Do Pittsburgh Panthers Have Top 25 Potential?

Offense

For the second straight year, the Panthers have to replace a quarterback, this time from an offense that relied heavily on the passing game. Tom Savage’s 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions, and 61.2 percent completion rate would seem to be hard to forget. But the Panthers appear to have found their quarterback of the future in sophomore Chad Voytik. A 4-star on Rivals, Voytik is a drop-back passer who could be a dual threat if he wanted to be, having clocked in a sub-4.6 40 time. The quarterback position should have very little drop-off with him. There will be some because of his youth, but by the end of the season he should be as good as his two predecessors. And then he’s around for two more years.

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The running game will be utilized more heavily this year with the return of last year’s two leading rushers. Sophomore James Connor could turn into a superstar after being the No. 2 back in a two running back system but still managing 799 yards and 5.5 yards per carry on average to go along with 8 touchdowns as a freshman. At 6’2″ 230 pounds, he also provides very unique size that should allow him to shoulder a very heavy load. Senior Isaac Bennett is the other back, and he manager 797 yards and 7 touchdowns last year. Together, both running backs should make for one of the strongest running games in college football, and like the quarterback position, Connor is around for two more years after this year. Meaning the future of the backfield is great, especially when you consider that fullback Jaymar Parrish is also a sophomore, as is the No. 3 running back from last year’s team, Rachid Ibrahim. Chryst also brought in 4-star freshman Chris James, so this unit is loaded for the future.

As if a loaded backfield for the next three years isn’t enough, last year’s team had a 1,100-yard receiver, who was a freshman. Tyler Boyd is back this year after 1,174 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is a reason that there might not be any drop-off at the quarterback position, but even if there is, it won’t be for long. The combination of Boyd, Connor, and Voytik is something Panthers fans should be incredibly excited about for up to the next three years. There is also some veteran talent on this unit as well, though, which will help for this year. Senior Kevin Weatherspoon will have a larger role after only 155 yards last year, and it’s not worth pretending that Devin Street is won’t be a loss as the No. 2 receiver. But Weatherspoon should be fine filling the position. Senior tight end Manasseh Garner and junior tight end J.P. Holtz should both be very reliable this year as well after combining for 600 receiving yards to go along with 3 touchdowns for Manasseh. The future is in tact even more so thanks to recruiting with sophomore receivers Chris Wuestner and Dontez Ford, sophomore tight end Scott Orndoff, and three highly recruited freshmen receivers in Zach Challingsworth, who is a redshirt, Adonis Jennings, and Elijah Zeise. The unit should be deeper and more experienced than it was last year, and like the rest of the offense it seems, it will only get better over the next two years.

Dec 26, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Tyler Boyd (23) makes a catch while being pushed out of bounds during the first quarter of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against the Bowling Green Falcons at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The offensive line returns three starters and, like the receiving corps., will have a strong mix of veterans and very young talent. Senior guard Matt Rotheram, senior tackle T.J. Clemmings, and junior center Artie Rowell are all very experienced linemen. Rotheram provides amazing size at 6’6″ 340 pounds, and Rowll and Clemmings both stand at 305 pounds. Cory King, Juantez Hollins, and Ryan Schlieper are all regular contributors who are gone, but they won’t be missed. Sophomores Adam Bisnowaty and Dorian Johnson were both very highly recruited linemen at left guard and left tackle respectively, and they both started games as freshmen last year. This year, they’ll be plugged into the rotation full time, and look for them to break out into superstars. This is another part of the offense with star sophomores that should stick around for three years. As far as depth goes, senior center Shane Johnson will be involved in the rotation as well, and sophomores Gabe Roberts and John Guy could also see significant action. That makes four sophomores that will be experienced on the line by next year, and Chryst also has three redshirt freshmen and two highly recruited true freshmen in Mike Grimm and Alex Bookser that will have the line loaded for the few years. The offensive line as a whole will be better this year, and look for it to continue to improve going into the future.

Chryst played lots of freshmen on an offense last year that still managed to average more than 26 points per game, and with so many of them back this year, seniors to help bring along the underclassmen that will start, and an incredible job of recruiting, this offense should be better this year, despite breaking in a new quarterback. Voytik may be less experienced, but he has more talent than Savage. He’ll be better by the midpoint of the season. Continue to Next Slide for Defense