Fifth-year players Warren, Alexandre ready to take leadership role for Pitt football
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Inside Pitt’s UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, a video screen displays the final score of Pitt’s Sept. 18, 2021, game against Western Michigan, which the Panthers lost 44-41.
The loss didn’t cost the Panthers the ACC title, but it serves as a reminder of what happens when a team doesn’t play its best.
Pitt rallied from that loss to win its first ACC title, but the redshirt senior duo of defensive end Deslin Alexandre and offensive tackle Carter Warren don’t want a repeat of last season’s Western Michigan debacle.
“In the grand scheme of things, we won the ACC championship,” Alexandre said. “But a game like Western Michigan, where we didn’t dot our I’s or cross our T’s, is a game that shows up even after you win the ACC championship. We want to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again.”
Alexandre said starting fast, even in summer workouts and the first day of fall practice, is key.
The Panthers open the season by renewing the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia on Sept. 1 at Heinz Field.
Alexandre and Warren stressed a strong work ethic their teammates must bring to workouts and fall practice if the team wants to defend its ACC title. And that work ethic starts with them.
The team recently began summer classes as well as offseason workouts, and some players are working at youth camps.
Warren said the decision to return for another season was to help him prepare for the next level. And while he calls the offensive similar to what the Panthers ran in 2021 when they averaged 41.9 points per game, the running game will be emphasized more.
“It’s the same offense, a little different, but I don’t want to go into it too much,” Warren said. “I’m very excited about the run game. A lot of scouts have said that’s something I need to improve on. I’m ready to show them I can run block at the next level.”
Warren, the starting left tackle, said he plans to use the extra year to better himself.
“It will help me 100 percent,” he said. “It will help develop my game from running blocking, and I can improve that tremendously. I have to tighten up my technique in all phases.”
Alexandre said the fifth year will make him become a better leader.
“I need to continue to lead on and off the field,” he said. “I need to improve on getting to the quarterback, getting my film work in, getting stronger and working on my technique.”
And Alexandre fully accepts the role as a leader, especially on defense.
“Being a leader comes with a lot of responsibility,” he said. “It comes with doing everything right. Show and lead the guys how to do it. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs here, from being the young guy to being an old guy.
“Consistency is the strength of the program. We talk about the minute details all day, every day. That’s the difference between something big and something small.”
Alexandre said he and Warren line up opposite each other during workouts a lot.
“We try to make each other better every day,” Alexandre said. “They are good battles.”
Both players wish wide receiver Jordan Addison well after he transferred to Southern California last month.
“We’re happy for Jordan,” Warren said. “He had a great opportunity and left and good for him. But we’re focused on this team right now.”