PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It's a list of players awarded by the ACC over their careers, now over a dozen of them will work out for NFL teams. While this happens, the current players will watch.
"It will play as a motivator," said Panthers redshirt senior Bub Means. "Those guys were in our shoes last year. We worked, sweated, bled with my dogs. All the work we put in, to see it pan out for them. It's nothing but motivation."
"They are so much closer to the dream that we all have been working towards. I can't do nothing but be proud of my dogs. I hope they do their best."
"A lot of them will go out and watch and see where these guys were three, four or five years ago," said Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. "I hope they watch and say, 'I could do the same thing'."
"It's all about development. You come in here, you listen and you learn. I had someone tell me last night that they sat down with one of our players and said 'coach, that guy is so intelligent (in football terms)'. That's a tribute to our coaches in this building in teaching them so they can speak like a coach to another coach."
Those expected to participate-RB Israel Abanikanda, DL Deslin Alexandre, DL Habakkuk Baldonado, LB SirVocea Dennis, OL Owen Drexel, DB Erick Hallett II, DB Brandon Hill, OL Gabe Houy, DL Calijah Kancey, OL Marcus Minor, OL Carter Warren, WR Jared Wayne, LB Tylar Wiltz and last year's LB John Petrishen.
"I'm super-excited for Izzy," said redshirt senior running back Daniel Carter. "I've been here since he was a freshman so watching him grow up and hearing up talk about the Combine. He's teaching me. I'm excited for him. I know he's going to do well."
"It's called athletic ability, there's not a lot of guys that are 280 and running a 4.6 and is as twitchy as this guy is," Narduzzi said of First-Team All-American Calijah Kancey, a projected first-round pick. "He is different. You can stack up all of the defensive tackles across the country-he can play inside and outside. He can do a lot of different things. He's fast, athletic and smart. Fast and smart is really good at 280. He's all of those, you aren't going to have any character issues with him."
As for where they might get drafted or what impact they can make in professional football? Narduzzi wouldn't pretend to know what all the teams are thinking, but has enjoyed the role the coaches have played in those players careers. It's been great having them around the current team the last week and said it will be fun to watch them.
"It shows you can do it also," said junior linebacker Solomon DeShields. "Just follow the plan, do the same things they do. Play even better and you'll be in the same situation they are in."
