Pitt standout senior wide receiver Derek Kinder is out for the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee.

Kinder, who led the Panthers in receptions (57) and receiving yards (847) last season, was injured in Saturday evening's practice when he was making a cut after catching the ball. He is expected to have surgery within the next week and then begin rehabilitation, a process that generally takes at least six months. He will redshirt this season and return next season for his final year of eligibility.

"This is a very unfortunate thing for Derek," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He has worked so hard to put himself in position for a great year. It was a non-contact injury. He never got hit. He just planted on the grass. That's the bad news. The good news is he still has a redshirt year left and the plan is to have him take the year off and rehab and come back next year and have a great year."

	Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pitt's Derek Kinder, shown last season against Toledo, will not see any playing time this season after a torn ACL. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Football Notebook: tull shows off glove work Cook: Kinder's injury could help Pitt in the long run

The loss of Kinder, the Panthers' only returning first-team All-Big East player and a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff award last season, is a big blow for Pitt. However, receiver is one of the few positions in which the team has enough depth to possibly overcome the loss.

"It is obviously a setback for us," receivers coach Aubrey Hill said. "Now we need to regroup as receivers. We need to find the guys who are going to do things consistently right, which is what Derek did every day. But, knowing this group, they will respond and they've responded already.

"Most of those guys were jockeying for his spot, so there is no doubt that these guys are capable."

Sophomore T.J. Porter most likely will step in and assume the role as the Panthers' go-to receiver, but he doesn't play in the same physical style as Kinder.

That role could go to redshirt sophomore Cedric McGee (6 feet 1, 210 pounds). McGee is an excellent blocker and also has improved greatly his consistency.

The pressure also will be on redshirt sophomore Oderick Turner, who started opposite Kinder last year and led the team in touchdown receptions with eight. Turner hasn't been spectacular in camp, but he will have to pick up where he left off last year if the Panthers' offense is going to be successful.

Pitt's other veteran receiver is redshirt junior Marcel Pestano, one of the most improved players on the roster. He is now the elder statesman of the group, which means he must fill the void of leadership left by Kinder.

"Marcel has been unbelievable. He is doing everything right," Hill said. "He's done some really good things leadership-wise with this group.

"T.J. can do it all -- deep balls, short pass, help us in the return game. Cedric can be a good blocker for us and Oderick did what he did for us last year, so we have a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things.

"But right now [the starters] are so close it is almost a flip of a coin. All those guys are doing such a great job, I can't name a leader right now. We'll probably do receivers by committee this year. And we definitely have some good tight ends, who, if we get into a crunch could move over and help us out at receiver."

Wannstedt and Hill said that they will lean harder on the Panthers' talented duo of freshmen -- Aundre Wright and Maurice Williams -- now that Kinder is out. Williams was likely going to play a role in the offense anyway. Wright, Pitt's fastest player, was expected to be a returner on special teams.

Coaches were experimenting with Williams at quarterback, but that probably will be shelved to get him as many reps at wide receiver as possible.

"Those two freshmen are really good football players," Hill said. "They are both very, very explosive and they are good students [of the game]."

Wannstedt said, "This puts Mo Williams and Aundre Wright both in the mix right now. A week ago I was probably thinking one, maybe even both, of those guys possibly redshirtting, but now they are both in the competition and we'll see how things play out."