Pitt elder statesmen Rashad Weaver, Jimmy Morrissey focus on final stretch

When Rashad Weaver was asked how he’s changed after five football seasons and more than four years at Pitt, he laughed.

How could he not change?

“I was fresh out of high school (in 2016 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.),” Weaver said, “not doing any type of technique (as a pass-rushing defensive end).

“Only had friends from high school, not people (from) all over the country. You just get thrown in a melting pot (at Pitt), completely different.”

Then, there’s an oddly endearing quirk in his personality that his mom, Autumn DeLaPorte, has noticed.

“My mom told me I wasn’t funny before I came to college,” said Weaver, who turned 23 on Tuesday. “Now, I’m funny all the time. When I go home, I make her and my sister laugh and get annoyed with me. I got funny since I’ve been in college.”

He even takes his sense of humor into line coach Charlie Partridge’s early-morning meetings.

“If I had a good night’s rest, we’ll be in there cracking some jokes until it’s time to get down to business,” Weaver said. “Calm the room down and relax a bit so it’s not so tense.”

Yet, Weaver is far from a class clown. Quite the opposite, actually.

He has grown into one of the ACC’s best pass rushers with 31 ½ career tackles for loss and 15 sacks. Good, but not enough for Weaver.

“I can make the best play of the game, and it disgusts me,” he said. “I nitpick everything.”

Off the field, Weaver has evolved into a well-spoken college graduate who earned a dual major in business information systems and finance. Earlier in his academic career, he was inducted into the Blue-Gold Society, an undergraduate organization intended only for Pitt’s best and brightest.

Which brings this narrative to another Pitt senior, center Jimmy Morrissey, who (like Weaver) could be looking at the final three games of his collegiate career.

Morrissey, 22, also arrived in 2016, but as a walk-on. A year later, he earned a scholarship as he seized the starting job at center.

He will make his 45th start Saturday at Georgia Tech. He has missed only three games in four seasons, and that was because of a foot injury suffered while Pitt was clinching the ACC Coastal championship in 2018.

Also a Blue-Gold member and equally well-spoken, Morrissey has earned a degree in finance and marketing. Outside his virtual classroom, however, he is a team captain for the second consecutive season. As such, he’s the accomplished and respected leader of the offensive line, pushing his teammates through a rough season that has included a four-game losing streak.

Losses to Morrissey are personal.

“You have to take losses to heart,” he said. “It’s the worst thing in football. You put so much time in, and it’s easy to get crushed by a loss, but when you stack four of them on top of each other, it’s heartbreaking.”

Morrissey was encouraged Saturday in a 41-17 victory at Florida State when Pitt ran for a season-high 148 yards and the Seminoles managed only one sack for a loss of 2 yards.

“One thing I saw from our group, especially the O line, is the will to, the need to, improve every day,” he said.

But, also like Weaver, it wasn’t enough.

“There were too many mistakes up front. Even though the run game was better than it has been, it’s still not where we need it to be,” he said. “It’s like death by 1,000 cuts.”

By NCAA mandate, no one loses eligibility in 2020. Weaver and Morrissey can return, if they choose. Both said they have not decided.

“You never know,” Weaver said. “I guess we’ll figure it out after the last game.”

Morrissey is just grateful he has a choice.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I hadn’t thought about it,” he said. “Honestly, I’m happy the NCAA is giving me the option that I can come back if I want to and I can leave if I want to. That’s nice.

“But, no, my mindset’s really on these last couple games and trying to enjoy it. Ever since I got injured in 2018, that’s where my mindset’s been. You never know when that game will be your last.”

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