Pitt linebacker crew will confront stiff test when speedy California running backs come to town

Like his head coach two decades before him, Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac played middle linebacker to some distinction.

A walk-on when he first enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, he ended up with a scholarship, four letters, a starting job for two seasons and nearly 200 tackles.

Manalac has too much respect for his colleagues on the Pitt coaching staff and players up and down the roster to insist that middle linebacker is the most difficult position to master. “I don’t know if there is an easy position,” he said.

Yet he lists the characteristics necessary to play middle linebacker like he’s memorized them since childhood.

“The intangibles, the commitment, the state of mind, the confidence, the courage, the leadership. Since the beginning of football, that middle linebacker has had (them),” he said.

Manalac said Pitt middle linebacker Brandon George exhibits those traits, both tangible and intangible.

“He clogs up some holes inside and knocks people back,” he said.

Plus, as George indicated Wednesday after practice, “It definitely helps to have guys to the left and right of you that you can trust.”

He was talking about outside linebackers Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles, who are playing at such a high level that no one mentions — or even thinks about — Pitt losing two starting linebackers to the transfer portal last year.

Check out these numbers:

After last season, linebackers Solomon DeShields and Bangally Kamara, who logged a combined 21 starts last season, transferred to Texas A&M (DeShields) and South Carolina (Kamara). Collectively, they have totaled 16 tackles, two for a loss, and two quarterback hurries.

Meanwhile, back on the South Side of Pittsburgh, Louis and Biles are looking like All-ACC linebackers. In fact, coach Pat Narduzzi is comfortable slapping that distinction on Louis now.

• In five games, Louis has 42 tackles, 6 1/2 for a loss among two sacks, seven hurries, two interceptions, one pass breakup and forced fumble.

• In the same number of games, Biles has 40 tackles, a team-leading eight for a loss, 2 1/2 sacks and three breakups.

“Kyle’s awesome,” Manalac said. “In the offseason, he put on strength and had a good spring. He’s in there at 6 a.m. watching film, post-practice watching film. It’s important to him. His success is a tribute to his hard work. He sees those dividends. He’ll continue to get better with his work ethic and skill set.”

Manalac said Biles possesses “an uncanny ability to get off blockers and get to the ball.”

When Pitt plays California on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, the athletic and playmaking ability displayed by those three linebackers will be put to another stiff test.

The Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2 ACC) employ two backs with impressive speed, Jaivian Thomas and Jaydn Ott. Thomas averages 6.4 yards per carry. Ott, who has been slowed by injuries and averages only 2.9, led the Pac-12 in rushing yards (1,315) and all-purpose yards per game (135.7) in 2023.

“They’re fast,” Manalac said. “They can stick their foot in the ground and get vertical. We have to make sure we take great angles, don’t stop our feet and trust that all our brothers have our back. When the first guy there makes a play and takes a shot, another guy has to be there.”

Pitt (5-0, 1-0) is ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll, but its run defense still needs work. The opponent’s leading rusher is averaging 81.8 yards per game, led by Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner (149). North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton rushed for 106, but his ACC-leading average dropped to 127.3.

Pitt’s run defense ranks No. 9 in the 17-team conference (117.6) — not bad, but that final number has been under 100 in three of the past four seasons. Narduzzi expects better.

The return from injury of redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons (Central Valley) is expected to provide a boost. He will line up next to rotating first-year starters Isaiah Neal and Nahki Johnson. Nick James, a transfer from Indiana who had been the team’s best defensive tackle, didn’t play against North Carolina.

“There are some things on game day you have to adjust to, no matter how well you prepare,” Manalac said. “We’re working at it. It will be something we continue to sink our teeth into. It’s a bunch of different things (to blame). You have to make plays.”