Pitt Linebacking Corps Taking Shape Through Early Days of Spring

There’s been a bit of shuffling into the Pitt linebacking corps this offseason as old players have left, new players have arrived (along with a familiar face returning) and the returning players have gotten some much-needed experience.

The Pitt linebacking corps was an up-and-down unit in 2023, and it lost two starters from last season (Shayne Simon and Bangally Kamara), but as a whole, there’s a lot to like about both the present and future of the room after some trial by fire last season.

Solomon DeShields broke out last season, and he’s the self-proclaimed leader of the unit this season (with some help from Brandon George), but he’s not alone. The young, talented outside linebackers rising through the system will be making an impact sooner rather than later.

George, who decided to enter the transfer portal following the season and return just under two weeks later, has served as valuable depth for just about the entirety of his Pitt career. He’s played in 51 games. He’s been around for a long time now. And it appears that his time has arrived. But it’s the guy behind him who’s surprising.

“Brandon George is our starting Mike right now, but we’re going to play some guys there,” Pat Narduzzi said last week. “We’re going to play six linebackers a lot. I’ll tell you — (Braylan) Lovelace is in there right now. Braylan Lovelace is looking good at Mike linebacker. He had a play today — he had a blitz, and then he redirected to his right and made a tackle, and I was like, ‘Holy cow.’

“He looked like — as a matter of fact, SirVocea Dennis was out there — he looked like a little SirVocea Dennis out there today, changing directions, getting flat and making plays. So, Braylan’s another young guy that I think continues to get better.”

It’s no surprise that George is in place as the current starting Mike, but it is a new development that Lovelace is playing inside. He played a decent amount as a true freshman, mostly at Star, and it does appear that he may be following in the footsteps of someone like Dennis — a linebacker who may be more suited outside but possesses the traits to impact a football game from the inside.

Lovelace, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, is intriguing. He stepped in last season as a legitimate difference-maker, and it perhaps shouldn’t have been surprising considering he earned rave reviews from the second he stepped on campus last winter.

George may be the guy who’s currently leading the way inside, but Lovelace could be a legitimate playmaker from the inside, too.

“(George is) a fifth-year guy with a ton of experience, and Lovelace gives him a chance to catch his breath at times, which gives us good depth there, which we’re excited about. And we’ll see what the freshmen give when they get out there — Jeremiah (Marcelin) — and see what he can do.”

Marcelin, who himself looks like a grown man at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, may be another athletic linebacker who is destined for some work at Mike. But his skillset does seem to be best suited at Money — serving as a downhill rusher off the edge.

DeShields is locked in as the starting Money linebacker, and at this point in time, Kyle Louis is the starting Star linebacker. I’d say Jordan Bass, Rasheem Biles and Keye Thompson will compete for the remaining outside linebacker spots. I’d say Bass at Star, and Biles at Money — with Thompson at both Mike and Money.

Cam Lindsey and Davin Brewton will be arriving to the Pitt linebacking corps this summer, too.