Pat Narduzzi was fielding questions during the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte earlier this week when he was asked about Pitt's recent success with developing defensive backs and if he saw that trend continuing.
Narduzzi looked to the left of the stage and pointed at Donovan McMillon.
"Yes, I see the trend continuing," Narduzzi said.
Over the last seven NFL drafts, nine Pitt defensive backs have been selected. That special group includes Jordan Whitehead, Avonte Maddox, Dan Jackson, Damar Hamlin, Jason Pinnock, Damarri Mathis, Erick Hallett, Brandon Hill and M.J. Devonshire.
After a junior season in which he led the Panthers in tackles with 105, forced one fumble and broke up one pass, McMillon has the opportunity to be the next one.
After spending the first two years of his college career at Florida, McMillon, who attended Peters Township High School near Pittsburgh, returned home after entering the transfer portal.
McMillon said assistant head coach Cory Sanders was the first coach to call him. Two days later, Sanders and Narduzzi were at McMillon's apartment in Gainsville, Fla. They sold him on the opportunity to come home and be a hometown hero.
"There was the talk about the defense and scheme that got me excited, especially with the stat of how many defensive backs have made it to the league since 2018," McMillon said. "Things I had my eyes open for. It ended up being a great plan."
However, McMillon had to work his way into the starting lineup last season. He didn't play in the team's opener against Wofford and made his debut against Cincinnati in the second game of the season. Narduzzi said a few mistakes were made which allowed McMillon to enter the game.
McMillon went on to record eight tackles. A week later against West Virginia, he tallied a team-high 18 tackles and one pass breakup in a 17-6 loss. That production continued throughout the season and Narduzzi said that once McMillon fully understood the defense, he was able to "let him loose."
"When it became 'I got this,' the sky is the limit," Narduzzi said. "I think he is going to be even better this year. He understands what he's doing, he's playing fast, he fits our defense. We were happy to bring him back home."
McMillon isn't necessarily focused on what could happen after the season though. He's fully focused on producing wins for his team. After a 3-9 year, the Panthers are in desperate search of a bounce-back season and the secondary could be the position group that ultimately drives the defense.
Javon McIntyre, who was second on the team in tackles last season with 85, and McMillon will both lead the group while Phillip O'Brien Jr., Rashad Battle and Tamon Lynum will work into the mix as well.
At 6-2, 205 pounds, McMillon has a great frame to control the back end of the defense, but he also has the size and the tackling ability to work in the box when it's needed. McMillon says his tackling ability comes from his time as a wrestler in high school.
"That was definitely my best sport for a while," he said, adding that he was a runner-up at states during his junior year.
While he has the physical aspects of the game in hand, McMillon is also still working on the mental side of things and has picked the brains of the defensive backs who came before him, specifically Hamlin and Whitehead, two players who also wore No. 3.
McMillon said they told him they want nothing but the best for him and to "keep going" and that's the perfect mindset to have heading into 2024 as the Panthers are looking to repeat their success from 2021.
"I would say the next step is just going 1-0 at the end of the day," McMillon said. "I don't think about stats when it comes to it. I'm trying to do my one of one for the team and make plays as they come. Like I said, winning is the only thing I want to do."
