2007 Season Preview
Pitt Panthers
By Chris Dokish

With head coach Dave Wannstedt about to enter his third season at the helm, Pitt fans are hoping that the time has arrived for the former Pitt offensive lineman to get the program back to a bowl.

That may not be easy considering the fact that the three most accomplished players from last year-Tyler Palko, H.B. Blades, and Darrelle Revis-have moved on to the NFL

One thing Wannstedt has done is recruit, and if he can get his young talent on the fast track, the third season may be the charm.

Palko may be the biggest loss since his heir apparent at quarterback will be lacking in experience. The heavy favorite to take over the offense is junior Bill Stull, a solid player if he masters Matt Cavanaugh's offense. True freshman Pat Bostick has a bright future and will get every opportunity to play, but freshman quarterbacks rarely make a positive difference.

Stull will benefit from a deep and talented receiving corps. There isn't a superstar in the bunch, but senior Derek Kinder is highly underrated, and junior Marcell Pestano and sophomores Oderick Turner, T.J. Porter, and Cedric McGee are all above average. The tight end position has a future star in Nate Byham who should start in front of senior Darrelle Strong and sophomore John Pelusi.

The offensive line has a chance to be good after years of sub-par play. The left side is set with returning senior starter Jeff Otah at tackle and junior C.J. Davis at guard. Senior Mike McGlynn, who started at right tackle last year, will likely be moved to center so that Jason Pinkston can get on the field. Right guard should again be manned by soph Joe Thomas, although true freshman Chris Jacobson is a future star.

If the line gels, the running game has a chance to shine. Tiny but tough Larod Stephens-Howling, a junior with great quickness, played well as a starter last season, but will pushed by true freshman LeSean McCoy, an elite talent that will be almost impossible to keep off the field. At fullback, underrated junior Conredge Collins returns as the starter.

The defense is much more suspect. The line, led by senior Joe Clermond at end, has a lot of young talent. Soph end Doug Fulmer has star potential but is still battling injuries, which leaves unspectacular senior Chris McKillop battling for time with four highly talented, but very young, ends in redshirt freshman Greg Romeus, sophomore JC transfer Tommy Duhart, and true freshmen Justin Hargrove and Tony Tucker. Both tackle starters return in juniors Rashaad Duncan and Gus Mustakas, but they will have to hold off talented sophs John Malecki and Mick Williams.

The linebacking corps is clearly the weakest position on the team with all three starters gone. Junior Scott McKillop gets first dibs in the middle, with the outside spots being fought over by junior Adam Gunn and sophomores Dorin Dickerson and Shane Murray. Gunn and Murray are former safeties and Dickerson was a running back and receiver last season.

Revis will be missed a lot but his corner spot will be taken by talented soph Aaron Berry. The other corner will again be manned by senior Kennard Cox. Senior Mike Phillips and junior Eric Thatcher look to be the safety starters. Neither excels in coverage, but both play the run well and hit hard. Depth here is a question, especially with enigmatic sophomore Scoot Fields suspended for the season.

The kicking game could be excellent with sophomore Conor Lee returning and Purdue transfer Dave Brytus arriving with an all-star resume.