After Pitt's secondary collapse against Oklahoma State a couple of games ago, Pat Narduzzi was asked if there would be any personnel changes coming. At the time, he said no.
However, it sounds as if the head coach is reconsidering after yet another disappointing game by the Panthers' pass defense.
"You might see one or two," Narduzzi said when asked if the Panthers coaches would be making any personnel changes. "I don't know if it will help things. There's always time to shake things up a little bit and we'll shake things up."
Narduzzi also made a point to say that he believes that the coaches have most of the right players on the field. But his admission that there could be changes coming means that they are at least open to trying a few different guys.
So where could Pitt be making some changes? I mean, if it's not the secondary, I don't know where it would be. One that stands out to me in particular is safety. Terrish Webb had a rough game against North Carolina and if you remember back to training camp, the safety spot opposite Jordan Whitehead was one that went right down to the wire with Webb and Reggie Mitchell, a former starter. Giving Mitchell a crack at the starting job might not be a terrible idea.
Then there's cornerback. Unfortunately, the team isn't as deep here with another known commodity available. Both Avonte Maddox and Ryan Lewis have struggled this year and some might argue that Maddox has been worse. Ironically, Maddox was/is the No. 1 guy out of camp and his job wasn't seen as up for grabs while Lewis was fighting to win his.
The problem is that there isn't a Mitchell-like opportunity here. Pitt could try to turn to one of its younger guys like Dane Jackson or Phillipie Motley, the two players listed behind Maddox and Lewis on the depth chart. But both are underclassmen, as are others such as freshmen Malik Henderson and Therran Coleman.
It's fine to clamor for changes, but part of the reason the Panthers have been hesitant to make moves there is simply because those guys are very, very green.
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