Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Pitt fullback Conredge Collins is happy to be a weapon in teh Panthers' offense. Click photo for larger image. Preseason football polls Vote in the Post-Gazette's pro and college polls.

Sophomore Conredge Collins came to Pitt last year with high hopes of being the Panthers' starting tailback by his second season.

He has achieved part of that goal as he will be a starter when the Panthers play host to Virginia in their opener Sept. 2. The only thing is he won't be at tailback. Instead, he will be at fullback.

That's a position he didn't think he wanted to play.

But he has grown up a bunch since last season and, as a result, his new position has grown on him. Now, he enjoys it. He also knows he is the team's best fullback, and his presence will help the team achieve his only goal -- win games.

"I just want to win," Collins said. "I can't go through no more losing seasons. I can't be sitting at home in December when all of my boys are playing in bowl games everywhere.

"Last year, I was sitting at home and I had guys calling me up talking some stuff because I was at home and they weren't. That isn't going to happen this year. It is about winning, I'll do what it takes. If they want me to block every play, I'll do it. Just get me to a bowl."

When Collins signed with Pitt, he said a key part of his recruitment was that Pitt's coaches told him they would let him be a tailback while most other teams recruited him has a fullback. Initially, he said he didn't want to play fullback because he enjoyed running with the football, but the coaching staff convinced him to give it a try.

He admitted that, at first, he wasn't happy with the switch, but he never considered transferring because he knew he would get his opportunities to shine. Since then, he has learned that the fullback in Pitt's offense is a lot more than just a blocker and that coaches expect him to be as much of a weapon with the ball in his hands as when he blocks.

"I'm happy they view me as a weapon. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't trust the coaches, and they haven't let me down," Collins said.

"I'm going to catch some passes out of the backfield, I'm going to run the football, I'm going to get to spend a lot of times as the back when we are in those one-back sets, but that's not as important to me. To me, like I said, I just want to win because I can't handle losing."

Collins, who is 6 feet and weighs 230 pounds, was rated as the top fullback prospect in the nation coming out high school. He is a big, physical runner with excellent speed as well as soft hands. He is capable of helping in a lot of ways.

He said any doubts he had about becoming a fullback were eased not only by the coaches, but by talking with his father, Tony, who was a Pro Bowl running back for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.

"My dad told me this is best for me right now, and who am I to argue with him?" Collins said. "I mean, he's already been there and done that with the NFL, so he must know what he is talking about. That's my goal to get there, too, but I have a lot of work to do first."

In the spring game, he showed natural ability when he ran about 50 yards for a touchdown on the first play. He ran through at least one tackle at the line, then outran the Panthers' defense to the end zone.

Pitt running backs coach David Walker said that Collins has NFL potential at fullback mostly because he isn't a traditional fullback, the kind that slowly is becoming obsolete. He said Collins is a perfect fit for the position in the Panthers' offense because many of the things he will be asked to do will take advantage of his size and athletic ability.

"Those days of the big, bruising fullback who does nothing but block are coming to an end," Walker said.

"Conredge is sort of that new breed of fullback who can do a lot of different things for us. His talent as a ball-carrier is obvious. But we need to get him up to speed in some of the other things he isn't used to doing, like blocking. He has the potential to be a great one if he keeps working and, in time, he'll be as multidimensional as we need him to be."

NOTES -- Senior receiver Joe DelSardo was suspended and will not be allowed to participate in the opener against Virginia because he violated team policy. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt declined further comment. His status will be re-evaluated after the Virginia game. ... Sophomore running back Brandon Mason has left Pitt and will transfer. ... Defensive backs Darrelle Revis (hamstring) and Mike Phillips (ankle) were held out of practice yesterday and Wannstedt said they also will be held out of the scrimmage today. ... The scrimmage, which is the second of three planned for this camp, will last 60 plays and include live field goals. "This one will be the last one where we will evaluate and look at positions," Wannstedt said. "After this, we hope to be closer to making some decisions, and then we'll use that last one to get our timing and rhythm down." ... Freshman receiver Aaron Smith (shoulder) will need surgery and is out for the year. ... The school unveiled a new trophy case that has nine golden footballs depicting each of the Panthers' national-championship seasons.