SHARON, Pa. -- In the continuation of the build-up to the start of Pitt's football camp on Monday, we are going to break down the second of the Panthers' position groups by going over their corps of linebackers.
Pitt had the No. 4 scoring defense and No. 5 total defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season. The Panthers also drew in the fourth-best red zone defense in the league as opponents converted on 76.6% of chances.
The unit is moving on without honorable mention All-ACC selection John Petrishen, who was third on the team with 74 and added 7.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. Starting money linebacker Phil Campbell has also moved on, after posting 68 tackles, eight for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
On the flip-side, Buddy Mack III and Myles Canton have converted from defensive back and will test at hybrid roles.
RETURNERS: Canton (redshirt senior), SirVocea Dennis (senior), Brandon George (senior), Bangally Kamara (junior), Mack III (junior), Solomon DeShields (redshirt sophomore), Aydin Henningham (redshirt sophomore), Dylan Bennett (redshirt freshman), Nick Lapi (redshirt freshman).
DEPARTURES: Petrishen, Campbell, Chase Pine, Jackson Henry, Preston Lavant.
NEWCOMERS: Kyle Louis (true freshman), Tylar Wiltz (graduate transfer), Shayne Simon (graduate transfer).
ANALYSIS
As veterans Petrishen and Campbell exit, two more enter. Wiltz arrives from Football Championship Subdivision program Missouri State, and Simon enrolled at Pitt after playing parts of four seasons at Notre Dame.
The two newcomers should compete for the team's outside linebacker spots -- the money and star spots -- unless they're put in competition for one of the outside spots with the other rotating in. Wiltz was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference linebacker and was recognized to the 2021 Phil Steele FCS All-America Team after racking up 106 tackles, 14.5 for loss, and four forced fumbles. Simon played in 32 career games and, in the 2020 season, started in eight for the Fighting Irish.
DeShields is also a candidate to start at the money position after playing mostly on special teams last season. The former three-star recruit was a dual-position player and earned interest as a quarterback when coming out of New Jersey, but stuck as a linebacker after arriving in 2020.
The middle is shored up with the returning Dennis and George. George has played in all 25 of Pitt's games dating to the start of the 2020 season, and Dennis missed one game last year because of an injury. Dennis was selected to the All-ACC second team after leading the Panthers with 87 tackles and 9.5 for loss. That followed a 2020 season after which he was an All-ACC third-team pick.
The true freshman Louis was a three-star recruit out of New Jersey, and could redshirt given the amount of veterans sitting in front of him on the depth chart. Mack, Kamara, and Henningham are likely to rotate as outside backers throughout the season.
Here is the rest of the week's rundown for Pitt position breakdowns:
Wednesday: Defensive Line
Thursday: Offensive Line
Friday: Receivers/TEs
Saturday: Running Backs
Sunday: Quarterbacks/Specialists
Previous position breakdowns:
Monday: Defensive backs
