Brennan Armstrong of the Virginia Cavaliers scrambles away from Nahki Johnson of the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second half during a game at Scott Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Charlottesville, Virginia. 1

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ccarter@post-gazette.com JUL 11, 2023 12:07 PM Lisa: Football breakout players on offense and defense? Carter: I’ll give you two players on each side of the ball. West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against TCU in Morgantown, W.Va., Saturday, March 5, 2022. ( Ryan Baer is the offensive lineman I see taking a big leap in 2023. He’s a 6-foot-7, 330-pound redshirt freshman from Eastlake, Ohio, who was a four-star recruit and could be the first offensive tackle off the bench this season. Injuries are bound to happen in a season, and Pitt has seen offensive linemen in recent years step up in relief like Matt Goncalves, Blake Zubovic and Jake Kradel. But now, Goncalves, Zubovic and Kradel are the redshirt seniors who are projected to start on the offensive line, and Pitt needs newer, younger offensive linemen to fill in as backups. Baer is the best candidate to to be this year’s top backup for his strength and natural skill at offensive tackle. While Baer is young, he’s also a physical presence on the line that is projected to be the leader of the next generation of Pitt’s offensive linemen. Between Kradel, Goncalves, Zubovic and Ryan Jacoby, four of Pitt’s starters are seniors. That means offensive line coach Dave Borbely needs to start finding his next starters soon. The other offensive player is Israel Polk, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound true freshman receiver from Richmond, Calif. Polk stood out among Pitt’s receivers in spring camp and in the Blue-Gold spring game back in April. His ability to separate in his breaks and route running impressed, and with his athletic profile, he could become one of the Panthers’ primary receivers to come off the bench behind Daejon Reynolds, Bub Means and Konata Mumpfield. On defense, the top player projected to break out is defensive end Nahki Johnson. He’s a 6-foot-2, 255-pound redshirt sophomore who attended West Mifflin. He played in eight games last season and projects to be the top edge rusher to pair with Dayon Hayes on Pitt’s defensive line. Hayes credits Johnson with being well ahead in his learning curve under defensive line coach Charlie Partridge. The Panthers saw several of their defensive line stars leave to the NFL in Calijah Kancey, Deslin Alexandre and Habakkuk Baldonado. But if Pitt’s going to continue its dominance as one of the top pass-rushing units in the country, it will take new talent to step up as primary playmakers for the defense. Johnson was a four-star prospect, and both he and Hayes could be key to Pitt maintaining its status as one of the best pass-rushing programs in college football. Head coach Pat Narduzzi leads his Pitt Panthers out on the field before their annual Blue Gold game at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Noah Hiles Pitt recruitment report: 2 more commitment dates announced; basketball adds local walk-on The second defensive breakout candidate is safety Javon McIntyre, the 6-foot, 195-pound redshirt sophomore from who started in the Pitt’s Sun Bowl win. The Panthers have depended on veteran safeties Erick Hallett II and Brandon Hill the past two seasons as starters, and McIntyre has been one of their top backups alongside P.J. O’Brien. In the limited time McIntyre was on the field, he recorded two interceptions and three pass breakups. As he gains more experience in Pitt’s secondary, he poses to be a key factor in the Panthers’ turnover efforts. Bill: Che Nwabuko may be the fastest on the team, is there any sign he sees the field this year? Carter: Che Nwabuko is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound redshirt freshman who sat all of last season. Officially listed as a wide receiver, he’ll be playing behind tough competition among the Panthers’ other pass catchers. But Nwabuko was renowned in high school as a speedy track star, and his speed would be an asset to Pitt’s offense. A better chance for him to see the field is as a return specialist. The Panthers used their top running back in Israel Abanikanda as their return man last season and would be smart to not use their top running back, Rodney Hammond, as their return man this season. Nwabuko would be a strong candidate to fill that role. Sean: When is Pitt going to build an on-campus football stadium and will there be a “O” stand in the new stadium? Carter: I’ll always answer this question the same way: A new on-campus football stadium isn’t happening. There’s no space in Oakland for a football arena to be the size the Panthers would need without a complete overhaul of the area. Highly attended Pitt basketball games already backup traffic in Oakland because of the limited space in the area. Once Victory Heights is completed, Pitt’s new athletic complex that will house the majority of the athletic department, there will be a new era of Pitt athletics. Whatever the university plans to do after that could involve other new developments, but I have a hard time ever seeing one of those developments being a new football arena. But the resurrection of the hot dog shop? Sign me up. Chris: Where is Noah? Carter: He’s enjoying a much-deserved vacation!