Pitt football week one depth chart breakdown

With the first game of Pat Narduzzi’s second season at Pitt less than a week away, the Panthers head coach revealed the team’s two-deep depth chart for their opener against Villanova on Saturday. As expected, Nathan Peterman, James Conner, Ejuan Price and Jordan Whitehead showed up at the top of their respective positions –– but there were a few interesting names included as well. Here’s a further breakdown of each position group.

QUARTERBACK: No surprises at all at the quarterback position. As the first string signal-caller for Pitt’s final 11 games in 2015, redshirt senior Nathan Peterman was the clear-cut starter heading into this season. Backing him up is redshirt senior Manny Stocker, a transfer from UT Martin and NC State, where he played under new offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Stocker beat out redshirt freshman Ben DiNucci for the backup gig after converting from the wide receiver position back to quarterback last offseason.

RUNNING BACK: The depth chart also confirmed the return of the face of the Pitt football program –– tailback James Conner –– to the starting role in the backfield. Conner heads a loaded group for the Panthers with the trio of true freshman Chawntez Moss and sophomores Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison backing up the redshirt junior. Despite coming off a recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma and a torn MCL, Narduzzi said he will not limit Conner “in any way.”

Conner looked ready to go during training camp, but only time will tell if he can return to his 2014 form when he was named ACC Player of the Year. If he can’t, Pitt will have no shortage of backs to step in and carry the ball for him –– which Ollison did last year on his way to ACC Rookie of the Year honors.

WIDE RECEIVER: Senior Dontez Ford will assume the mantle as Peterman’s go-to wideout left empty by Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd. Junior Jester Weah and sophomore Quadree Henderson are also listed as starters on the depth chart, giving the Panthers three starting wideouts instead of two. Pitt will count on athletic speed-demons Henderson and Weah for proclivity for big plays and hope to get some production out of true freshman Aaron Mathews –– the only first-year player listed at the position — a tall, local product out of Clairton who should be able to battle for jump balls.

TIGHT END: Scott Orndoff –– a 6-foot-5, 255-pound senior who was second on the team last season with five receiving touchdowns –– is the clear-cut starter at the tight end spot with former fullback Jaymar Parrish backing him up. Similar to Ford, Orndoff will be tasked with picking up where former starter J.P. Holtz, a 2016 graduate and four-year starter, left off before signing with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The offensive line is clearly Pitt’s strongest position — they boast one of the best units in the nation. All-American candidates Dorian Johnson and Adam Bisnowaty give the Panthers two blue chip NFL draft prospects on the left side of the line, while two promising sophomores Brian O’Neill and Alex Bookser man the right. Alex Officer returns at center, and former starter Jaryd Jones-Smith will serve as Pitt’s top lineman off the bench, providing enviable depth at one of the most crucial positions in the game.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Another strong key position for the Panthers, Pitt’s defensive line sports two potential game-changing ends. The first is Ejuan Price, who the NCAA granted a sixth year of eligibility due to injury history throughout his career. Price tallied 19.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in his first injury-free season last year and will be playing for an NFL career this go around.

Opposite Price is Tennessee transfer Dewayne Hendrix, a sophomore that coaches and players alike have raved about throughout training camp, who will make his Pitt debut after playing only seven games in his Tennessee career. There was little shake-up at defensive tackle as Tyrique Jarrett returns as a starter while Shakir Soto moves to the interior to start next to him.

LINEBACKERS: The competition for a starting spot at the star linebacker position was among the biggest storylines of Pitt’s training camp this season, as Pitt coaches sorted through a handful of players competing to earn the final starting job alongside Money linebacker Mike Caprara and Mike linebacker Matt Galambos.

Walk-on sophomore Oluwaseun Idowu earned the initial nod for the Star position, beating out his North Allegheny Senior High School teammate — converted wide receiver Elijah Zeise — and senior Bam Bradley for the job. Both Zeise and Idowu provide athleticism from the Star, bringing an added element to the group to compliment defensive stalwarts Caprara and Galambos.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Pitt’s most dynamic player — sophomore safety Jordan Whitehead — headlines this positional group as last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year has a chance to be one of the best defenders in the conference this season. Whitehead led Pitt in tackles last season, and the shifty, hard-hitting safety will almost certainly improve on his surprisingly low total of one interception. Junior Avonte Maddox returns to start at cornerback for Pitt with senior Ryan Lewis joining him.

Prized freshman Damar Hamlin is not listed due to an undisclosed injury but will likely earn playing time this season if healthy. Terrish Webb is listed as the starter at free safety, but Narduzzi said to expect him and senior Reggie Mitchell to alternate based on specific in-game situations.

SPECIALISTS: Pitt returns a virtually identical special teams unit with Chris Blewitt doing the kicking and Ryan Winslow punting. Former walk-on Pat Quirin will serve as the long snapper. Blewitt enjoyed a reasonably consistent season last year with his season highlight coming via a game-winning 56-yard field goal against Georgia Tech, while Winslow punted well and completed a crucial fake punt pass against Syracuse that helped catapult Pitt into the AP Top 25.

Quadree Henderson, who returned the opening kick of the 2015 Military Bowl for a touchdown against Navy, is listed as the primary kick and punt returner, while Maddox will back him up. Don’t be surprised if you see James Conner receive some reps as a kick returner as well, as he worked in that area during training camp after asking coaches for the chance to try it.