The NFL draft combine starts tomorrow and Pitt’s lone invitee is running back Qadree Ollison.

Ollison came to Pitt as an unheralded three-star recruit from upstate New York, but he did great things both as a redshirt freshman and again as a redshirt senior. He finished his career 7th on the Pitt all time rushing list, just one yard behind Dion Lewis.

He also did this

Draft “experts” put Ollison somewhere between the fourth and sixth round, and some scouts are suggesting he’s undervalued.

Note the Dinocat…

What a lot of fans don’t see (but a lot of scouts likely do) is that Ollison can do a lot more than pound the rock. Sure he’s got surprising speed for a big guy, and he’s certainly learned to run with power, but according to Pitt RB coach Andre Powell , Ollison can pass protect with the best of them, as well as do just about anything a coach could ask for on special teams.

Judging by this very good CBSsports article (which is where I got all the information above), Ollison also seems like he’s an all-around great guy.

The combine technically started Wednesday for Ollison, when he was weighed and measured with the rest of the running backs. Turns out he’s the heaviest running back in the draft, edging Michigan State’s LJ Scott by 1 lb.

Now the question is whether the 228 lb Ollison can run a 4.5 forty, because that will surely generate some buzz in scouting circles.

Regardless of what Ollison runs, here’s to hoping he shatters the NFL’s expectations and continues to carry on Pitt’s tradition as Running Back U.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone
Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

133 thoughts on “Ollison Goes to Combine”

    1. Thanks. Or my best work but I basically did it on the whole on a business trip on my phone. I appreciate the suggestion for the topic. Let me know if you have any more ideas. That goes for all readers

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  2. Qadree Ollison MEASURABLES up at the Combine…

    6-1 228 lbs… Arms 31-1/2… Hands 9 5/8.

    Comparing to Conner

    6-1 233 lbs… Arms 31 1/4… Hands 9 7/8

    *It can be assumed that Ollison probably dropped some weight getting ready for the 40.

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  3. And Pitt’s SOLE Invitee just finished the Bench Press…

    Ollison 19 Reps

    Compares to Conner’s 20 Reps… LeSean McCoy’s 22 Reps… and Le’Veon Bell’s 24 Reps.

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    1. Surprised Conner only did 20. Perhaps he still had some adverse effects from the cancer treatments.

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  4. A little Qadree Ollison trivia.

    Ollison was considered a pretty GOOD GET when Chryst and his Staff lured him from the State of New York.

    What COINCIDENCE played a factor in him eventually being sold on Pittsburgh and Pitt?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It would be a great homecoming but what a crappy franchise to get picked by

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  11. In BB, the Pitt women just beat WF at WF by 70-64.

    Each team had only one ACC win going into this game.

    Monster games by Garven and Whitney. Garven scored 21. Too bad she’s a senior.

    Whitney was credited with 12 assists and only one turnover. She scored 19. She has one more year to play.

    Coach White making some progress but a long, long way to go…

    Go Pitt.

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  15. I am not being critical because I know you put this together real fast, but no article of Ollison is complete without a mention of just what a great teammate and leader he has been. I am reminded of the time when his brother died suddenly yet he rushed down to the Duke game in NC the day after the funeral to join his teammates. There are other examples of his unselfishness when he lost his job as a starter, and his leadership.

    Whether he makes the pros or not, he is a winner. I assume he has or will have his degree and will be successful after football …. whether that is next year or 8 years from now.

    Liked by 7 people

    2. Totally the opposite. The article was written so that everyone could contribute this kind of information and highlight all of the good things about this great Pitt Man. Thanks for adding WWB

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  20. My favorite player since James Conner – great teammates.

    Being chosen by the right team is key to a successful NFL career – Andy Reid and the Chiefs feels Lyke a perfect fit.

