It comes two days after Pitt kicked off spring ball, and two days since Pitt knocked off Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to play Iowa State Friday, so it’s been an eventful — and very fruitful — few days for Pitt athletics.
With practice once again indoors Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Pitt’s preparation for the Blue-Gold Spring Game on April 15, which is almost exactly two months away now, continued to heat up.
It’s tough to put too much stock into drills that are open to the media, considering they’re designed to withhold as much as possible, but it’s always nice to get a look at offseason growth — and to watch the quarterbacks throw.
We got to see a little bit of Phil Jurkovec, Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell Thursday, working the route tree with the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.
It wasn’t the crispest showing from either Jurkovec or Veilleux, with both overshooting their targets on fade routes. Jurkovec did a better job leading his receivers, even if his ball may have been just a touch out of reach on occasion. But honestly, Yarnell looked the best in hitting the deep shots. He throws a real nice, arcing ball.
There will be a lot more throwing this spring, so it will definitely be very interesting to continue following the progression of Jurkovec and Veilleux in the system.
Another area with significant turnover is Partridge’s defensive line, and I’ll be continuing to watch guys like Nahki Johnson, Elliot Donald, Sean FitzSimmons, Jimmy Scott and Sam Okunlola. There’s an awful of young talent to work with here, and I think it’s a matter of sooner rather than later when it comes to their on-field contributions.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Johnson really take the next step this season. He’s long and strong, weighing in around 260 pounds now, and you can tell he’s really bought into the system.
Erick Hallett was back on the South Side Thursday, too, watching a bit of practice. His old spot is up for grabs, and P.J. O’Brien is someone who’s looking to compete for it, with the likes Donovan McMillon and Javon McIntyre. McMillon, in particular, is very well-built, listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. I think he’s the leader in the clubhouse to take over for Hallett.
There were a few priority recruits on the South Side Thursday, including four-star edge Brian Robinson (Youngstown, Ohio) and three-star offensive lineman Adham Abouraya (Exton, Pennsylvania). Both were in town for Pitt’s Junior Day back in January, too.
