Jim Medure earns Pitt football scholarship

This offseason has been somewhat turbulent for Pitt in terms of roster turnover, especially over the past few months, as the team recently dismissed tight end Charles Reeves Jr. and offensive lineman Justin Morgan. However, those losses paved the way for a more joyous occasion on Wednesday, when redshirt junior Jim Medure was given a scholarship.

Medure, a Batman fan whose Twitter page is attributed to “Bruce Wayne Medure,” was informed of the decision during a team meeting. Pitt graduate assistant Mike Caprara stormed into the room wearing Batman garb apparently borrowed from Medure’s closet and broke the news. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi shared video of the announcement on Twitter.

Narduzzi also included a fitting quote from The Dark Knight in his post:

”Because sometimes the truth isn’t good enough. Sometimes, people deserve more. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

Medure has certainly demonstrated his faith in the program and his own abilities, as the former Neshannock High School standout walked onto the team in 2015 and redshirted before eventually earning himself a role on special teams in 2017. That led to him seeing the field in 11 games last season and earning consideration for a defensive end role this season.

“We’ve had some guys step up and really play well [on the defensive line],” Narduzzi said on the team’s 12th day of training camp. “Jim Medure, we moved him to end, and I think he’s going to be playing our third-down package. There’s some good things to see.”

Medure is currently listed as a tight end on Pitt’s official roster, but he was listed as a defensive lineman in 2017, when he saw playing time with the Panthers as a special teamer.

For Medure’s part, the defensive role is more in line with his previous area of expertise from his high school days, as he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors from the WPIAL Big Seven Conference during his senior season at Neshannock in 2014. Now, with his profile rising within the program, fans may get a better opportunity to see what he brings to the table in 2018.