    Measureables similar to Conner at the combine, including the 40. Do they measure heart in Indianapolis? If they did, Conner would have been a first rounder. I feel the same with Q.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What did Conner run the 40 in? QO hasn’t run yet…

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  21. If Marvin Lewis was still in Cincinnati I could see the Bengals making a play for Q, given the return they’ve gotten from Tyler Boyd, right UPitt?

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  22. Never flashy always solid. Very odd that he got a thousand as a frosh and a senior but little in between.
    Never complained and played fullback when asked.
    A real Pitt Man.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. At 9:00 this morning the Running Backs will be taking the field at Indianapolis.

    What will Ollison run in the forty?

    Well, the track, the methodology and the PRESSURE at the Combine always seems to be tough on Players who aren’t just plain FAST.

    For example, Tyler Boyd ran a surprisingly SLOW 4.58 at the Combine. Reportedly, he later ran under 4.5 at the Pitt Pro Day. Today, I don’t think many would disagree that he plays faster than 4.58 in the NFL.

    When Ollison signed on to come to Pitt, based on his high school highlights… I pegged him at something in the 4.5s… which is what I think he REALLY is.

    But we’re talking the NFL Combine.

    Conner ran 4.65. Everything considered, today I see Ollison running just slightly faster at 4.62.

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    1. I thought what made Tyler Boyd so good at Pitt was not his speed, but his great hands and his ability to adjust to the ball – those skills combined to allow him to make many “wow” catches. I thought he’d be decent in the NFL, but not a big-time star. I’m glad to see him doing well.

      Qadree Ollison is one of those guys who you hope good things happen to — like gets signed by the right team and avoids significant injuries. Like Tyler, I don’t see Qadree being a “star” in the NFL, but I hope he has a nice career.

      Go Pitt.

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      1. Conner used his stiff arm every chance he got to employ it. It took Ollison about 4 years to even think about utilizing that when running. Any idea’s on why did Narduzzi and Pitt’s OC’s diminished Ollison’s playing time after his freshman year?

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        1. See my post below… basically it was because Narduzzi felt Ollison showed up overweight for fall camp and thus dropped him on the depth chart. Not realizing I suppose that players can lose weight very quickly.

          It was poor judgement on PN’s part all around.

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        2. I agree btw. Took O four years to figure out he was bigger then half the defense. Oh but when he did

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    1. That clip is awesome – could watch it over and over (except for the flip into the endzone 😉

      Go Pitt.

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  27. Final info from yesterday’s Pitt “Day of Giving”

    Number of Donors: 6,346
    Total dollars: $4,218,250

    I understand they doubled the number of donors from last year (although they had some some deep-pocket donations last year that took the total over $9 Million)… This is the third year for Pitt’s “Day of Giving.”

    Go Pitt.

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    1. Yes. You can allocate your donation to any of Pitt’s schools or colleges, to any of the athletic teams, to student organizations, etc. I ended up spreading around a few bucks to the Swanson School of Engineering and to baseball, football, and women’s basketball (which, strangely, I got hooked on several years ago – I blame Mallorie Winn!)

      Check out this link for info on Pitt’s Day of Giving:
      https://www.pittdayofgiving.com/pages/home-59

      BTW, Pitt was founded on February 28, 1787. The “Day of Giving,” which was only started three years ago, is held on Pitt’s birthday!

      Go Pitt.

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      1. Almost exactly 68 years BEFORE Penn State University was founded as The Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania by the PA General Assembly.

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  29. Just renewed my Pitt football season tickets. (As the March 7th deadline approached, I’m sure Heather was worried…;-))

    Hey, and I didn’t have to pay any extra to have the honor of sitting in the very same section as (and just a short chip shot from) Lastrow, Scooter and Tommy! What a bonanza!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. The only response I’ve received from Pitt, by not renewing my tickets is that I may have to relocate from my current seats (in other words they can’t guarantee if I decide later to renew that my seats will not already be sold to someone else).

