Taglianetti continues playing important role on and off the field

He’s done a little bit of everything in his Pitt football career — block punts, make crucial…

Courtesy Pitt Athletics

Andrew Taglianetti travelled to Haiti during the summer to do volunteer work along with other Pitt student-athletes.

He’s done a little bit of everything in his Pitt football career — block punts, make crucial tackles and recover game-changing fumbles.

When he’s not making impact plays for the Panthers, he might as well fill the water bottles, do the team’s laundry and walk the coach’s dog.

“I guess you could call me a ‘jack of all trades, master of none,’” safety Andrew Taglianetti said with a laugh.

With 77 tackles, six blocked punts and four fumble recoveries in his Pitt career, the redshirt senior has shown he has a knack for altering games with his play-making abilities on defense and special teams.

“I try to anticipate things and have a feel for the game, and sometimes the ball comes my way,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate the past couple years to make some plays, but I’d say there’s a little bit of luck, too.”

Despite the coaching carousel that has plagued Pitt football in recent years, Taglianetti’s talent and outgoing personality have made him one of the more recognizable faces of the program since he first put on his blue and gold No. 41 jersey in 2008.

So it was no surprise that “Tags” — as many Pitt players, coaches and fans often refer to him — was chosen for the annual Pitt football season tickets advertisement, along with running back Ray Graham, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and fellow safety Jarred Holley.

“It’s something I take pride in,” Taglianetti says in the commercial about playing for Pitt. “I love this University and, most of all, I love this city.”

The Central Catholic High School graduate, who helped the school win a Pennsylvania AAAA state football championship in 2007, said he was honored to be selected, and also joked that the commercial has helped him with the ladies.

“It makes me feel important,” he said with his trademark sarcasm. “Plus, this gives the girls a reason to like me now.”

But what a lot of Pitt fans might not know is that Taglianetti, who is a two-time Big East All-Academic football team selection and a 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee, arguably makes more impact in his community than he does on the football field.

As the son of former Pittsburgh Penguin Peter Taglianetti, Andrew gives back to the area he grew up in by volunteering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and regularly visiting the Mel Blount Youth Home, which helps young males who were victims of child abuse and neglect.

This past May, his community service reached well beyond his hometown when Taglianetti, redshirt sophomore fullback Mark Giubilato and redshirt senior tight end Hubie Graham traveled to an orphanage in Haiti along with more than a dozen other Pitt student-athletes.

“We’ve always been pretty close outside of football,” Giubilato said of his relationship with Taglianetti. “We’re both involved in community service, along with Hubie Graham. When Hubie and Tags said they were going to Haiti and asked if I wanted to come along, I wasn’t going to miss that.”

After returning from Haiti, Taglianetti said the trip changed the way he looks at life.

“The impact we can have on their lives is kind of minuscule. The impact on us will last a lifetime,” he said. “It was tremendously eye-opening.”

Taglianetti also recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and is pursuing his MBA at Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business.

After a busy summer of volunteering in Haiti and starring in local commercials, Taglianetti says he’s excited to start playing football again, and he hopes his versatility can help lead Pitt to the elusive Big East title in the school’s final season in the conference.

“Hopefully we can win a Big East championship outright this year — that’s the ultimate goal,” he said. “I think we have what it takes with these players and this coaching staff to get it done.”

Pitt’s new defensive secondary coach Matt House said he’s looking forward to seeing what Taglianetti can do this season to help the Panthers win.

“I’m excited about coaching Tags,” House said. “He definitely comes to work every day. I just like the way he competes. He’s a great competitor, and it’s fun to watch.”

Giubilato agreed, saying that despite Taglianetti’s relatively small size at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, his ability to make game-changing plays for Pitt at Heinz Field begins with his incredible work ethic on the practice field.

“He works his butt off every day, and it shows with how many plays he makes on defense and special teams,” Giubilato said. “He might not be the biggest or the strongest guy, but he plays just as hard as anybody in the country.”