Kradel saving best for last
PITTSBURGH — Ten games into the University of Pittsburgh’s run to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship last season, Jake Kradel broke his leg.
Now the Butler graduate and Panther senior right guard is back — and he has some company.
The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Kradel finds himself battling for his starting position with fellow senior Blake Zubovic, who stands 6-4 and weighs 320 pounds. Pitt brings back its entire starting offensive line from last season, but Kradel is fighting for playing time regardless.
“When you get hurt, somebody else gets an opportunity to step into the lineup,” Kradel said. “Blake replaced me and played very well. He’s earned the chance to compete for a starting job. Absolutely, this is an open competition.”
And Kradel is fine with that.
“Honestly, this has been good for me,” he said. “I reported for camp and could take nothing for granted. If I knew I had a starting spot locked up, I might have come in satisfied and just gone through the motions.
“Instead, I’m working harder than ever. Competition brings out the best in me. I want to play and so does Blake. We’re pushing each other and that’s good for everybody.”
With All-American receiver Jordan Addison transferred to USC and quarterback Kenny Pickett now playing for the Steelers, Pitt’s offense is taking on a different look in 2022. Head coach Pat Narduzzi plans to take advantage of his experienced offensive line and run the ball more.
He figures his offensive linemen like that type of thinking.
“I think that’s one of the reasons they all came back is that we want to run the ball more,” Narduzzi said in a released statement. “Show that they can run-block more than just at the end of the fourth quarter.”
Kradel agrees with that assessment.
“One-hundred percent,” he enthused. “We love when we run the football because we can be as physical as we can be. It’s a great time. In fact, I’ve never had so much fun playing football and we haven’t even played a game yet.”
Matt Goncalves is a returning offensive lineman and one of the Panthers’ team captains. Kradel has some lofty expectations of his own.
He made honorable mention All-ACC last season despite his injury. Kradel enters this season having already started 25 games in his career at Pitt.
“First team All-ACC is a definite goal,” Kradel said. “Obviously, I want to make this my best season. And as a team, we want to build off last season’s success. We are more confident than ever.
“The goal is the national title. Every day, we end practice by getting together and saying ‘national champs on 3’ in unison. Nobody is shy about it. I don’t believe we should be. We feel like we can get there.”
Pitt enters this season ranked No. 17 on the AP Top 25 poll. It is the Panthers’ highest preseason AP ranking since 2010. Pitt was 11-3 last season and finished the season ranked No. 13, its highest finish since 1982.
The Panthers averaged 41.4 points and 486 yards per game in 2021. Those figures ranked third and eighth-best in the nation.
“I’m proud to be a part of that — and we can do better,” Kradel said.
Already owning his degree in finance from Pitt, Kradel is now attending Pitt’s Graduate School of Business. While setting himself up for a career off the field, he’s hoping he doesn’t have to concern himself with that for a while.
“Ultimately, I want to play at the next level,” Kradel said. “I’m hoping to play in the NFL for a number of years. But first things first. It’s all about Pitt right now. We’re excited about the prospects.”
