The Pitt football team’s players and coaching staff gathered in the team room Wednesday morning at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side for some very important business: picking teams for Saturday’s Blue-Gold game.
Linebackers coach Rob Harley will coach the Blue team, while running backs and special teams coordinator Andre Powell mans the sideline for the Gold squad. Harley and Powell split up the 14 seniors among the two teams, who were then tasked with drafting up their rosters.
Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of how the two squads will match up Saturday at Heinz Field, and where things could get ugly quick for the Blue team.
Blue team quarterbacks: Max Browne, Thomas MacVittie
Gold team quarterbacks: Ben DiNucci, Kenny Pickett, Jake Zilinskas
Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and the Blue team came away from the draft with the top three quarterbacks on the depth chart.
The coaches assigned USC graduate transfer Max Browne to the Blue team when dividing up the seniors, making Browne the team’s general manager. Ben DiNucci — Browne’s top competition for the starting job — was the first quarterback off the board, and, to the surprise of head coach Pat Narduzzi, it was Browne waving him over to the Blue squad.
But, after the draft was complete, Narduzzi tweeted out an announcement of a trade: the Gold team had addressed the quarterback issue by trading away defensive tackle Keyshon Camp and cornerback Phillipie Motley for DiNucci, middle linebacker Chase Pine and cornerback Rob Boatright.
TRADE: Blue team has acquired @Camp_thatdude & @PMFFOE23 from the Gold team in exchange for @B_DiNucci3 @PineStar11 & Rob Boatwright. #SG
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) April 12, 2017
DiNucci completed 3-of-9 passes with two interceptions in his first game action in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl against Northwestern. He will likely get the start for the Gold team, with true freshman Kenny Pickett serving as his primary backup.
Browne started the first three games for USC last season before losing his starting spot, while Thomas MacVittie is a redshirt freshman who has yet to play a snap.
Advantage: Blue
Blue team inside linebackers: Quintin Wirginis
Gold team inside linebacker: Chase Pine, Jim Medure
Quintin Wirginis is best known for coming off the edge and pressuring the quarterback, but he’s moving inside to take over for Matt Galambos as the team’s primary Mike linebacker this year. Chase Pine redshirted last season as a highly touted prospect, while Jim Medure joined the team as a walk-on in 2015. Pine has potential, but Wirginis is the only proven player in the group.
Advantage: Blue
Blue team strong safeties: Dennis Briggs, Henry Miller
Gold team strong safeties: Phil Campbell, Rimoni Dorsey
Aside from quarterback and inside linebacker, strong safety is the only position where the Blue team came out on top. Dennis Briggs is the only strong safety with game experience, while cornerback-turned-safety Henry Miller is a giant for the position with immense potential.
Advantage: Blue
Blue team fullback: Erik Sellers
Gold team fullback: George Aston
The Gold team drafted George Aston with their second pick, and it’s no surprise as the bruising fullback is adept at blocking, rushing and receiving and coming off a 10-touchdown season. Erik Sellers, meanwhile, has never played a snap at Pitt.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team wide receivers: Tre Tipton, Maurice Ffrench (CB/WR), Ruben Flowers, Rafael Araujo-Lopes, Michael Vardzel
Gold team wide receivers: Jester Weah, Quadree Henderson, Aaron Mathews, Mark Bernsdorff, Kellen McAlone
Pitt is the only team in the country with three returning players who scored at least 10 touchdowns last season, and the Gold team scooped up all three with wide receivers Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson to go along with Aston. Aaron Mathews is also a solid candidate to emerge as the Panthers’ starting wideout opposite Weah, with Henderson playing in the slot.
Tre Tipton will be in competition with Mathews for the starting spot and should be the go-to receiver for the Blue team. Maurice Ffrench will provide blazing speed and versatility playing in the slot receiver role.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team offensive tackles: Jaryd Jones-Smith, Tony Pilato
Gold team offensive tackles: Brian O’Neill, Jerry Drake
Gold team general manager Avonte Maddox made Brian O’Neill the number one overall pick for the second year in a row, and it’s easy to see why. O’Neill was one of the top-rated tackles in the country as a sophomore and also showed the speed to pull off a pair of touchdowns and bring home SB Nation’s coveted Piesman Trophy.