      So, last night I explained all this to my wife – she asked “then where will our new seats be if we renew?”.. I jokingly said, probably in two of the empty yellow seats that you see when we are at most of the games. She said without missing a beat – “I don’t want to sit alone with nobody around us. That can’t be fun.”

      And there you have it! Pitt football at Heinz Field…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Our group is in 114 and we have great folks around us. Would be delighted to have you and the Mrs join our ranks. Not much yellow at all in our area!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Well sanders is 9/10’s faster and one rep stronger… I wonder about his wonderlic

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    2. Wonder if Hall will run a 4.5 on Pro Day?

      Seemed like those DBs couldn’t catch Hall…

      Go Pitt.

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  31. …and yet our illustrious HC ran Ollison a grand total of 90 times in 2017…and everyone on here gave PN a pass on it when we went 5-7.

    The kid gets 1121 yards in 2015 on 212 carries – and then the staff cuts him down to 33, then 90 over the next two years…

    Had they stuck with him he’d be one of our top five rushers at least.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Here’s the other side of that pancake….the word at the time was that QO kept missing his blocking assignments and therefore had his carries reduced. QO even acknowledged that. Perhaps playing him would have yielded the stats you note, but if he cannot block, he’s not getting drafted.

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    2. Not everyone…I remember several people saying “Where’s Ollison” during games and complaining.

      Of course Conner came back from the knee injury, so Ollie got a lot less reps. But Ollison should have been the #2 back and gotten more reps. It was evident that he was in Naruzzi’s dog house, but no one knew why.

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  34. Ollison making a VERY Good showing for himself. BIGGEST Back running far from the slowest time.

    However, Woodland Hills product Miles Sanders might just come away the BIG Winner out of all of the Runningbacks at the Combine.

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  37. Fact is, Ollison is the only PITT player invited to the scouting combine. Shame shame shame on Narduzzi for his mistreatment of Qadree???

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    1. Q always had talent. He was ACC frosh of the year.

      Then Narduzzi puts him in the doghouse for 2 years.

      Narduzzi has meatballs for brains

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  43. Ollison’s red shirt sophomore year Conner returned but Q still played in almost every game.

    In 2017. Ollison carried the ball 90 times for 398 yards for a 4.4 ypc and 5 td’s. He also caught 23 passes for 194 yards and a couple TD’s in 12 games played. with a total of 113 touches of the football. I hardly believe that makes him totally ignored and misused.

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  44. I swear you people are all senile. It seems that everyone forgot the hard work Ollison put in before last season, and that 2018 saw a much leaner, quicker version of himself than the past 2 years

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    1. His freshman year won him ACC rookie of the year
      I guess 2 years in Narduzzi’s doghouse helped his draft stock
      But what about that 5 win season?
      Could have used Q that year
      Thanks Dog…not

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  45. ^^ BTW, Hall’s stats in 2017….. 128 carries for 628 yards for 4.9 ypc and 9 TD’s with 16 receptions for 157 yards and 1 TD for a total of 144 touches of the football. I don’t see the rumpus here with Ollison’s playing time at all.

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  46. wwb, just some folks wanting to bag on Narduzzi. Qadree Ollison is invited to the scouting combine and all of a sudden Narduzzi is the bad guy …. again.

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    1. and no O-line.
      Pitt has another rebuilding year on O
      Need to reach the point of reloading

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      1. We had no OL going into the past season and just happened to win the Coastal with that line. We have no idea if any of the backs Pitt has this year will be effective or not. I do know one thing and that is neither Ollison or Hall had much shake and bake in their running styles. A little “Shady McCoy” coming from one of our backs this season might do wonders for the Pitt offense going forward.

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        1. Might I add, only one person on this blog was predicting we’d have two 1,000 yard backs last season (that I recall). There was not much love for either back, let alone two. So with a few four star guys who are unproven, legs fresh and no front runner, let the competition begin.

          Remember Shady McCoy, Dion Lewis and Ray Graham? Those were fun years from a RB perspective.

