Pitt Football’s Brewing Middle Linebacker Battle Awaits Fall Camp

When Pitt linebackers Brandon George and Keye Thompson both departed this offseason after their eligibility expired, it left a void in the middle that needed filled during spring camp.

Braylan Lovelace, a junior, started four games at the Money linebacker position last season, but slid into the Mike spot at the beginning of camp and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi noted early on that the Leechburg, Pa. native is “in there starting right now.”

Then there’s Jeremiah Marcelin. A stout 6-2, 235-pound sophomore that was the third Mike option a season ago as he burned his redshirt primarily on special teams.

Lovelace had the edge to start camp, but it appears there is now a middle linebacker battle brewing with Marcelin that won’t be solved until fall camp opens in over three months.

“Jeremiah’s right there. Jeremiah and Lovelace can play either one. Last week, Lovelace got some reps at the Mike. Jeremiah played Mike and played boundary backer, the Money spot, too. They’re still fighting at the Mike spot,” Narduzzi said on March 27.

Two weeks later on the final day of spring practice, defensive coordinator Randy Bates spoke on the play of Marcelin in camp, which illustrated a different view from a month prior.

“Jeremiah Marcelin’s made great strides and could be one of the three starters. If not, he will be one of the four starters if you will. That’s a good problem to have,” Bates said.

Pitt linebacker Jeremiah Marcelin standing out at spring practice. April 3, 2025 / Ed Thompson. PSN.

With All-American Kyle Louis back at Star and Rasheem Biles the projected starter at Money after finishing the season with six starting assignments there, it leaves one opening up the middle for Lovelace and Marcelin and it’s a spot that commands more of a vocal approach to lead the defense.

“It’s a nice role to have,” Lovelace said during camp. “The leader of the defense is something I want to be on my plate…You got to take care of the whole defense. I got to get the front set, I got to get the blitz directions, take off blitzes, checks. It’s a big vocal part.”

Marcelin is taking on that vocal role with open arms as well.

“I think I’ve become real vocal,” Marcelin said. “I think everybody knew I was already physical coming in kind of show on special teams where I had fit in. I think it’s the vocal side of being a Mike. I think I’ve taken on that control when it comes to being on the field, making judgement decisions at times at Mike. You got to do that at times.”

This spring, linebackers coach Ryan Manalac took note of both Lovelace and Marcelin embracing the Mike role.

“Both Braylan and Jeremiah had a great spring,” Manalac said after the spring game. “As you think about losing Brandon George and Keye Thompson there, some veteran guys in the middle, that was something we needed to see this spring and their developments’ been great. They’ve garnered trust from the rest of the defense that they can command and they can get everybody lined up from a mental standpoint and their both playmakers.”

Lovelace was productive last year and even a little bit overshadowed at times by Louis and Biles. He finished with 53 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and a pick-six.

Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Braylan Lovelace (0) November 16, 2024 David Hague/PSN

Marcelin played a reserve linebacker role and logged one tackle against Youngstown State. Still, his upside flashed over the past month.

“Braylan, picking up for what he did last year, shows he can continue to make plays. Then Jeremiah, who was a little more limited last year, you got to see him really show his physical presence, which is good to see. He’s a strong young man physically, but his mental preparation’s been really impressive, too,” Manalac said.

While the starting job is wide open, the defensive staff is welcoming the competition because both linebackers will still find themselves on the field no matter what in 2025.

“We’re going to need both guys. I think they make each other better and they make us better as a defense and as a football team. Fired up to see where they’re at and they’ll continue, and kind of our last talk there as linebackers, we’re building that foundation, we got to keep going through the end of spring here through summer through fall camp to get where we want to go. I think they’re hungry. They both need to keep going. This has been great, but they need to keep getting better and they will,” Manalac said.

As that unit continues to grow, there is always an option to have four linebackers on the field as Narduzzi indicated this spring with a different look on third down.

“We’re looking for guys that can run,” Narduzzi said. “The first thing is, they got to be athletic. You look at our guys – there’s a lot of teams in the country that are going to play with two linebackers and they play with a nickelback. They play what we call a 4-2-5. We’re a 4-3 and we’re playing with three linebackers and we’re not subbing. The great thing about if you want to come to Pitt and be a linebacker is you’re playing every down. We never take a linebacker off the field. Matter of fact, we’re talking about playing with four linebackers on third down.”