PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt transfer lineman Ryan Jacoby participated in his first practice, although mostly watching and learning on Wednesday.
"We heard he went in the portal, called a good friend at Ohio State who was our running back coach at Cincinnati," said Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. "Anytime you go in the portal, you better know what you are getting."
"We got a kid from Mentor, Ohio who is 6'5", 310-pound lineman. He looks athletic. He could play tackle or guard."
Narduzzi said they want to see him in their system before determining where he could play. A four-star recruit, Jacoby played left tackle in high school and known for his quickness. He was the eighth ranked recruit from Ohio according to 247 Sports and enrolled early with the Buckeyes in January, 2019.
The goal for Pitt is to get a waiver to allow Jacoby to play this year, even though the deadline to transfer and play immediately was July 1. He will have three years to play whenever that begins.
"There is time to get up to speed," Narduzzi said. "First we have to get him eligible. There is certainly time to get up to speed. He's a 3.7 GPA guy. Anytime you have that, there is always time."
Jacoby never played in a game at Ohio State and was set to be a reserve interior lineman. Also curiously, Jacoby listed in OSU's most recent profile as a defensive lineman.
"Just an unbelievable kid who was looking for a re-start," Narduzzi said. "A great addition for what we were looking for. Our O-line coach called on him character wise. He comes from a great program in Mentor."
Narduzzi said on Tuesday he believes they have their starting group with the battle between Carter Warren, Matt Goncalves and Gabe Houy for the two tackle spots. Owen Drexel at center with Jake Kradel, Marcus Minor, Blake Zubovic in competition for the two guard spots.
