As Pitt’s Sept. 2 season opener against Wofford grows closer, plenty of questions have been asked about what the Panthers are capable of offensively.
Will former Pine-Richland standout and high-profile transfer Phil Jurkovec take the reins seamlessly at quarterback?
Are the Panthers prepared to run the football effectively in the post-Israel Abanikanda era?
However, one aspect of Pitt’s offense that perhaps has received less attention has been how the Panthers will incorporate tight ends into their game plan.
The Panthers turned to tight ends regularly last fall, with then-sophomore Gavin Bartholomew recording 21 catches for 281 yards. His receptions and yards both ranked fourth on the team.
And Bartholomew provided a memorable moment when he hurdled Tennessee’s Trevon Flowers en route to a 57-yard touchdown Sept. 10.
This hurdle by Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew ????
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 10, 2022
(via @ACCFootball)pic.twitter.com/dMeHlRy20g
Jurkovec seems like he’ll need little encouragement to target tight ends.
“They can be weapons attacking defenses vertically down the field,” he said. “I love throwing to tight ends. They’re great targets.”
Last year at Boston College, Jurkovec connected often with tight end George Takacs, who was the team’s third-leading receiver.
Bartholomew has seen evidence of Jurkovec’s appreciation for tight ends first-hand during workouts.
“The tape doesn’t lie,” Bartholomew said. “Even during spring camp and now in fall camp, he loves tight ends and is going to try to find a way to find them,” Bartholomew said.
Jurkovec will get to work with a group led by Bartholomew, returners Karter Johnson and Jake Renda as well as Southern Cal transfer Malcolm Epps.
“I think our tight end room has grown tremendously,” Bartholomew said. “I think since I’ve been here, it’s probably been one of the strongest, if not maybe our ‘21 year, but we’ve grown so much on the field, off the field and together as a whole. We’re doing a really good job.”
Johnson, a redshirt senior, recorded six catches for 89 yards last season, his first with Pitt after transferring from Butler Community College in Kansas.
Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi complimented Johnson’s work during camp and singled out Renda, who played primarily on special teams last season.
“Jake is a guy that can do a lot of different things,” Narduzzi said. “He’s kind of the guy that’s (a) mismatch — he’s tough enough, physical enough to be in the box blocking and also athletic enough to go out wide and run receiver routes.”
Bringing in the 6-foot-6, 255-pound Epps represents an intriguing addition.
Epps has played five collegiate seasons — two with USC and three at Texas — and is the tallest tight end on the team.
He brings 49 games (12 starts) of experience, with 37 career catches for 483 yards.
Narduzzi alluded to Epps still needing to master Pitt’s offense, but the 23-year-old provides depth and size.
“Epps (has) done a heck of a job,” Narduzzi said. “Again, I think he gets better every day. He’s like the new guy. (With) the new terminology, there’s days where he’ll swim and look around, so I think his best ball is ahead of him as we start to move through this. I think every week he’ll get more comfortable because there’s a lot of terminology in an offense.”
