Analysis: Finally some football questions for Pitt's Pat Narduzzi

Pat Narduzzi grew up the son of a coach, waiting eagerly at the kitchen table in his Youngstown, Ohio, home to hear about his dad’s day.

“I was the guy … in his back pocket all day,” Narduzzi once said.

Talking football is one of Narduzzi’s great skills, and he is used it to craft a 31-year coaching career.

Yet, when he meets with reporters during a break from Pitt training camp, the majority of the questions don’t involve football.

He is asked mainly about covid-19 testing, hand-washing, doorknob sanitizing, social distancing and opt-outs. Logically, those are the dominant topics in the nation’s new normal.

But there are questions surrounding Pitt’s football team that he needs to answer before the scheduled opener Sept. 19 against Syracuse at Heinz Field.

Here are five:

1. Is Pitt’s running game good enough to give quarterback Kenny Pickett the support he needs?

If you add up the rushing yards collected last season by A.J. Davis, Vincent Davis and Todd Sibley Jr., you would have one 1,000-yard rusher (1,093). That was only a season after Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall each gained more than that on their own (1,213 and 1,144, respectively).

The desire to build a good ground game is there, and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has said he is seeking better balance.

“Being able to run it better always helps the play-caller,” he said.

Opposing defenses need to fear the Pitt ground game. It opens holes in the secondary and gives Pickett an extra second in the pocket, which is all the good quarterbacks need.

Pitt’s three leading rushers return, and coaches might be eager to re-attach Sibley to the gameplan. He was productive in the Miami loss last year, gaining 54 yards on four wildcat plays before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

Also, freshman Israel Abanikanda — his teammates call him Izzy — looked good in three spring practice days, and he is getting more opportunities in camp this summer.

The quarantine was most detrimental to freshmen trying to make an impact, but a two-week delay to the start of the season might give them more time to open eyes.

2. Who will step up to complement wide receiver Taysir Mack?

Mack can be a big-play pass catcher, and another year’s worth of growth and knowledge might boost his average of nearly 12 yards per catch.

But he needs help, and that’s where freshmen Jordan Addison and Jaylon Barden might fit into the passing game. Both are getting long looks this summer.

Wide receivers coach Chris Beatty has 16 players in his classroom. Someone should be able to step up, or all that recruiting effort the past three years will have gone to waste.

Junior Shocky Jacques-Louis and sophomore Jared Wayne flashed signs last season. Jacques-Louis caught a 74-yard touchdown pass against North Carolina, and Wayne was clutch in the bowl victory.

3. How much can the offensive line improve?

The faces are the same, with the exception of tackle Keldrick Wilson, who comes from Hampton University and must transfer his skills onto the ACC stage after three active seasons (11 starts) at the FCS level.

The unit benefits from the strong leadership of former walk-on and now All-ACC center Jimmy Morrissey. Plus, guard Bryce Hargrove and tackle Carter Warren started every game last season.

Carson Van Lynn, Gabe Houy (Upper St. Clair) and Jake Kradel (Butler) will figure prominently in the camp competition that still has four weeks to go.

4. Is Lucas Krull the real deal at tight end?

Krull made friendships quickly at Pitt, especially with Pickett, when he enrolled in January after transferring from Florida. He is a welcome addition to the offense.

At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, Krull is the dictionary definition of a red-zone target. Pickett will look his way often all over the field.

At Florida, Krull was behind Kyle Pitts, a projected 2021 No. 1 draft choice, on the depth chart. There will be more opportunity and greater expectations at Pitt for the former pitcher and 2018 34th-round draft choice of the San Francisco Giants.

Actually, Krull can sling it. He recorded three times as many strikeouts (27 in 16 2/3 innings) at Jefferson (Mo.) College in 2017-18 as he had receptions at Florida (nine) in ‘18-’19.

5. Can Pitt recover from the loss of All-ACC defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman?

The answer is yes, but it will be difficult for Pitt fans to think about what might have been with Twyman, Keyshon Camp, Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver on the front four. Fortunately, coaches don’t think that way (at least not out loud).

Camp, Jones and Weaver will make up three-quarters of the line, and each player appears to have an NFL future. Reserve ends Deslin Alexandre and Habakkuk Baldonado played in all 13 games last season, with Alexandre starting while Weaver sat out with a knee injury.

Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is one of the best in the business, and it’s to Narduzzi’s credit that he has kept him on the staff for four seasons. Partridge will find a replacement for Twyman among Devin Danielson (Thomas Jefferson), David Green (Central Catholic) and Tyler Bentley.

Get the latest news about Pitt football and all things Panthers athletics.