Pitt Football: Desmond Reid looks to build on breakout season

After starting the 2024 season undefeated, the Pitt Panthers faltered to end their season, cumulating in multiple losses – including a tough bowl game loss to end their season. Now entering the 2025 season, Pitt may need to rely on running back Desmond Reid to help carry the load to help the team succeed this season.

Pitt Football: Who is Desmond Reid?

Desmond Reid was a two-star recruit coming out of high school in 2022. In his senior year at Miramar in Miami, Reid rushed for an impressive 1563 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also added 13 receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

Yet, the only two schools that showed interest in Reid were Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic. Eventually, Reid made his verbal commitment to Western Carolina and became an immediate impact player for the Catamounts.

In his freshman season, Reid carried the ball 117 times for 824 yards with four touchdowns on the ground. And no, that seven yards per attempt is not a typo. He also added 21 receptions for 212 yards and one touchdown. Reid only picked up his production in 2023, having 897 yards on the ground while averaging 6.8 yards per attempt. Only this season he went from four touchdowns to 13, an amazing leap.

In the offseason leading up to the 2024 season, Reid decided to follow his offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who took the offensive coordinator and quarterback coaching position at the University of Pittsburgh. Many analysts and fans were more than skeptical about a 5-foot-8 running back being a workhorse in the ACC, but Reid just kept proving the doubters wrong.

2024 Season Summary

It’s no secret to the college football world that Pitt’s season didn’t go how they planned. From starting 7-0 and being ranked in the top-20, to losing out and finishing with a loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports bowl, this season was nothing short of a rollercoaster. That is, except for Desmond Reid.

Reid finished the season with career-highs in every offensive category. He had 184 carries for 966 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. But the biggest elevation came from his work in the passing game. Reid became a safety valve for redshirt freshman Eli Holstein and had 52 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdowns through the air. That production was a great leap from Reid’s previous career-high of 22 receptions.

During Pitt’s seven game win streak, Reid was easily the offensive MVP for the Panthers. He had multiple games of over 100 rushing yards, while also having multiple 100-yard receiving games. His best performance came against Cincinnati, where he had 19 carries for 148 yards with six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, a true all-purpose performance. He led a furious comeback for Pitt, where they won 28-27 after being down 27-6 in the third quarter.

Reid was a true do-it-all player in 2024. The running back returned punts for the Panthers and averaged an impressive 12.23 yards per attempt on returns. He also had a 78-yard return for a touchdown against Kent State in Week 1.

Reid’s play earned him second team All-American honors as an all-purpose (rushing, receiving, and returning) player. He also was first team All-ACC all-purpose, and return specialist, and an honorable mention for ACC running backs.

All things considered, Reid had an outstanding 2024. He will look to improve on his already very impressive college career while helping the Panthers make a push for an ACC title.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and 2025 Outlook

 While Reid excels in multiple areas as a running back, his biggest asset is his speed. Reid runs an impressive 4.38 40-yard dash. His low center of gravity also makes him very tough to tackle in the open field. Reid showcased his world class speed on a 72-yard rushing touchdown against Cal, and many other big plays throughout the season.

Another are Reid does well is the passing game. As said earlier, he more than doubled his reception total from 2023 and was the focal point for Pitt’s offense in 2024.

Yet, while Reid is no doubt a great player, there are some areas where he could improve and take his game to the next level. The biggest area where he can improve is running between the tackles. Given his size and stature, it is obviously more ideal for Reid to be an outside runner. However, if he carries a similar workload to last year he is going to need to keep teams off balance and surprise them with some inside runs. Otherwise, he will be easier to gameplan for as the season goes on.

Going into the 2025 season Desmond Reid is the standalone starting running back for Pitt. It will be interesting to see what the Panthers do regarding his workload. Reid missed two games last year, and also played through many different injuries. This could all be explained by saying after a full year of Power 4 football he is ready to handle another big workload. Yet being 5-foot-8 and hovering around 180 pounds is nothing to ignore when it comes to injury concern.

Pitt’s running back room outside of Reid is very unproven as well. Derrick Davis got minimal work last year, and other than him they are not returning much help in the backfield. Either way, Reid will be lined up for another great season, and you would think, another huge workload.

Reid heads into 2025 looking to improve yet again, something he has done every year of his college career. Fans should be excited and ready to see how he performs. With his skillset, a healthy season for Reid could have Pitt poised to make another run at an ACC title, something they have not done since 2021.