Wannstedt looking for big things from his tight ends

Pitt’s tight ends had a solid year last year, catching a third of the team’s 24 touchdown… Pitt’s tight ends had a solid year last year, catching a third of the team’s 24 touchdown passes and sparking the team’s two biggest comebacks of the year.

And with the return of both the primary starter and top reserve from last year, as well as the addition of three new ends, the new coaching staff expects nothing less in the upcoming season.

“That’s probably as talented a position as we’ve got on the team,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said. “That tight end group is pretty solid from top to bottom.”

To enhance the performance of an already elite group, Wannstedt added Greg Gattuso as tight end coach in February. Gattuso brings an extensive knowledge of the position to the tight end corps. He also carries with him a history of winning.

A member of Penn State’s 1982 national championship title team, Gattuso served as Duquesne’s head coach from 1993-2004. In those 12 years, he became the winningest coach in the school’s history; won eight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles; and captured the Mid-Major Division I-AA national championship in 2003.

Gattuso, who also serves as the team’s recruiting coordinator, shares Wannstedt’s optimistic outlook.

“With the depth we have at tight end, we expect this position to be a strength,” he said. “We have guys who can run, block and catch.”

Erik Gill returns as the starter after a junior year that introduced him to the nation. On national television last season, it was Gill who made several big plays to both keep the Panthers within striking distance and spark the game-winning drive, most notably against Notre Dame, when he gathered in a pass and rolled down the right sideline for a long play to set up the winning field goal. He finished the year with 25 catches for 433 yards and four touchdowns, and is expected to perform equally well this year.

“From what I saw in the spring, this year should be more of the same,” Gattuso said of his starter, who was named to two All-Big East preseason teams by major publications. “We’re going to count on him.”

Gill will have a strong reserve in redshirt junior Steve Buches. As last year’s primary reserve, Buches appeared in all 12 games, catching seven passes for 94 yards and four touchdowns, including two critical scores during Pitt’s comeback win against Furman. Buches has received praise from Gattuso for his mental approach to the game, which compliments his physical versatility.

Few are more versatile than Darrell Strong, however, who rounds out the top of the depth chart. Strong, a sophomore, entered Pitt as a quarterback, but ended up in all 12 games last year as a reserve wide receiver. This spring, the coaching staff shifted him once more, this time to tight end. Gattuso expects the move to work out well.

“Darrell has a lot of potential and can be an impact player,” he said. “He has the versatility to play in the slot or block. He has a chance to be a big factor.”

Two other Panthers also join the ranks this season. Robbie Agnone, a redshirt freshman, is another star quarterback whom the Panthers have lined up at end. Like Strong, Agnone’s plethora of skills gives Gattuso a valuable weapon. The coach has been very pleased with Agnone’s progress thus far, saying that on top of his sharp receiving skills, Agnone is developing into a quality blocker.

“I believe Robbie made the most progress of anyone from the first day of spring ball right up to its conclusion,” Gattuso said.

John Pelusi, from nearby Pittsburgh Central Catholic, enters the season with big expectations. Athlon Sports named him a “Big East future star” in the preseason, and history suggests that he will not disappoint. As a senior in high school, he helped lead his team — which finished the season 16-0 and ranked No. 6 in the nation by USA Today — to the Pennsylvania state title, and garnered first team Class AAAA all-state honors. A top prospect after his season last year, he chose to attend Pitt, where his father was the starting center for the 1976 national championship team and his sister is the starting goalkeeper for the Pitt women’s soccer team.

While lauding the versatility of his players, Gattuso has made sure to point out that he also has a group with a fierce work ethic, one that is never satisfied. His sentiments are echoed by Wannstedt, who has been pleased with his tight end production all training camp.

“We’ve got a heck of a group of tight ends,” he said. “I’m real encouraged there. We can use those guys a lot of different ways if we have to.”