How Pitt defenders Donovan McMillon, Ryland Gandy, Francis Brewu survived summer camp

The last day of Pitt’s summer camp Thursday offered bright morning sunshine, football-like weather more suited for the fall and the opportunity for three members of the defense to reflect on the previous 23 days.

Senior safety Donovan McMillon, sophomore cornerback Ryland Gandy and freshman defensive tackle Francis Brewu said they had many good moments on the Beano Cook Fields on the South Side. The hope among players and coaches is those moments will carry over into the season. All three are expected to play important roles on a defense consisting of nine new starters.

Their feelings ranged from excitement and relief to a proud sense of accomplishment.

McMillon, a Peters Township graduate, walked into the team meeting room after practice and met reporters with a smile that revealed how he felt at the end of an arduous process. Almost like he knows something no one else knows.

Asked why he was so happy, he said, “Excited for the season, eight days (until the opener against Kent State).”

In only his second season at Pitt after transferring from Florida, McMillon has become a leader among his teammates. Safety figures to be the strongest position on the defense, and McMillon promises aggression and physicality that, he hopes, will translate into a winning season.

“We got a lot to prove this year,” he said. “We have 11 guys running from sideline to sideline. Hits on the quarterback will be major this year. The more you hit them, the more they don’t want to be hit.”

Gandy, a cornerback who won three 6A state championships at Buford High School in Georgia, was equally upbeat, showing no signs of the pressure he and others at his position will shoulder without much game experience.

After three senior cornerbacks exhausted their eligibility last season, Gandy said it seems he and Rashad Battle, Tamon Lynum, Noah Biglow and Tamarion Crumpley have been together longer than one offseason and one camp.

“It took a little while for us to all jell together. I feel like we all play as one now,” he said.

His most vivid camp memory is a good one.

He was covering sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson at practice one day, and the play ended with Johnson scoring a touchdown. Any coach will tell you cornerbacks need to have short memories. That day, Gandy did, and it paid a dividend.

“It’s one of those things I have to let it go,” he said. “I ended up finishing the scrimmage. I ended up getting play of the day on defense.”

Gandy’s takeaway is that cornerbacks can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves.

McMillon overlooks the fact that the cornerbacks lining up next to him have a total of one start among them — Lynum at Nebraska last year.

“I think they could have been a big part of the defense last year,” he said. “We just had older guys ahead of them.”

Brewu, who carries the unofficial title as the team’s strongest man, was pleased with his first collegiate camp experience. He may not start because of his youth — he’s only 18 — but there’s a feeling around camp that defensive line coach Tim Daoust will have a difficult time trying to justify keeping him off the field.

When Brewu joined the scout team, briefly, this summer, some offensive linemen were heard remarking that he wouldn’t be there long. He’s been practicing with the first and second teams ever since.

“I feel like I’ve been consistently getting better,” he said. “I still have a lot to improve on. I’ve been consistently striking people, and I’ve stayed low, keeping my gap (closed) pretty good. I’ve been showing the coaches I can help the team win.”

But he won’t lie — he is relieved camp is over, and he survived and thrived.

“I’m relieved, if I’m being honest. But I’m excited,” he said. “I made it through, improved. Camp is hard, but it was the best thing for me.

“It was a challenge mentally and physically. I feel like I overcame that. I’m just really excited to get into the season, knowing I just accomplished what I accomplished. I’m glad I finished up healthy.

“Mentally, it’s hard waking up every day, having to practice three, four days, sometimes five, six days in a row. Your body’s all banged up, you’re tired and knowing that you have to do that again the next day and do it again the next day and do it again the next day.

“Mentally, it’s definitely a challenge, but I also see it as an opportunity to get mentally tougher and that’s something I think I did. I’m a lot tougher mentally because I overcame it. Everyone has to, and everyone did. It teaches the team toughness.”