Jaryd Jones-Smith has experience as well and is expected to start this year, but he missed the 2015-16 season with an injury and played as a reserve last year.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team offensive guards: Justin Morgan, Bryce Hargrove, Brandon Ford
Gold team offensive guards: Alex Officer, Alex Bookser
There are two starters in this group, and the Gold team snagged both of them in Alex Officer and Alex Bookser. Last year’s starting center, Officer, is moving over to left guard this year, while Bookser will remain in his spot at right guard.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team defensive tackles: Mike Herndon, Shane Roy, Rashad Weaver, Keyshon Camp
Gold team defensive tackles: Jeremiah Taleni, Amir Watts, Julian Desire
Redshirt senior Jeremiah Taleni will be the team leader on the interior of the defensive line. Amir Watts also played well in limited snaps as a true freshman last year and has a great chance to earn a starting role alongside Taleni in 2017-18.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team outside linebackers: Jalen Williams, Peyton Deri, Anthony McKee
Gold team outside linebackers: Oluwaseun Idowu, Saleem Brightwell, Brian Popp
Again, the Gold team snatched up the only two players with legitimate game experience at the outside linebacker position. Oluwaseun Idowu has evolved from a walk-on into a firmly entrenched starter and Saleem Brightwell showed his potential on a 70-yard interception return in the fourth quarter of Pitt’s 43-42 win against eventual national champion Clemson last year.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team cornerbacks: Dane Jackson, Maurice Ffrench (CB/WR), Phillipie Motley
Gold team cornerbacks: Avonte Maddox, Therran Coleman
Dane Jackson and Ffrench are sophomores with legitimate game experience, and redshirt junior Motley might be the early favorite to line up opposite Maddox as the team’s No. 2 cornerback.
Maddox is the only guaranteed starter at corner this year, and, by all accounts, he has enjoyed a tremendous spring of practices. Narduzzi has also spoken highly of Therran Coleman’s progression heading into his second year, and Maddox’s playmaking ability and wealth of experience — 39 games played and 32 starts — push the Gold team over the top.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team free safety: Jay Stocker
Gold team free safeties: Jordan Whitehead, Bricen Garner
Not only did the Gold team pick up two of the three free safeties, they added arguably the most dynamic and talented player on the Panthers’ defense, junior Jordan Whitehead. After breaking his arm in Pitt’s win over Clemson last year and missing the team’s final three games, the 2016 ACC Rookie of the Year is primed for a big season in 2017-18.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team kicker: Ian Troost
Gold team kicker: Alex Kessman
After losing all-time scoring leader Chris Blewitt to graduation, the starting kicker spot is up for grabs next season. Alex Kessman appears to have the inside track to the job, but 6-foot-6 walk-on Ian Troost will have his best chance yet to make an impression on the coaches in Saturday’s spring game.
Advantage: Gold
Blue team punter: Kirk Christodoulou
Gold team punter: Ryan Winslow
Narduzzi and Powell brought in Kirk Christodoulou from the Prokick Australia program in hopes of making him their punter of the future, but Ryan Winslow is the present. A three-year starter, Winslow brings stability to the position and should have his best year yet as a senior.
Advantage: Gold
Too close to call
That makes 10 positions where the Gold team has a distinct edge, compared to only three for the Blue team. There are also five position groups without a clear advantage on either team: the running backs, tight ends, centers, defensive ends and long snappers. Here’s how those positions stack up:
Blue team running backs: Chawntez Moss, Kyle Vreen
Gold team running backs: Qadree Ollison, Shawn Wood
Blue team tight ends: Allen Edwards, Nathan Bossory
Gold team tight end: Deandre Schifino
Blue team center: Connor Dintino
Gold team center: Jimmy Morrissey
Blue team defensive ends: Allen Edwards, James Folston, Patrick Jones, Deslin Alexandre
Gold team defensive ends: Rori Blair, Rashad Weaver, Kaezon Pugh, Dom Cuono
Blue team long snapper: Nathan Bossory
Gold team long snapper: Conrad Brake
Summary: Looking over the rosters, it’s hard to believe Maddox and company didn’t rig the draft with the way they made out. After the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko informed him that he had somehow secured all 11 of the Panthers’ returning starters, Maddox couldn’t contain his laughter.
“They were playing checkers, I was playing chess. I was thinking ahead of the game while they were just planning the next move,” Maddox said about his Blue team counterparts.
Now, the only thing to do is see if the Blue team has what it takes to pull off a miracle of an upset.
Prediction: Gold team 27, Blue team 14