It’s a long, storied list. But Habakkuk Baldonado is ready to join it.
Baldonado, entering his redshirt senior season at Pitt, is on pace to become the next great Panthers defensive lineman.
A year ago, as Pitt won its first ACC title, the 6-5, 255 pound defensive end racked up nine sacks for a Pitt team that took down the opposing quarterback better than all but one team in the nation.
Some of Baldonado’s recent Pitt teammates, like Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver and Jaylen Twyman, went on to find homes on NFL rosters.
“He’s so smart. One of the smartest guys in (the locker room),” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzii sad Thursday. “He’s like a Jaylen Twyman, a Patrick Jones, a Rashad Weaver. He’s got that intelligence. So that’s always going to make you better.”
But Baldonado’s journey is surely the most unique of that group.
He was born in Rome, Italy and was a swimmer, soccer player and MMA fighter early in life before finding a love for American football.
That blossoming passion, mixed with a frame that was a bit too large for the soccer pitch, took him to Clearwater, Florida.
He picked up offers from several Division I schools after one year of high school ball, including Power 5 programs in Illinois, Nebraska, Syracuse, Michigan State and Pitt.
But joining a Pitt team, with a proven defensive line developer in Charlie Partridge, was the right fit for Jones.
“He brought in this culture,” Baldonado said. “He’s a great coach. He trains us as hard as humanly possible. Everybody helps each other. We’re all brothers and everybody learns from each other’s mistakes and downfalls. That’s what makes us great.”
The work ethic has grown into something special. Despite not only attending his required night time meetings, Baldonado also has made it a habit to sit in — and assist with — morning meetings with young players as they review fundamentals.
“There’s always something to learn, even from the young guys,” he said. “The basics, the fundamentals. I believe that by coaching somebody you learn better. Because you deeply understand what you’re talking about.”
The NFL Draft is just three weeks away. Baldonado had the option of throwing his name in the mix and leaving Pitt.
“Me and Haba had discussions,” Narduzzi said. “He’s a smart kid. He’s smart enough to know, ‘hey, let’s check it out, tell me where I’m going to be (drafted). I think Haba looked and said, ‘hey, I want more than that.’
“He would’ve gotten drafted this year, without question. But I think coming back another year was smart for him.”
Analysts would agree. Baldonado’s name shows up frequently in the first round 2023 NFL mock drafts.
But to get there, some things need cleaned up. Baldonado feels that he needed to make small tweaks to his game to help him turn his ability to beat offensive linemen into more sacks.
“In this game, inches are miles,” Baldonado said. “So I might try to shave a half a second, and that would be the difference between a quarterback hit, a sack, a pressure.”
“The key for him is fishing the play,” Narduzzi added. “In the NFL they’re going to want to watch you finish the play.”
Baldonado will highlight a defense, and a team, that has a legitimate shot at defending its ACC title and, perhaps, achieving even more. That played a role in keeping him in Oakland for another year.
“Looking at the team and knowing that we had a great chance of making it happen again and making something better happen, I just wanted to stay the course with my teammates and reach the final goal,” Baldonado said. “And I just really love Pitt. So I wanted to stay one more year.”
That final goal is lofty. Baldonado and his teammates frequently toss around the word ‘natty,’ short for National Championship.
“We won the ACC, so that’s the next step in line,” Baldonado said. “That was a goal last year, but we didn’t make it. But this year I feel like we have all of the weapons to reach that goal.”