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- Connor Dintino 6'3" 310 Freshman (Redshirted in 2014)
- Tyrique Jarrett 6'3" 335 Junior (Appeared in 8 games registering 8 tackles in 2014)
- Justin Moody 6'3" 280 Sophomore (Appeared in 13 games; 2 starts.Registering 9 tackles and a sack in 2014)
- Khaynin Mosley-Smith 6'0" 305 Senior (Started 12 games registering 27 tackles in 2014)
- Darryl Render 6'2" 200 Senior (Started 11 games registering 32 tackles. 6 TFL 2 sacks in 2014)
- Mark Scarpinato 6'3" 285 Senior (Transfer from Michigan State)
- Jeremiah Taleni 6'2" 295 Sophomore (Appeared in 6 games and starting 1 in 2014)
Projected Starters - Darryl Render, Khaynin Mosley-Smith
Darryl Render is back after being a three-year contributor and a starter in 2014. He is athletic for his size, and has a chance to make plays in the backfield. Render is the leader of a very deep unit on this defense, and should be set for his best season yet for Pitt.
Khaynin Mosley-Smith is another senior with a ton of experience in his career. Mosley-Smith will take on more of a nose guard role, and be more of a space eater than Render. The senior nose guard has appeared in all 39 games in his Pitt career, and should be a leader on the defensive side of the ball.
Top Backups - Tyrique Jarrett, Justin Moody, Mark Scarpinato
Tyrique Jarrett is a huge body up front, and will serve as Mosley-Smith's top backup. Jarrett played some in his sophomore year but should be a more regular contributor in 2014.
Justin Moody had a pretty productive freshman season. He was regularly rotated in and appeared in all 13 games. Moody put up a sack nine tackles, and should be able to build upon that this year. Moody checks in at 280 pounds, and is on the smaller side for an interior lineman.
Mark Scarpinato is a real wild card for Pitt, but one that could pay big dividends. Scarpinato was in the defensive line rotation and partial starter for Michigan State's 2013 Rose Bowl team. So obviously coming from Michigan State, he is familiar with Pat Narduzzi and his defense. He did, however, take a year off from football and could take a little while to get back into the swing of things.
The Rest - Connor Dintino, Jeremiah Taleni
Jeremiah Taleni played some in 2014, but with injuries down the stretch, he was forced to start in the bowl game. He did not post any significant numbers, but with some game experience, he will be in the running for more playing time in 2015.
Connor Dinino redshirted last season. He is a bigger body player that was a pretty solid recruit when he entered into the program. With a lot of the depth including upperclassmen, he has his work cut out for himself to earn some playing time in 2015.