Pitt football: Transfer Brown pushes to start
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Pitt's Zach Brown carries as he works out at training camp Tuesday.
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Pitt was extremely thin at tailback after spring drills with only one scholarship player at that position on the roster.
Yes, there were four incoming freshmen running backs, but the coaches were nervous about that because relying on true freshmen to fill a need is dicey, at best.
The solution knocked at the Panthers door when Zach Brown, who rushed for 1,152 yards and 11 touchdowns in a three-year career at Wisconsin, announced he was transferring to Pitt. Just as important, Brown had earned his bachelor's degree from Wisconsin already and is pursuing a master's in education at Pitt, making him eligible to play immediately.
Brown, who is 5-foot-10, 220 pounds and in his fourth and final year of eligibility, redshirted last year because of tendinitis in his knee. He shared time as the starter for the Badgers in parts of the 2007, '08 and '09 seasons.
He posted his best numbers his freshman season, when he rushed 84 times for 450 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns.
Brown said he had planned on playing his final season at Wisconsin, but the backfield was crowded. The Badgers feature perhaps the best running back corps in the country with James White and Montee Ball leading the way. Brown likely was the odd man out.
"I did some research and looked around and saw that Pitt only had one running back on scholarship and that they were going to run this high-octane offense, so it seemed like a great fit," said Brown, who said outside linebackers coach Randall McCray, who coached at Wisconsin from 2006-09, helped the process.
"Plus they had the master's program I was looking for. It has been a challenge learning a different style of offense in my last year, but I have some experience and that's made it easier to transition."
Brown came in, presumably, to be Graham's backup but he does not see it that way -- and neither does offensive coordinator Calvin Magee. Brown has shown enough at Wisconsin and the first few days of camp to merit consideration for the starting job, Magee said.
"It is interesting with Zach, because this is like starting over and he has to get his feet wet," Magee said. "He has a lot of experience, he has good ball skills, he understands how to be a strong runner so he can break some tackles and do some of the power stuff. And to be honest, I envision him being a guy who is competing with Ray for the job and I know we will use both of them."
Brown said he understands Graham has been at Pitt for two years and had the benefit of the spring to learn the new system, so he is behind at this point, but he wouldn't be a competitor if he didn't want to be the starter.
First Published August 11, 2011 12:00 am
