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It was only a few plays, but that was all that was needed to cause the big shakeup of the day at Pitt's training camp on Thursday.
Coaches caused a minor stir when they shook up the first-team offensive line for a short while. Out came prized recruit Dorian Johnson from his assumed spot at guard, tackle Adam Bisnowaty slid over to guard from tackle, and Pitt inserted redshirt freshman Jaryd Jones-Smith.
Per the Trib, for now, offensive line coach Jim Hueber isn't changing the line's starters, which includes Johnson. "I mixed it up a little bit, but I haven't made a move from the first five guys we put out there."
Head coach Paul Chryst, though, seems to leave things a bit more open. "(We’re) figuring out who the five best are," said Chryst. "Certainly why we’re doing that is covering yourself for, what you’re talking about, emergency things. But it’s a little bit more than let’s just be preventative. You know that one’s not done yet. We’ve got to find out who the five best are."
I'm not saying that Hueber is completely firm with his starters, but Chryst makes it seem like it's a little more wide open. His statement that it's a little more than an emergency situation shows that perhaps Johnson hasn't secured his spot in the starting lineup.
FWIW, Bisnowaty, one of the guys affected here, isn't fazed by a potential move to guard. Afterwards, Biz addressed a move, saying, “Yeah, I feel comfortable. It’s just getting it down. It’s just moving in a couple feet, is all the difference. Getting your body in the right position is key for me. I’m trying to get the details down. That’s what film is for.”
He also addressed just how easy it is to lose your starting job. “I think everyone’s out here trying to become the best they can be", said Bisnowaty. "Any one day, someone can go out there become better than you. There’s competition between everything you do out here. Whether it’s running from drill to drill or warmup, everyone’s competing. As people compete, they become more competitive. People become better and better. That’s how it works out here. That’s how people patch each other up. People take a day off, or close their eyes for a second – who knows what will happen?”
Ironically, Chris mentioned Jones-Smith perhaps pushing for a starting spot in the spring. Back then, we were talking about Bisnowaty possibly being his target with the back injuries, but now the focus seems to have shifted toward Johnson.
My guess is that, for now, Johnson remains the starter. There's also more camp left, however, and it doesn't sound as if the line is completely etched in stone just yet.
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