Pitt Center Says OL Room Better Than Last Year

Last year, the Pittsburgh Panthers' offensive line suffered numerous injuries. The Panthers started 12 different linemen and ten different combinations. Pittsburgh only rushed for 102 yards per game, the lowest since 2004. They also allowed 43 sacks.

It will be a new year for the 2025 Panthers' offensive line with three returning starters in center Lyndon Cooper, right guard BJ Williams, and RT Ryan Baer. Along with transfers Jeff Persi (Michigan) and Keith Gouveia (Richmond), Cooper feels the offensive line is much better.

"The flow's been good," Cooper said during ACC Football Kickoff. "We really picked up some good guys out of the portal, with Keith Gouveia playing left guard, Jeff Persi, and Kendall Stanley. Those guys came in ready to work, humble, and ready to listen. The flow of the O-line room, like I said, is way better than it was last year. We all love each other. That's another reason why we all came back, decided to come back to Pitt. I just feel like we're going to be very dominant this season and make sure we keep our quarterbacks protected."

Cooper, who transferred to Pittsburgh before the 2024 season, is the leader of the line. He finished last season with a 70.2 grade according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked 66th among centers. With the hard work he has put in, he could be the best center in college football.

"Really, for this off-season, I focus on just my athleticism and really just my power and run blocking skills." Cooper said. "That's a couple of things I really keyed in on this off-season, and making sure that I'm in the best shape I can be in. I have great mobility to last a 14- or 15-game season. That's, like, the three main things I worked on this off-season."

It will be up to Cooper to bring all the transfer players up to speed and ensure the offensive line is functioning at full capacity.

"Really just bring in the culture of our O-line room," Cooper said. " I feel like this year, our O-line room has changed. We brought back some guys from the O-line last year, like you said, brought in three other guys that will really be key contributors to our O-line this year. So really just teaching them the culture, and for me, just leading them and being that voice for the O-line and making sure they're confident in their play."

Cooper knows he can be the best center in college football; where he goes next, he needs to continue growing as a player.

"I know I can be a dominant center in this league and wherever I go next," Cooper said. "I just want to keep growing and keep -that's one thing about myself, I like to learn from other people. When I train, I like to go to different trainers just to pick other people's brains to see what I need to fix in my game, see how I can help other guys in the room elevate my IQ of the game."

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