Pitt RB Desmond Reid Healthy, Ready to Go Against Notre Dame
It’s been a trying year for Pitt football’s senior running back Desmond Reid.
Coming off an all-purpose All-American campaign in 2024, Reid was primed to have another explosive season. However, that has been derailed at various points throughout this season, missing three full games with an ankle injury, along with a bulk of the West Virginia game and portions of the Syracuse and NC State game.
Reid sat out against Stanford and with a well-placed November bye week, Reid is healthy and will play in the 22nd-ranked Panthers’ massive matchup against No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday.
“He is healthy and fresh and ready to go,” Narduzzi said Wednesday on his weekly radio show via 93.7 The Fan.
Narduzzi followed that up on Thursday by saying Reid is as healthy as he’s been since he first suffered the injury against WVU.
“Dez being back, again, he’s as healthy as he’s been,” Narduzzi said. “He wasn’t healthy going into the Florida State, to be honest with you. He’s practiced more this week than he has. He came out a couple of days not spatted up. I’m like, ‘Where’s your spat at?’ ‘Coach, I’m getting it.’ ‘I’m not gonna spat you up myself.’ But he’s looked good, so he’s different. He poses different problems for defenses. We gotta keep him healthy, too. That’s the other, that’s the next thing.”
Reid’s return is critical for Pitt going up against a formidable Notre Dame defense. The 5-8, 175-pound back has been a matchup nightmare in the receiving game against linebackers. Against Florida State, Reid totaled 155 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions as he was named the ACC Wide Receiver of the Week.
On the season, Reid has totaled 55 rush attempts for 266 yards and two scores to go with 254 receiving yards and the two touchdowns at FSU. He also recorded a punt return touchdown against Central Michigan.
Reid, Turner to Carry Workload
Pitt will utilize a primary rotation between Reid and true freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner.
“No doubt about it,” Narduzzi said on Reid and Turner giving Pitt options in the backfield. “Boosie’s a good player. So we’re happy with what he can do as well. So we’ll rotate those guys as needed.”
Turner, who stepped up in the Reid’s absence put together a career-high 127 yards on 22 rush attempts against Stanford, along with 36 yards on three receptions.
“Boosie’s obviously went to another level,” Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell said Wednesday. “You can kind of start seeing how comfortable he is running the ball, seeing his holes, reading his keys, and trusting the line. I think that’s because he just missed all of fall camp. Then obviously getting Dez back, having that one-two punch is huge for us.”
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