It was reported yesterday that two Pitt football players will be suspended for the year. Wide receiver, Ronald Jones, and defensive lineman, Khyanin Mosley-Smith have been suspended by coach Paul Chryst for the entire 2013 season.
Ronald Jones would be entering his junior season but was suspended for violation of team rules. Jones has played in 23 games in his career, and has 24 career catches to his name. Jones figured into the return game this upcoming season, and likely would have been a top reserve as a receiver as well. He came to Pitt as a low profile recruit, but fit in with coach Todd Graham's offense and was able to see the field as a true freshman. Last year his numbers took a hit, but still he was an experienced player on a young team. He can use this season as a redshirt, and have two years of eligibility remaining.
Mosley-Smith was involved in a drug raid in his apartment, which saw teammates Drew Carswell and Eric Williams kicked off the team. It is pretty clear Mosley-Smith's involvement was much smaller of his teammates, but still enough to be suspended for the year. Mosley-Smith would have seen a good amount of playing time as Tyrone Ezell's backup. He has played in all 26 games of his career, but has failed to record one sack or tackle for loss. Still, depth is thin for the Panthers these days, and an experienced player is hard to lose. Mosley-Smith has the same deal as Jones, he is a junior that will be eligible to redshirt and have two more years.
The fallout of this is simple - true freshmen will have to play. Tyrique Jarrett will almost assuredly be Ezell's backup at nose tackle. It should come as no surprise, but with Jones suspended and the Davis twins having transferred, the door is wide open for Tyler Boyd to come in and play a big role offensively, and at special teams. Boyd would have likely played regardless, but his worth is even higher now.
