How Could a New-Look Pitt Defensive Line Shake Out?

Charlie Partridge has set a very, very high bar with incredibly consistent sustained success in the Pitt defensive line room, but that bar certainly was not cleared in 2023. It wasn’t all that close either.

Pitt led all of college football in sacks over the four seasons leading into 2023, with 26 more than second place Alabama, but the Panthers weren’t able to consistently generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and failed to create that push upfront to stop opposing running backs.

Pitt finished 2023 tied for 30th in sacks (31), tied for 17th in tackles for loss (83) and 64th in rush defense (150.4 yards allowed per game) in the NCAA.

And with David Green, Devin Danielson and Tyler Bentley exhausting their respective eligibility, and Deandre Jules and Nate Temple entering the transfer portal, that is an awful lot of experience off the table. In 2023 alone, that’s 1,871 defensive snaps and 33 combined starts.

But all of those snaps didn’t exactly result in success. Jules is a surprising loss, one of the better performers on the inside for the Panthers, but the trio of Green, Danielson and Bentley combined for just 15 pressures and 3.5 sacks in 438 combined pass rushing snaps. And the unit wasn’t all that effective in stopping the run.

The defense as a whole generated just 173 pressures in 2023, which is down from 293 in 2022 and 280 in 2021. There were no difference-makers, no impact players with the ability to take over a football game.

It remains to be seen whether or not the young players on the defense will have that ability, the early showings were encouraging, and there will not be a choice. There’s going to be a lot of youth on the defensive line next season — inside and outside.

There’s a lot that goes into playing for Partridge, and it’s notoriously hard to crack the rotation as a young player, but with five veterans gone, it’s time for Dayon Hayes to lead the kids forward. Hayes, despite just sacks, was impactful last season. His 42 pressures were nearly as much as the next three Panthers combined (48). And all three were linebackers — and two of them (Shayne Simon and Bangally Kamara) are gone.

Hayes’ return is huge. He’s a veteran guy, entering his fifth season, who earned a lot of praise from Partridge throughout the season — turning the near misses into production at the end of the season.

Samuel Okunlola and Jimmy Scott should each be key contributors on the end in 2024, with Okunlola primed for a true breakout campaign after showing flashes all throughout the season and making his first start against Boston College. Hayes, Okunlola, Scott and Bam Brima are a solid rotation. And it will be even better with an impact transfer — but it will be expensive to land an impact end.

The impact “transfer” could also come in the form of Ed Conway Award winner Nahki Johnson, who, for whatever reason, did not see the field much in 2023. He was surpassed on the depth chart by Okunlola and Scott, but he was a training camp darling who has a lot of skill on the outside.

The early focus in the transfer portal has been on the inside, with an offer extended to Middle Tennessee State defensive tackle Marley Cook Thursday night, and there will need to be more as just Sean FitzSimmons and Elliot Donald return with serious snaps under their belt. And even then, the pair have just 157 career defensive snaps between them. Isaiah Neal has just two.

The wait for Donald to finally emerge has seemingly been neverending, ever since he arrived as one of the highest-rated recruits in the Pat Narduzzi era in 2021, but he has not been able to carve out consistent playing time. There has been a glut of defensive linemen ahead of him, certainly, but it’s now or never. Pitt will need him.

FitzSimmons appeared to have leapfrogged Donald in the defensive tackle rotation over the summer, but he was nicked up early in the season and didn’t receive much playing time once he was healthy. As it currently stands, Donald and FitzSimmons would be Week 1 starters in 2024.

I’d expect the transfer portal to be a resource in beefing up the inexperienced defensive line, but it’s now or never for the younger linemen, too. Donald has a chance to finally earn a heavier workload. And the Pitt class of 2024 is highlighted by a number of talented defensive tackles.

Jahsear Whittington, Sincere Edwards and Francis Brewu should all be able to come in, especially if they’re early arrivals, and compete for playing time — along with Neal and Antonio Camon.

Potential Defensive Line Depth Chart 

DE — Dayon Hayes — Jimmy Scott OR Nahki Johnson — Maverick Gracio

DL — Sean FitzSimmons

DL — Elliot Donald — Isaiah Neal

DE — Samuel Okunlola — Bam Brima — Antonio Camon

Incoming Defensive Linemen  

Francis Brewu — three-star defensive tackle from Columbus, Oh., 6-foot-3, 265 pounds

Sincere Edwards — four-star defensive lineman from Apopka, Fl., 6-foot-3, 240 pounds

Jahsear Whittington — four-star defensive tackle from Philadelphia, Pa., 6-foot-1, 270 pounds

Zachary Crothers — three-star defensive end from Hollywood, Fl., 6-foot-4, 240 pounds

Ty Yuhas — three-star defensive lineman from Pittsburgh, Pa., 6-foot-3, 250 pounds.

Whittington, Edwards and Brewu are a couple of jewels from the Pitt class, and all three should be able to at least compete for playing time sooner rather than later. Zachary Crothers has put together an excellent senior season at a powerhouse high school in Florida, and Yuhas has a lot of untapped potential to be unleashed.