Pitt back hopes for second chance

Raymond Kirkley has never been the settle-for-less type of player.

Back in high school, it… Raymond Kirkley has never been the settle-for-less type of player.

Back in high school, it wasn’t enough just to receive offers from big-name football programs. He wanted to go to a place where he would be given a chance to start as a freshman.

And even after he joined Tony Dorsett and Brandon Williams as the only tailbacks in school history to start on opening day as a true freshman, Kirkley was left wanting more.

“In my mind, I felt that I could do a whole lot better,” Kirkley said. “I was thinking and knowing that I could do better.”

But after his freshman season in 2001, Kirkley’s situation changed dramatically.

Brandon Miree had transferred to Pitt from Alabama in September 2001 and was applying plenty of pressure to Kirkley for the starting tailback job. But there is more to this story than just a simple case of one guy beating out another for a starting job.

Many are unaware that while the position battle was going on, Kirkley was actually competing with a broken wrist.

“I had wrist problems, but I decided not to tell anyone because I really wanted to play,” Kirkley said. “I couldn’t pass protect too well with my wrist being broken. So for a while, I would just go in on running plays, but that didn’t work because teams caught on real quick.”

rushing for 23 yards on seven carries at Notre Dame in 2002, Kirkley didn’t see another carry for the remainder of the season. Miree, meanwhile, went on to have an impressive year that included four consecutive 100-yard performances.

Since Kirkley had not taken a red-shirt year, and Miree had solidified himself as the team’s starting tailback, the decision was made to deactivate Kirkley for the 2003 season.

After a brilliant high school career at Madison County High in Virginia, which included more than 5,000 yards rushing, 87 touchdowns and a solid freshman campaign, being forced to stand on the sidelines was a humbling experience for Kirkley.

“It was hard watching and being dressed, knowing that I could go out there and play, but couldn’t,” Kirkley said. “I love to play football. That’s the bottom line.”

Miree’s departure has opened up the starting tailback job, and Kirkley has his sights set on attaining the position that was once his.

“I just look at it the same way I did when I came in,” Kirkley said. “I want to win, I want to start, I want to play and I want to do well. That’s the main goal. Me having the time to sit out and watch for basically two years has just made me hungrier.”

In a season that will bring many new faces into Pitt’s starting lineup, Kirkley offers experience at a position that requires stability. He’s been called a “throw-back” runner, which suggests that he hits the hole and is willing to run through defenders to pick up extra yards. But he likes to think of himself as a more versatile back — the type that can make you miss but isn’t afraid to lower the shoulder when he needs to.

Kirkley is not deterred by the fact that Pitt will have to find a way to win with inexperienced players. He believes that if the younger players can learn and follow the team’s concept, the team will be successful.

“It’s about merging as a team,” Kirkley said. “As long as we can play together and get a feel for each other and just get in that groove, we’re going to be OK. We hold our destiny in our own hands.”

Kirkley is so determined to regain the starting tailback position that he refuses to think of the possibility of not starting. He is doing everything in his power to ensure that he will be in the backfield opening day.

“It would be hard to accept [not starting]. That’s why I’m going to work as hard as I can to make sure that it doesn’t happen,” Kirkley said. “I’ve been there, and I’ve proved that I can play. Now it’s all about getting to camp and getting it done.”

His attitude is as it was when he decided to come to Pitt back in 2000. It’s not enough just to start. He wants to be the best, and the same goes for his team’s goals.

“Our whole goal is to win the Big East,” Kirkley said, adding, “My personal goal is to be the best back in the Big East.”

Hopefully, Kirkley’s ambition is contagious and the rest of the Panthers will have that same belief in themselves. Many college football gurus have tagged this year as a rebuilding year for Pitt, but Kirkley doesn’t see things that way.

“It’s just another year,” Kirkley said. “It’s not a rebuilding year. We still have to play 12 games, and it’s not about rebuilding. It’s not about us having young guys. It’s all about us going out there and executing and winning.”