Pitt Football
‘I Want to be a Hitter’: P.J. O’Brien Expanding Game Beyond Takeaways
When observing the defensive players during fall camp, it’s hard to miss the takeaway stickers slapped across P.J. O’Brien Jr.’s gold helmet.
With five takeaways in camp, O’Brien has carried over his knack for snagging the ball from the 2023 season where he snatched three interceptions – the second-most on the team and the only safety with a pick.
Simply put, when the ball is in the air, expect O’Brien to be within striking distance.
“P.J.’s a football player,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said Wednesday. “He’s got the best ball skills back there. He’s got a nose for the football; he finds a way to catch it all the time. He had another beautiful one yesterday.”
— p5🎮 (@PhillipOJr) August 20, 2024
O’Brien knows better than anyone that he can make a splash play when the ball is thrown downfield, but now, he wants to further a different element of his game to make an even wider impact on the game.
“I want to be a hitter this year,” O’Brien said.
The senior wants to provide a multi-dimensional option for the Panthers, to complement some of the other talent in the secondary.
“I know I can get the ball,” O’Brien said. “I know I can intercept the ball. I know when the ball’s in the air, I’m going to go get it. Now, I want to make those tackles out in space. I want to make those tackles for loss. I want to make those big hits. I want to make plays like Donovan McMillon in the box. I feel like I can show off more to everybody and make plays on the ball.”
McMillon set a high standard when it came to finishing last season, leading the Panthers with 105 tackles — the most since Jordan Whitehead in 2015.
For O’Brien to live up to that precedent, it all starts with his maturation process.
“When I would get in freshman, sophomore year, it was kind of hard for me to slow the game down. When I get in, I wanted to make the big play and make the play I dreamed about. Slowing the game down and making plays that come to you, that was the best thing I ever did. Being at the right spot at the right spot, the plays come to you,” O’Brien said.
Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Phillip O’Brien Jr. (5) October 5, 2023 David Hague/PSN
As the Pompano Beach, Fla. native slows the game down to make a tackle, that’s also something the entirety of the defense will need to focus on. Last season, the Panthers were inept at times when it came to tackling and making plays, so now it’s about resolving those matters.
“I feel like last year, we didn’t compete against the other team’s defense,” O’Brien said. “We didn’t play better than the other team’s defense. We play better than the other team’s defense, I guarantee we’ll win a lot more games this year. We got to have more takeaways than the other team, got to have more TFLs. We just got to play better than the other defense and do our job and everything will come along.”
O’Brien, who will line up at free safety, is one of four safeties – McMillon, Javon McIntyre and Cruce Brookins – who will play meaningful snaps in the secondary. A unit that often relied on just two players in the past is one of the deepest groups for Pitt.
“We got a three-man, four-man rotation back there. I’m happy with where it is and it’s nice to keep those guys fresh. They’re getting attacked, they run a lot. We got a lot of faith that PJ’s going to catch the ball when it comes his way and that’s important,” Narduzzi said.
For O’Brien, he is all for the depth, taking a quality over quantity approach.
“I feel like having a deep room is a great thing because all of us get reps and all of us get to coach each other up and tell each other what we see on the field,” he said.
