DE Zach Crothers Looking to Make Second-Year Jump | Pitt All 105

Pitt All 105 is a Pittsburgh Sports Now series profiling each member of the Pitt 2025 training camp roster. In order to prepare for Pitt football’s 2025 season, PSN is breaking down every player on the roster in alphabetical order. Next up is defensive end Zach Crothers.

Defensive end Zach Crothers is entering his second season with the Pitt program as a redshirt freshman.

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 255 pounds
Hometown: Weston, Fla.

2024: Crothers enrolled early in January of 2024 but did not see any game action as he preserved a redshirt.

Camp outlook: It will be the second training camp for Crothers after he spent his freshman season learning the defense under Tim Daoust. He looks to make a second-year jump in a rather deep defensive end room that’s searching for more production.

During the spring, Crothers got more work in a defensive end unit that brought in three transfers. He made a few splash plays that generated a pair of takeaway stickers on his helmet.

Pitt defensive end Zach Crothers goes through drills during spring camp. March 11, 2025 — Ed Thompson / PSN

Projected role: Crothers has an uphill battle on the depth chart to see the field in 2025. Between the veteran players on the roster and transfer additions, Crothers will most likely be working with the 3s or on scout team for a majority on the season.

Nonetheless, it will be another year for Crothers to grow into the defense and prepare for a future role that could open up sooner rather than later. He is an intriguing depth option that relies on his long arms to make plays.

Coming out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep, Crothers was a three-star prospect with other offers from Akron, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Brown, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, Indiana, Liberty, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon State, Toledo, USF and Western Michigan.

As a senior, Crothers was a key piece for a defense that recorded six shutouts and went on to a 14-0 record and a Florida Class 1M championship. He totaled 53 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and an interception (returned 25 yards for a touchdown).

A quote from Crothers on his ability to make plays with his long reach: “It helps me get space between offensive linemen, so part of this defense, what they’ve been teaching us, especially coach Malcolm (Robinson), is that when we’re pass rushing, we want to create space and then take it away. I feel like I can do that well with my reach.”