SHARON, Pa. -- The daily position breakdowns in the leading up to the start of Pitt's football camp on Monday have shifted to the offensive side of the ball, with the offensive line group the first to be looked into.
Pitt had the top scoring offense in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season at 41.4 points per game -- largely thanks to Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison -- but it was also the No. 2 total offense in the league at 486.6 yards per game. Pitt's rushing offense was generally limited with the success Pickett and Co. had through the air, but the Panthers still managed to finish 11th in the league with 149.2 yards per game on the ground.
RETURNERS: Marcus Minor (graduate student), Jake Kradel (redshirt senior), Gabe Houy (redshirt senior), Owen Drexel (redshirt senior), Carter Warren (redshirt senior), Dakota Peters (redshirt senior), Blake Zubovic (redshirt senior), Ryan Jacoby (redshirt junior), Matt Goncalves (redshirt junior), Jason Collier Jr. (redshirt junior), Matt Altsman (redshirt sophomore), George French II (redshirt sophomore), Branson Taylor (redshirt sophomore), Trey Anderson (redshirt freshman), Terrence Moore (redshirt freshman), Matt Metrosky (redshirt freshman), Terrence Enos Jr. (redshirt freshman).
DEPARTURES: Jake Cortes, Keldrick Wilson.
NEWCOMERS: Ryan Baer (true freshman), Isaiah Montgomery (true freshman).
ANALYSIS
The offensive line is the most experienced unit on the team, as each starter holds status as at least a redshirt senior, with the exception of Minor, who was a graduate transfer from Maryland a season ago who retained eligibility.
The starting line of, from left to right, Warren, Minor, Drexel, Kradel, and Houy bring a combined 62 games of experience from last season. Kradel missed the final four games with an injury, but started nine at left guard and one at center. Drexel missed two games due to injury, and Minor and Houy each missed one. Warren started in all 14 games at left tackle and was named to the All-ACC second team.
This is most likely going to be the best offensive line in the ACC, given the experience and given the success they sustained last season in allowing the Panthers to post school records in points and yards per game. Pitt's strength as a team is its defensive line, but the offensive line built by Pat Narduzzi and Dave Borbely are not far behind.
Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. has a luxury on hand, and the consistency the veteran offensive line is expected to provide should open up the offense for either Kedon Slovis or Nick Patti at quarterback, and it should allow for a potential breakout season for a running backs room led by Israel Abanikanda. According to data from Football Outsiders, Pitt's offensive line was 15th in FBS last season with 2.95 average line yards per carry, and it was 28th by allowing a 3.7% sack rate on standard downs (first down, 2nd-and-7 or fewer, 3rd-and-4 or fewer, 4th-and-4 or fewer).
Down the pipeline, Baer adds excitement as an offensive tackle prospect. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, he is the top-rated recruit pulled in by Narduzzi in the 2022 class. Listed at 6-foot-7, 335 pounds, Baer was a Division II All-Ohio selection as a senior at North High School in Eastlake, Ohio. He was rated as the No. 31 offensive tackle in his class, and he was the 13th-best prospect to come out of Ohio. He picked Pitt after fielding 28 offers, including from Cincinnati, Virginia, Kentucky, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech.
Also adding into the mix as a true freshman is Montgomery, a three-star and the 24th-best prospect in Virginia in the 2022 class. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound tackle fielded offers from conference rivals Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.
Here is the rest of the week's rundown for Pitt position breakdowns:
Friday: Wide receivers/tight ends
Saturday: Running Backs
Sunday: Quarterbacks/Specialists
Previous position breakdowns:
Monday: Defensive backs
Tuesday: Linebackers
Wednesday: Defensive line
