) that Whitehead could be a superstar on offense along the lines of Boyd.
As far as I know, maybe I missed it….was Tyler convicted of anything as of yet ?
Jameis anyone.
Cause with the Heisman you don’t.
While it’s a somewhat admirable stance, the big problem I have with it is this. This is a preseason watch list where we’re talking about players that have a good chance to win the award. Boyd, legal troubles not withstanding, certainly has a chance to do just that. If the award committee wants to hold his charges against him and use that as criteria in determining if he should win, I have no issue with that at all. It’s fine to take a player’s character into consideration, in my opinion. But to use that and essentially say that you don’t see him as a candidate to win the award is preposterous.
Silly rabbit. Tricks are for kids.
If Tyler is used more imaginatively he can win the Heisman !
To play in a slogball Big 10
To play in front of 100k plus Klansmen
To shower and be looked at by coaches
To play with no name on your uni
To play in drab unis
To become a draft pick bust
To think you are better than everyone else
To be worshiped by Creepy Valley
To drink to excess with nothing else to do on the weekends outside football season
To have your tests taken for you
To obtain a degree in basket weaving
To learn from one of the dumbest minds in college football
To get away with rape and other crimes that get covered up by the local police
To covet Poopy Pants and his Grand Experiment
To be a Nitter…a fake, an abortion
To be a part of a CULT
To tip cows and smell manure
To waste 4 years of your life and learn nothing
I’m sure a lot of stupid kids will go for that.
Conner top 40
When I look at them I don’t see Klansmen nor a member of a cult. I see a highly paid civil engineer and a skilled attorney.
Way to take the high road – keeping it classy
Signed: Nitter want a be
I’m not to thrilled to hear Whitehead will start his Pitt career at safety. If this kid has the ability to be a shutdown CB, he should be learning what it takes to play that position at the collegiate level starting Aug 10th. A case can be made that a rush DE or a MLB(QB of the defense) are the most valuable commodity on a defense, to me it is a shutdown CB. A true shutdown CB can essentially take away an entire side of the field from an offense.
Like Justin said I guess we should trust this staff until they give us reason not to, but I’m a bit perplexed by this decision before fall camp has even started.
As far as the recruits Pedo St is hosting, I’m a nervous wreck. It is obvious this phony ass Franklin can recruit. If he ends up with Sanders, Hamlin, Ford, Wade, etc., it will be a complete momentum and buzz kill this staff has generated thus far.
The ’16 and ’17 WPIAL classes are loaded and Narduzzi and co. need to keep the majority of them at home. Hopefully Shad Wheeler starts it when he says “Pitt is it!” on KDKA on Aug 10th…
opitt, I am with you, I only hate PSU on game day. Other than that they are just another great university. My sister and brother in law went there, before they got their graduate and law degrees from Pitt. My new daughter in law went there. I have neighbors across the street, husband and wife, one went to Pitt and one to PSU. They have two daughters, one at Pitt, one at PSU.
Football is a sport, let’s not elevate it to the Hatfields and McCoys. How about a little sportsmanship? When I was an athlete at Pitt and we went to PSU to compete, we were always treated with class.
Quite frankly, I am envious of their fan support, it is no different than OSU, Michigan, ND, or any of the SEC schools. We could use a lot more of it at Pitt. (without the shrill noise) Hopefully Gallagher, Barnes and Narduzzi are up to the task.
After 40 years the cultural change that TT expects won’t come easy and won’t come overnight.
That being said, I also envy the fan loyalty that the nitters continue to maintain even during the debacle named Sandusky. But in reality it just gives us alumni of that rival urban institution of higher learning located just west of there one more valid reason to hate them guys N @. Meanwhile us Panther fans can take pride in being a great University in it’s own right located in one of the neatest urban centers in the northeast. Appreciate what we got and just be satisfied in the given that we all hold as common knowledge that “penn state sucks” by comparison.
Our FB and BB HC’s along with our Pitt marketing efforts need to get it in gear.
One lost recruit does not make or break a class, but by my expectations, Pitt is NOT getting it done (big picture-wise).
I’ll hang my hat on “winning now” and the recruits and fans will come. We as Pitt fans need to work extra hard at the patience thing right now. I’m turning my nose to the Kool-aid this morning.
We need a Pat signal…
Winning is the key. This will be the tangible proof that Narduzzi & Co. are the real deal.
They also picked up a big player in Hainsy.