          Next man up!

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        1. very true, but RB is a position that is more on natural instincts than experience. Dion Lewis and Shady McCoy … and also Rushell Shell are recent examples where natural freshmen made immediate impacts. I’m not saying that experience doesn’t help but just not as big as factor than other positions

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  49. From PNC – Pitt running back Qadree Ollison officially turned in a time of 4.58, tied for the 11th-fastest time. For a big back, that’s an excellent time. For comparison, James Conner ran a 4.65 at the combine in 2017.

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  50. Couple things:

    Qadree definitely showed well today and great for him.

    I see where another PITT sports media outlet will be using a sponsor to have a meet and greet so they can put names to the faces that read their articles. Hmm… what a novel idea. Kind of like round-tables, golf outings and tailgates. << and this without a sponsor, unless we count Reed, Fran, Rick, Mike and JoeL as sponsors, which they kind of are. Proving again what a ground breaking blog the POV has been! One of a kind for sure!. . …. …ike

    Liked by 2 people

  51. Here’s what someone posted about Qadree (or Quadree) Ollison back in 2013 when he first signed with Pitt.

    At the time Dokish and pretty much everybody were “crazy in love” with a Western PA Running Back named Sha McKenzie out of Washington. McKenzie ended up spurning Pitt in favor of VaTech.

    xxxxxxxx
    From his highlights, you can see the 4.5 time is legit. He (Ollison) is a BIG Back who runs BIG and very QUICK.

    The difference is pretty obvious in the way Ollison carries the football and McKenzie. Ollison has a lot of instinct and fluid in his running style.

    This isn’t just sweet grapes. Pitt came out ahead here with Ollison. In my opinion, they got the better back.
    xxxxxxxx

    McKenzie ultimately was injured and ended up losing his place in line and transferring from VaTech to Football Powerhouse Hampton University.

    This past season in his last year of eligibility, McKenzie had 204 yards and 0 TDs.

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  52. Coaching kids, young men or even adults, you have to recognize who it is you’re dealing with. You can massage their egos, give em hell or something in between but you have to understand the how and who the player is. We are all different but the goal should always remain the same. Get the best out of the players you are coaching for the team and what is best for the singular player. It’s a two edged sword and not easily navigated through all the time. Of course it’s a lot different for the younger kids but in reality and the long run, they are all playing a game.

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  53. A couple of late night comments regarding Ollison… when he signed with Pitt, a friend of mine who lives near Niagara Falls called me and told me that we were getting a gem. I’m not certain, but he may have been NY player of the year or at least player of the year in the Buffalo area.

    Second, I had a little bet with my son to guess the 40 time of Q. at the combine today. And the winner, with a guess of 4.58, was MISSINGWLAT!!!

    That ought to get him drafted. My guess, 5th or 6th round.

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    1. Need to follow the obligatory order of posts. First is, “Where do I find the game on my TV?” Here in the Pittsburgh area it is being televised at 2 PM on the WTAE Channel 4 digital sub channel, COZI.

      Next!

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  57. My hope is that Duzz goes from meatball to Meatball Hero this year…
    (imagine a meatball hoagie emoji here) 😎

    Liked by 2 people

  58. with all of the discussion above about Mackenzie and other recent area RBs, I got to thinking that Pitt actually reeled in the two most hyped area RBs that I can remember …. Brian Davis and Rushell Shell (who rushed for > 1000 yards as a ninth grader)

    I don’t see either on the list in the blog article above

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  62. I repeat, the only differences with Qadree between 2017 and 2018 were production and attempts. Ollison played in all 12 games in 2017, ALL 12 games

    In 2017. Ollison carried the ball 90 times for 398 yards for a 4.4 ypc and 5 td’s. He also caught 23 passes for 194 yards and a couple TD’s in 12 games played with a total of 113 touches of the football. I hardly believe that makes him totally ignored and misused. << and in the dog house

    Hall’s stats in 2017….. 128 carries for 628 yards for 4.9 ypc and 9 TD’s with 16 receptions for 157 yards and 1 TD for a total of 144 touches of the football.

