Pat Narduzzi won’t say that a Pitt true freshman has his redshirt “burned” if he plays in more than four games his first season, but he also acknowledged that there’s a fine line between just throwing a true freshman out for two or three snaps a game and actually gaining in-game experience with a solid snap count.
Pitt has already had five true freshmen reach the four game limit this season, and at this point in the season, with four games left, there are decisions to be made.
Kenny Johnson, BJ Williams and Jordan Bass have all started games this season, working their way into those legitimate snap counts, and Braylan Lovelace is right there despite not officially making a start this season. Rasheem Biles hasn’t taken many defensive snaps, but he’s been an impact special teamer this season.
I’d imagine as the final month of the season rolls around, barring a four-game win streak to close out the season and earn bowl eligibility, will feature those five true freshmen.
But there are additional Pitt true freshmen who will find themselves receiving increased opportunities, too.
“You look at Bass and Biles, those are the first guys that come to me. BJ’s been playing, so I expect him to still be locked in. But that’s a great question because there’s one guy that I’ve got to mention, and we’ve got four games left and he’s not played. We’ve got a green light on him. His name is in green right now.
“It’s Cruce Brookins. He’s going to be a phenomenal football player. We like how he plays fast, he just keeps getting smarter every week. He’s gotten more reps this week, but I’m excited about his potential — not only for the future, but I told coach Powell, like, ‘Don’t be afraid to put him in the game on kickoff.’ I’d rather his first play be on kickoff return or punt return or something like that instead of defense — just to get his feet wet. There’s a lot of pressure out there. It’s not easy, so he’s really done a nice job.
Brookins — a 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety from Steel Valley in Munhall, Pa. — earned a lot of praise over the summer as he quickly adapted to life at the collegiate level as a mid-year arrival. He hasn’t seen the field yet, but obviously, his time is now.
And he’s not alone either. Johnson has been the lone wide receiver from the class of 2023 to make an impact so far this season, but all four earned their fair share of praise over the offseason — and all three have actually seen the field earlier this season.
“Izzy Polk was another guy that’s staying locked in,” Narduzzi said. “He’s played two games, he’s got two to go, and I don’t want to waste him for three plays. I’m saving it. We’ve been fortunate at the receiver spot to stay healthy, but he’s ready to go if needed when that time comes.”
Polk doesn’t have the same luxury as Brookins when it comes to earning snaps over the final four games, having already appeared in two games this season, but he should find himself with opportunities over the next four weeks.
Polk has appeared in two games and Lamar Seymore and Zion Fowler-El have appeared in one game. I wouldn’t be surprised if all three — but especially Polk — receive snaps over the next few weeks.
But even though there’s increased opportunity for snaps throughout the remainder of the season, those snaps won’t just go to random snaps here and there. With the redshirt requirements still in place for the majority of the Pitt true freshmen, those snaps will be strategically distributed.
“It’s good for the future, but it’s not good for right now,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t care about the future right now. I care about one day at a time. I care about what I’m doing today, what we did yesterday. I worried about yesterday yesterday and today today. I worry about tomorrow and Saturday. That’s why we try to be calculated with who we’re playing, when we’re playing, ‘Hold on, don’t play him.’
“There was talk about Cruce last week about Cruce, and I said, ‘Don’t do that, don’t waste him at the end of the game.’ So, those conversations are going on all the time, just to protect guys and get the most that we can out of them if we have the chance to. … I’m trying to win a football game.”
So, if a Pitt true freshman is in the game, it’s with the expectation that they’re going to help Pitt win now. Not in the future.
True Freshman Stats:
Kenny Johnson: seven carries for 43 yards, nine receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown and nine kick returns for 267 yards and a touchdown
Montravius Lloyd: five carries for 20 yards, one reception for seven yards
Jordan Bass: eight tackles (four solo), two tackles for loss
Braylan Lovelace: 18 tackles (seven solo), one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, one defensive touchdown
Rasheem Biles: one tackle, two blocked punts
Zion Fowler-El: one catch for -3 yards
True Freshman Game Count:
Kenny Johnson — 8 games (3 starts)
BJ Williams — 6 games (4 starts)
Jordan Bass — 6 games (1 start)
Rasheem Biles — 6 games
Braylan Lovelace — 7 games
Zion Fowler-El — 1 game
Izzy Polk — 2 games
Montravius Lloyd — 1 game
Lamar Seymore — 1 game
Isaiah Neal — 1 game
Cruce Brookins — 0 games
Jesse Anderson — 0 games
Ryan Carretta — 0 games
Antonio Camon — 0 games
Shadarian Harrison — 0 games
Ty Dieffenbach — 0 games
T.J. Harvison — 0 games
Maverick Gracio — 0 games
Tai Ray — 0 games
