As spring drills wind down for the Pitt football team, at least one thing seems certain: The secondary, despite losing two 2007 starters, will be better this season.

The two most important upgrades seem to be athleticism and overall talent.

"I think we have a great group to work with and I think they are all good doing different things," said first-year secondary coach Jeff Hafley. "We've made a lot of progress, but we have a lot of work ahead of us. I think right now we are somewhat incomplete in that we need to find a couple more players at both corner and safety to fill out our depth chart, but we have a great start.

"And I know a lot of people want to talk about the younger players, but the key is [Eric] Thatcher. He is the one who makes us go. He is so experienced, he is the veteran guy and, without him out there, we'd be in trouble because he gets everyone to where they need to be. He is doing such a great job of being a leader and being sort of like a coach out there on the field."

Thatcher, a fifth-year senior and the starter at free safety, brings a wealth of experience to the unit. He started all 12 games last season and the first five of 2006 before he was lost for the season with an ankle injury.

The strong safety spot will be manned by either redshirt freshman Dom DeCicco or redshirt sophomore Elijah Fields. The battle likely won't be resolved until late in training camp, but it is clear both the starter and his backup will play a lot.

In fact, coaches have begun to give Fields some snaps at free safety as well as strong safety, so he can back up Thatcher. That would create a scenario where the Panthers could have both Fields and DeCicco, two players with enormous potential, on the field at the same time.

"I think Dom is at a different place than Elijah just because of where they were at last year," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Elijah [who was suspended] has a lot of ability, but he spent last season with the scout teams, so he wasn't in on game plans and whatnot and needs to relearn the defense, if you will."

Fields (6 feet 2, 215 pounds) and DeCicco (6-3, 200) are big, athletic and big hitters. They are excellent in run support and pass coverage, so they will solidify the back end of a potentially good defense.

At cornerback, the Panthers also have one experienced player in junior Aaron Berry. There is heated competition at the other spot between junior Jovani Chappel (5-9, 185) and redshirt freshman Buddy Jackson (6-0, 165). And there also is redshirt sophomore Ricky Gary, who started three games last year, to back up Berry.

Hafley said Chappel and Jackson are an interesting mix of contrasting styles. They give the Panthers plenty of versatility. And he's confident that Berry, with a season as a starter under his belt, is ready to take the next step and become one of the top corners in the Big East.

"Buddy is tall and athletic, and he has enormous potential, probably more talent than he even knows he has," Hafley said. "And then Jovani is a grinder, he works hard, he is smart, he is physical -- he is a tough kid. Those two are really pushing each other and we'll have two good players to choose from.

"The thing about Aaron is now he's started for a year and he can focus on working harder, pushing himself, the little things. Like I said before, I love this group, I think we have a great group and, given some of the youth we have, we're only going to get better and better."

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NOTES -- Pitt will have its annual coaches clinic today and tomorrow. Cost is $50 per coach. For more information, call Chris LaSala in the football office at 412-648-8700 ... The Blue-Gold spring game is April 19 at 6 p.m. It will be televised on the NFL Network and WPCW (formerly UPN 19). Admission to the game is free, parking in Gold Lots 1 and 2 is $5. Fan activities for the day will begin at 4 p.m. with an autograph session.