    So PITT did the same thing each year which was, sharing the football between Olli and Hall. PITT just wasn’t committed to the run as much in 2017

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      2. wwb – didn’t get that at first – my brain’s getting old even faster than I’m getting old…

        Good one. 👍

        Go Pitt.

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  63. The best NFL Combine 40 time and vertical leap from the RBs is Justice Hill. Who is Justice Hill you may ask? Well Pitt played against him twice ….. but you are going to be lost in the shuffle when your teammates are Mason Rudolph and James Washington.

    Liked by 1 person

  64. I called Comcast and got me one of those fancy remote controls that you speak into. I just say PITT basketball game and poof it shows what channel it will be televised on and remind me to tune in at 2:00. It was free as well.

    For Xmas, my great wife got me one of those Echo Dot thingamajigs called Alexa. It’s pretty cool but it’s given me a complex because she often times cannot understand me. I never knew I had such a bad speech impediment?

    It’s like my GPS when I start my trip a different way than what the lady inside the darn thing wants me to go. Which gave me an idea, have an adult GPS system. You know one that would swear at you if you don’t follow her exact directions. Example, she yells at you like your wife does. YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! or I’M NOT TALKING TO YOU ANYMORE IF YOU DON’T LISTEN! Throw in a couple swear words and it would remind me of home. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  65. Watching the NFL Network. Obviously, they’re not putting a lot of stock in Pitt and Ollison. Completely edited BOTH of this 40 runs from the taped replay.

    But a lot of Backs making the cut who accomplished far less in their careers and ran much SLOWER 40s.

    Disappointing,

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  66. And there’s that Running Back named Homer from Miami. Looks more like a soccer player than football.

    Cannot believe Hamlin actually CHOSE to whiff on that Kid during his 64 Yard TD run.

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  67. Thanks for the hoagie Tex…
    Was watching the most recent “Pitt, inside the script” and Whipple said that every school he coached they had the schools all time leading rusher.
    Did I hear that right? Any fact checkers out there?

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    1. I have little doubt that the leading rusher at UMass played under him since he coached there for so many years. But the leading all-time rusher at Miami was Randy ‘Duke’ Johnson who committed to the U when Whipple was there, but had moved on to the Browns when Duke played. Incidentally, the Browns drafted Johnson (who is still playing for them) at the same time Whipple moved on to UMass.

      I have no idea about the other schools where Whipple had coached

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  68. That Dokish… Never seen somebody be so brilliant in hindsight.

    Of course, nothing posted BEFORE the fact.

    xxxxxxxx

    Chris Dokish
    ‏@ChrisDokish
    21h21 hours ago

    Qadree Ollison ran a 4.61 and a 4.59. Pretty much what I expected.

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  69. Thanks Fran and Bill on the info about Whipple. That sounds like a nice recruiting tidbit to have in ones pocket when speaking with a possible running back or O-Lineman for that matter. Speaking of recruiting, I read where PITT may be reaching a little higher for the stars this coming recruiting season. A change in recruiting philosophies perhaps? Word is, Narduzzi is going after a little higher end recruit these days. Interesting to me as I have felt Narduzzi doesn’t handle rejection very well but now he may have a more of devil may care attitude? I like the fact that he is willing to make changes if something is not working, all part of learning how to be the HEAD COACH and not an assistant.

    Liked by 1 person

  70. Found the tape on YouTube…Whipple said “every place I’ve been the all time leading rusher has been at that school”
    Maybe embellishing some…

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  75. Somewhere I saw that Qadree had the same time as the PSU back, can’t remember his name, for the first ten yards of the forty. I would think that’s a good sign, if true.

    Hall may beat both of them in the forty, but Hall has to overcome his terrible display of “blocking” last season…

    Go Pitt.

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