Kevin Gorman: Pitt safeties Paris Ford, Damar Hamlin return to finish business

Paris Ford and Damar Hamlin left their television on the NFL Network all week, watching the scouting combine without wondering whether they should have been in Indianapolis.

It’s no coincidence Pitt’s starting safeties bypassed the opportunity to turn pro, so Ford and Hamlin were all smiles Monday that they are still both roommates and teammates at the start of spring drills.

“We’re both back for a reason, so you try not to get caught up in thinking, ‘What if I would’ve went?’ ” said Hamlin, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior who received an NCAA waiver in January for a fifth season of eligibility. “We’re not thinking about what’s ahead. We’re not thinking about the next level. We’re not thinking about the NFL right now. We bought in.”

3 is back.. ? #chasingMs pic.twitter.com/rmURwNP0Qk

— ????? ?????? (@HamlinIsland) January 15, 2020

So has Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.

The Panthers promise to boast one of the best defenses in college football. They return seven starters on both sides of the ball from a team that ranked 15th nationally in total defense — and first in sacks — and add a standout defensive end as Rashad Weaver returns from a knee injury.

And they aren’t shy about saying they have one of college football’s best safety duos.

“It does a ton for us,” Narduzzi said. “At one point, we looked like we had neither one of them. We’d look totally different with those two guys out. With 3 and 12 back there, they’re like brothers, they play together and” — Narduzzi started snapping his fingers — “it looks like we’re clicking Day 1.”

Then Narduzzi dropped a dime.

“I would say it probably is the best tandem in the country right now. I can’t imagine having two better safeties in the country.”

That’s the kind of hyperbole that creates great expectations, sometimes unrealistic ones. Ford and Hamlin not only embrace them but take it a step further. They helped the Panthers clinch their first ACC Coastal Division title in 2018 and win eight games last season. They ranked 1-2 on the team in tackles last season, as Ford finished with 97 and Hamlin was second with 84.

Ford, a 6-foot, 190-pound redshirt junior, also had three interceptions and three forced fumbles to earn first-team All-ACC honors. But he wants to be selected an All-American. Hamlin was an All-ACC honorable mention as a junior but was snubbed last season. He wants to receive some respect, too.

No wonder they talk about having unfinished business.

“We ain’t too worried about personal stats or personal goals,” Hamlin said. “We’re just trying to win now. Winning will take care of everything else.”

What Ford and Hamlin want most is to lead Pitt to an ACC championship.

If that sounds unrealistic, consider the long odds Pitt faced in signing the four-star defensive backs who led their respective high schools to WPIAL and PIAA championships. At Central Catholic, Hamlin picked the Panthers over offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and West Virginia. At Steel Valley, Ford chose Pitt early despite offers from Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

By comparison, returning to Pitt was an easy call.

Similar struggle, similar story, same mission!!! pic.twitter.com/brtwryIlmB

— Evolve (@Evolve2tenths) January 16, 2020

“Who wouldn’t want to play with this guy again?” Ford said, standing next to Hamlin inside UPMC Rooney Sports Complex indoor facility on the South Side. “It was a dream come true to get to play another season with this guy. I wouldn’t trade another safety in the country for him. That’s a fact.”

If Ford and Hamlin appear in lockstep, it’s because both are football fanatics who spend their free time either studying film or playing Madden NFL video games. Football, Hamlin said, is all they like to do. And Ford and Hamlin are so in sync they even finish each other’s sentences.

So I asked them what makes the other so special.

Hamlin, on Ford: “It’s instincts. That’s one thing I was so glad people got to see last year. It’s a lot that you can’t coach. You’ve got to trust it. You’ve got to feel it.”

Ford, on Hamlin: “His knowledge, off the rip. He’s the leader on the back end. If someone’s not in position, he puts us all in position. I would say his knowledge is second to none. You can’t deny his knowledge about the game.”

Added Hamlin: “We’ve got the brains and the muscle.”

That’s a terrific tandem, just like Ford and Hamlin.

The Pitt safeties have the same goal in their sights, but they have business to finish before they change the channel.

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