Sometimes Jamiyus Pittman has to remind himself that he's already leaping into this junior season with the UCF football team.
And playing the quiet church mouse during team meetings is no longer an option for the defensive tackle who has started for two years. Pittman has enough weathered experience to lead, but he was still nervous coming into spring workouts with an entirely new coaching staff running a new system. The Knights had always executed a base 4-3, with four down lineman, under previous head coach George O'Leary. Now, the team has shifted to a base 3-4 under first-year defensive coordinator Erik Chinander.