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Senior receiver Aaron Pitts knows this is last year
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YSU Aaron Pitts during 8-20 practice.
Senior receiver Aaron Pitts knows this is last year
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State senior wide receiver Aaron Pitts was a standout quarterback in high school. Recently he’s been lobbying to offensive coordinator Brian Wright to put in a double pass play for him.
Pitts is unlikely to get anywhere with Wright, but the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder expects to play a key role this season as the Penguins try to bounce back from a disappointing 4-8 season from a year ago.
Pitts came to the Penguins out of Marion Harding High School where he was an all-conference quarterback his senior season. He was recruited to play wide receiver and has been at that position since he walked onto campus back in 2005.
After a redshirt season, Pitts has seen action in each of the last three seasons and played in every game the last two years at wide receiver and on special teams, earning letters in both seasons.
“I’m excited about this season,” Pitts said. “It’s my senior year and it certainly has come around a lot quicker than I expected.”
Pitts is part of a very talented crop of wide receivers this season, led by senior Donald Jones, junior Dominique Barnes, sophomore Dionte Snow and freshman Jelani Berassa.
“This team has a lot of talent on both sides of the football and we’ve all been working so hard to make up for last year’s disappointment,” he said.
Pitts is now a senior and he said it’s a whole different feeling.
“This is my last year and I’m playing with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “Last year I saw how disappointed the seniors were with the season and I don’t want my senior season to end that way.”
Pitts said working last season with quarterback Brandon Summers will be a big help going into this year.
“We started to work very well at the end of last year and now we can work more on our timing with him and other little things, like knowing where we are on all plays,” he said. “It’s going to make a big difference this year.”
Pitts said the Penguins have a lot of things to improve on this year.
“We haven’t played a game yet and we were 4-8 last year, so yes we have a lot of things to improve on and we’re working hard each and every day to see those things get done,” he said.
“I worked out hard almost every day this summer, trying to run better routes and working on the little things that hopefully will make me a better player this season.”
As a sophomore Pitts played in five games and made one catch for 12 yards. In 2007 and 2008 he played in every game as both a wide receiver and on special teams, something he really enjoys.
He had two receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore and last season caught nine passes for 101 yards and hopes for even better stats this season.
“It’s really not about what I do or don’t do as long as we win and keep winning,” Pitts said.
In this summer’s first jersey scrimmage Pitts was part of the offense’s game-winning play that came on a “hook and lateral” play. He caught a pass from freshman quarterback Kurt Hess and then made a perfect lateral to Barnes who went the distance for the game winning score.
Will the Penguins use that play this season?
“Oh, I don’t know, but we can just hope that we don’t need it and that everything Coach Wright calls works well and we don’t need it,” he said.
And what about his throwing a pass from the wide receiver position?
“I’ve been lobbying [Wright] for a couple of years now, but again hopefully we won’t ever need to try any trick plays,” he said.
The Penguins held their final two-a-day sessions today and then will hold their final jersey scrimmage of the season Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m.
The team also announced that freshman linebacker Kyle Stadelmyer of Girard has left the team.
mollica@vindy.com