ESPN Analyst Believes Pitt DL Still Underrated
PITTSBURGH -- If nothing else, the Pitt Panthers have built a reputation for producing stud defensive linemen. From Hugh Green to Jabaal Sheard to Aaron Donald to Ejuan Price to Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver to Calijah Kancey, there have been no shortage of great pass rushers to come out of Pittsburgh, especially in recent years.
But often, the Panthers' depth of talent at the defensive line position gets unfairly overlooked, according to ESPN's David Hale, who covers ACC football primarily. Hale believes the Panthers deserve to be talked about in the same "D-Line U" conversation as a powerhouse team from inside their conference.
"We talk about Clemson as if they have just been churning out defensive linemen to the NFL and Pitt's been putting up these kinds of numbers on the d-line too," Hale said. "It's not insane to say Pitt has a pretty high ceiling and talent. It just doesn't ever seem to coalesce all together at the same time."
Hale pointed out that both Pitt and Clemson have had nine defensive linemen with five or more sacks and 10 or more tackles for loss since 2015.
The Panthers have also finished in the top-three nationally in sacks in each of the past four seasons, leading the country in that category twice. Clemson, Georgia and Pitt make up the top-three sacking teams in college football over the past three seasons.
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