Pitt Offensive Line Situation.

Ryan Turnley 

                  Pitt does not have a strong offensive line. They have a lot of question marks going forward into the 2012 season. The group up front consists of Chris Jacobsen, Ryan Turnley, Matt Rotheram, Cory King, and Ryan Schlieper. Turnley and Jacobsen are the best of the bunch going into the season. This will be Jacobsen's sixth year at Pitt and the senior has plenty of experience and talent. He is also the smallest guy of the group at 6-3 295 pounds. Ryan Turnley was thrust into the role of Center last season, and he played very well. Turnley will be a key figure up front. He is 6-6 320 pounds and fits the large linemen type Paul Chryst excelled with at Wisconsin.  Ryan Schlieper will start opposite of Jacobsen as a Guard. Schlieper saw some action in 2011 and at 6-5 310 pounds, he too is a large linemen Chryst likes. The tackle positions will feature two new starters. Juantez Hollins started all of 2011, but has a full year suspension on his hands. That leaves Pitt with Matt Rotheram and Cory King as the starters. Rotheram is a massive 6-6 335 pounds that was a well regarded recruit. He is just a Sophomore and had a strong Spring. Cory King is taking Hollins' spot. He is a 6-6 325 pound Junior. The worry is he will not have the athleticism to play tackle, but he at least has the size. This unit will be instrumental to Pitt's success. The second team appears to consist of Artie Rowell at Center. Tom Ricketts and Justin Virbitsky at Tackles, and Shane Johnson and true freshmen Adam Bisnowaty.

Dorian Johnson

                 Pitt will start two Juniors and a Sophomore in 2012. They are big and will fit well into the Paul Chryst offensive scheme. The future is still in question, though.  Tom Ricketts will certainly get a chance. The former North Allegheny product/Penn State transfer was a big recruit at the time, and could be an impact player for Pitt. Adam Bisnowaty is a true freshmen this season from Fox Chapel, and was also a four star recruit. CHryst has been recruiting some unknown linemen as well. The two committed to the 2013 class have very few offers, but have that size the is offense needs. The thought is that the coaches will be able to make them into good linemen. The common phrase goes, "you can't teach size" and both of these guys have size. Obviously Pitt would still like to add top talent up front. Dorian Johnson is a major recruit in Pitt's backyard. He committed to Penn State over Pitt a few months back, but has since opened up his recruitment.  Pitt needs to beat out Virginia Tech and Ohio State for his services. Many believed Johnson would be a Panther originally, so his second recruitment will be interesting.  The offensive line position is a position of great need for any college program, and Pitt is in need of some upgrades. The 2013 line may be more of a question mark than this season, and that is saying a lot.