Pitt’s Gavin Bartholomew doesn’t allow pregame ‘jitters’ to keep from being grounded
Share this post:
The moments before a game are when Gavin Bartholomew wants to be alone.
“I try to keep to myself a little bit, tune in to what I have to do to get the job done,” Pitt’s sophomore tight end said.
But he should know — actually, he likely is well aware — that there are eyes on him. Tight ends coach Tim Salem is watching.
“My favorite part about Gavin is just watching him on game day, getting nervous from the morning all the way to game time,” Salem said. “Feet shaking, hands shaking.
“You just know he’s getting ready, just to see him. You just feel it. He’s like, ‘OK, let’s get this thing going, let’s get started.’
“He wants to play. No matter if we play at 12 noon or 12 midnight, he’s coming to play. I like guys like that, and I think he’s displayed that in the short career he’s had here.”
Bartholomew admits to experiencing nervousness and anxiety before a game, but the feelings don’t last long.
“There are always jitters before you go out,” he said, “and once you go out through the tunnel, it hits you in the face like, ‘Wow.’ ”
He said after the first snap, he tells himself, “I got this.”
Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. is seeking to make the passing game more visible and productive, and Bartholomew can be a big part of that quest.
While three quarterbacks have taken snaps due to injuries to Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti, the Panthers are averaging 251 aerial yards per game (eighth in the 14-team ACC). Pitt doesn’t need to match last year’s average (337.4), but more downfield throws might help the overall attack.
Bartholomew, who also has missed some time with an injury, holds one of the keys to an improved passing game. He’s healthy now, which puts him one step ahead of some teammates.
Pitt ended the loss to Georgia Tech with running backs Izzy Abanikanda and Rodney Hammond Jr. and offensive linemen Carter Warren and Owen Drexel down with injuries. Those absences create problems for each element of the gameplan and puts a larger burden on Slovis’ shoulders. Which, in turn, makes it important for Bartholomew and the wide receivers to get open quicker. The aim is to keep Slovis from standing in the pocket longer than what is best for his health.
In the Georgia Tech game, Slovis was sacked twice and hurried 12 times, making 14 plays where the quarterback was uncomfortable at best and on the seat of his pants at worst.
“We wanted to start fast,” Bartholomew said. “That’s one thing we didn’t get to do. This week, we’re really trying to work on that.”
Salem is always demanding more from his players, even Bartholomew, who has 11 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Asked if there will be an increased emphasis on getting the ball to Bartholomew, Salem joked, “My wife said the same thing.”
But he didn’t give away any secrets in the event coaches from Virginia Tech were paying attention in advance of Pitt’s game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
“I just like Gavin,” he said. “He may not have the best hands. He may not run the fastest. But he’s going to find a way to catch, go north and south, run somebody over, break some clavicles and get a first down.
“He just likes to play. His enthusiasm at game time surfaces. Whether he catches one pass or 10 passes, he’s going to make the most of them.”
On his way to a 57-yard, catch-and-run touchdown against Tennessee last month, Bartholomew (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) jumped over 5-foot-11 safety Trevon Flowers, displaying hurdling skills he never knew existed. He did the same Saturday, leaping over 6-foot-2 Georgia Tech defensive back Clayton Powell-Lee.
“Every time I do it, I know they’re going low,” said Bartholomew, adding that offseason strength training has added explosiveness to his legs. “It’s one of those things I know I can get away with.”
Salem, who played quarterback at Minnesota and Arizona State in the early 1980s, marvels at the athleticism of modern-day players.
“I couldn’t jump 2 inches off the ground,” he said. “It’s probably all these video games and all that stuff they play. They see one guy do it, ‘So, I gotta do it.’
“You have to be careful to some degree,” noting that North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye tried it last week against Virginia Tech and landed on his neck. “But if (players) like it, I like it. Fans like it. So, guess what? Jump over them.”
But Bartholomew is more than an aerial artist.
“He’s not afraid to run through them,” Salem said, “which is nice.”