Chawntez Moss has goal to play as true freshman this season

As we've been over before, Pitt is pretty stacked at running back. So much so, in fact, that ESPN thinks they could have two 1,000-yard rushers this season.

For now, James Conner and Qadree Ollison look to be the two guys that are leading the way. There's also sophomore Darrin Hall and returning junior Rachid Ibrahim. All four of those guys have played major roles at some point in their careers, so it's a pretty full house, even with the offseason transfer of Chris James. None of that even factors in anything Pitt will try to do with safety Jordan Whitehead, who played a little in the backfield last season.

So ... room for one more? True freshman Chawntez Moss hopes so.

Moss said recently in a good Pitt News article (give it a read) that he wants to get on the field this season. Not only that, but he says he's actually been told by the coaches he will play this year. One of the things that helped him get an early jump was enrolling early:

"I came early just to pretty much stay out of trouble, and to get a jump on ... just getting to know the guys, know the playbook," Moss said. "I know we added a new offensive coordinator [Matt Canada], so my best chance to play would be getting here early."

Moss said he has already been told by coaches he will not be redshirting this year, meaning barring any unforeseen setbacks, he is expected to see playing time.

Adding fuel to the fire that it will be hard to keep him off was that, as the Pitt News article reiterated, he was the first running back chosen by teammates for the spring Blue-Gold game this year, ahead of more established guys, Ollison and Hall.

Carries seem like they will be hard to come by but as Pitt learned this year, keeping everyone healthy is no easy task. The Panthers lost Conner, Ibrahim, James, and Hall all at some point last season so while having five guys in the mix seems sort of nuts (especially with workhorses Conner and Ollison), there's a good chance they'll all be needed.

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