Coaching Breakdown: Jeremiah Pittman
With excellent speed for someone on the defensive line, 2021 Iowa football commit Jeremiah Pittman brings a unique blend of explosiveness and quickness up front.
As a junior with St. Viator High School in Illinois last season, Pittman notched 31 tackles (eight for a loss) and four sacks.
Pittman's commitment came down to Iowa and Northwestern, but he held offers from Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, among others.
HawkeyeMaven caught up to St. Viator head coach Dave Archibald to get his breakdown of the future Hawkeye defensive lineman.
Pittman’s speed is one of his best attributes
Archibald said Pittman runs in the 4.80s in the 40-yard dash. Pittman even sprinted on the track and field team, where he also competed in shot put.
But watching his film, he constantly gets one step ahead of his blocker.
“His speed inside kind of takes over from there when he gets into the closing space of the quarterback,” Archibald said.
That speed is “tremendously valuable,” especially for someone standing 6-2 and 255 pounds.
“If he were just a big lineman, he’d be tough with his size and strength,” Archibald said. “But (he’s) a guy that big and strong who can absolutely fly off the football.”
Pittman’s physical strength is there, too
Archibald noted that with Pittman’s size and athleticism, he’s frequently a mismatch.
“He still sees a lot of guys, week in and week out, that just can’t handle his physical strength,” he said.
According to Archibald, Pittman was benching 225 pounds for 16 reps earlier in the winter, and even increasing to 275 for eight.
The physical tools were obvious when Pittman entered the St. Viator program as a freshman.
“He was going one-on-one drills and with his size, he had a lot of natural strength at the time,” Archibald said. “He was a strong player. Now, as he’s grown and responded to the weights more and more, his strength is overpowering.”
Pittman originally played center
During that freshman season where Pittman began turning heads, he started at center and was the only non-senior on an offensive line that helped guide St. Viator to the playoffs that year.
He played a bit on defense as well, but Archibald said they held him back due to a strong senior class up front, and also the fact that the staff didn’t want to overwhelm him.
“We knew sophomore year he was going to be the best lineman in the program,” Archibald said. “He started both ways and he’s never done anything other than that since. We moved him to left tackle and played D-Line as well.”
In addition to working on the defensive and offensive lines, Pittman also carries the football in short-yardage situations.
In 2019, he finished with five carries, two of which were touchdowns. With the ball in his hands, Pittman is the type of runner looking for contact, and he absorbs it well while fighting for extra yardage.
High motor, high character for Pittman
In addition to being a relentless nightmare for opposing players and coaches, Pittman’s character stands out.
Archibald describes him as someone who’s “very coachable,” focused, and mature beyond his years.
“(Pittman) has very strong priorities and values,” he said. “He’s committed to things that matter - his faith, his family, his academics, his training... He’s got a very mature outlook on life and things for someone his age, for a 17-year-old. He already has the tremendous sense for what is worthy of his time and what he should give up to help him focus on what matters. He wants to be a great football player - he is a great football player - and he’s going to climb and climb in that regard.”
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