Dave Wannstedt confirmed that there was some debate about where incoming freshman Todd Thomas would play, but in the end, it looks like he's starting out at wide receiver:
Although Wannstedt doesn't expect many of his incoming freshman to make an immediate impact this fall, he left the door open for former Beaver Falls star Todd Thomas to make his mark, surprisingly enough, on offense.
"I wasn't sure where we were going to put him," Wannstedt said. "We've got him playing wide receiver and the guy is a playmaker. We were thinking about playing him at safety or linebacker, but the plays he's making on offense right now I think we're going to leave him at wide receiver."
I previously said that I had hoped Thomas would start out on defense and I still feel that way. Next year, Pitt has All-American candidate Jonathan Baldwin starting at WR. He'll be joined by Mike Shanahan who should be very productive and converted ex-QB Greg Cross. After that, you've still got potential playmakers in Cameron Saddler, Devin Street. From there, you've got some lower tier guys like Ed Tinker or Aundre Wright. Next year, you've got super athlete Bill Belton coming in.
And that's not even factoring in the tight end position, which Pitt will hopefully utilize as a key part of the offense.
I don't have a major problem with this because Pitt will likely get production from him no matter where he plays. And after this year, Pitt doesn't have a guaranteed superstar at that position as Baldwin is likely NFL-bound.
Still, I think there is more of a pressing need in the secondary and his services would be better utilized there.