Two weeks into fall training camp, Ryan Baer has been as advertised.
The top-rated recruit in Pat Narduzzi's class of 2022 is already showing signs of why he was, and he's pushing the stock of the already potent Panthers offensive line through the roof.
Not a boy amongst men; he's one of the men that could see more playing time than anticipated for Narduzzi and offensive line coach Dave Borbely.
"He's extremely smart," Borbely said. "In the spring he was kind of measuring things. He wasn't quite sure. He's not measuring blocks anymore. He's going after people. I told him the other day, 'I need you to play with more of an edge,' and he did that. He's done that for the last two days, but he's a very talented guy."
At 6-foot-7, 335 pounds, Baer was a four-star prospect out of North High School in Eastlake, Ohio, just East of Cleveland. He was rated at 0.8967 out of a possible 1.000 by the 247Sports composite rankings, which was the highest score of all Pitt recruits in the 2022 class.
Per 247Sports' rankings, Baer is the fifth-highest rated offensive tackle to ever sign with Pitt, and he's the best Narduzzi has pulled in during his tenure. He is learning left tackle behind All-ACC player Carter Warren, who is one of five seniors returning to start on the offensive line this season.
"Me and him playing the same position, he's one of the best in the ACC if not the best," Baer said. "Just learning from him, learning how he uses his hands, different sets, run blocks. He's helped a lot."
Baer was touted out of high school for his ability as a run blocker, with the ability to move inside if needed.
"During camp I just want to get better every day," Baer said. "There's a lot of stuff I have to work on, and there's a lot of old guys in front of me which I can learn from. I feel like that's helped my growth tremendously. Learning from Borbs who's a vet in the game, and he knows so much. That's helped me out."
Borbely noted the versatility Baer showed in his young collegiate career. Baer is proving he's capable of sliding across to the other side of the line.
"Playing him at left tackle right now, but he's a guy I think I could kick over to right," Borbely said. "I think I can kick him inside, and the way we teach it conceptually, I think I can make him a guard if I really wanted to and he would know what to do. He's a very mature freshman. Extremely smart, which is what I love about him."
CAMP NOTES
■ Friday's practice was a light one, with players wearing shorts and spider pads on shoulders, and it ended a few minutes earlier than usual. The team is scrimmaging Saturday and will be at full go for it.
"The number one thing is, any time you go live, you want to come out of there healthy," Narduzzi said. "I'll say my prayers on the way in from the hotel in the morning and pray that we do. I want to see a crisp scrimmage. I don't care who wins -- offense, defense -- have some fun and play for the points all those things, but when it comes down to it, I don't want to see the ball turned over, but I want to see the defense get turnovers. I want to make sure that we protect it. ... I don't want to see a lot of unforced errors."
■ Confidence is especially high within the special teams room, and one of the quieter battles in the camp is for the primary place-kicker role.
"Ben Sauls and Sam Scarton are having a battle," Narduzzi said. "They're both kicking really well. And I'll tell you another thing: Caleb Junko is kicking really good. He got a coach in the offseason and he played soccer in high school. I would bet -- I would put my money on this -- that we have the three best kickers in the country. I really feel that way."
Last season, Scarton made 17 of 21 field goals and 69 of 72 extra points, and kickoff specialist Sauls registered 44 touchbacks on 104 kickoff attempts. But, Narduzzi said Junko is adding a lot of heat into the mix because of the distance he can cover. Scarton kicked a season-long of 47 yards last season.
"Caleb Junko will hit it from 55 (yards), Narduzzi said. "He was inaccurate in the spring, and now I think he's at 100%. They're all doing well, so it's going to be a battle, and we'll continue to measure that."
■ After Friday's practice, Pitt's social media team asked players what their favorite breakfast cereal is. Linebacker SirVocea Dennis offered an unpopular opinion:
"Mine is Apple Jacks," he said. "Everybody says they don't eat Apple Jacks anymore. Why? I love Apple Jacks. If I could buy Apple Jacks and eat it every day I would. It's apples and cinnamon combined. Boom. Apple Jacks ... I love Raisin Bran. That's No. 2. I love Raisin Bran. When I was a kid I used to take the raisins out and eat them."
■ Narduzzi said tight end Gavin Bartholomew and linebacker Dylan Bennett have been crowned as the team's cornhole champions after knocking off quarterback Nick Patti and offensive lineman Matt Altsman on Thursday. Bartholomew was considered the best player on the team.
"He had a heck of a cornhole game last night in front of the team in the team room," Narduzzi said of Bartholomew.
