Ryan Jacoby was one of the most decorated high school football players in Ohio during the 2018 season, a top-10 overall prospect (fourth among offensive linemen) in a state recognized for its wealth of talent.

He sifted through nearly two dozen scholarship offers before settling on Ohio State, enrolling at a college football power that won 13 games on its way to Big Ten and Rose Bowl championships and a final ranking of No. 3 in the nation.

But he didn’t play nearly enough during the 2019 and 2020 seasons to quench his competitive juices before entering the portal and transferring to Pitt. He arrived in August 2021, just in time to play in the final three games of the season.

The following year, he served as an in-line tight end when Pitt wanted more muscle on the offensive line, putting himself in line to start at guard in 2023. But a knee injury in summer camp ended his season before it started.

“Last year, I thought it was going to be my year.” he said. “It hurt (to get injured). I knew I was going to fight back hard.”

Which brings his story to Pitt’s 2024 summer training camp — Jacoby’s sixth year of eligibility — where coach Pat Narduzzi said Friday that Jacoby is competing with Jason Collier Jr. for the starting job at left guard.

Eager for some action — finally — Jacoby said, “It’s awesome to hit people and not get in trouble for it.”

Jacoby didn’t spend his down time hitting anyone. He was on crutches — shoutout to teammates Jake Kradel, Gavin Bartholomew and Matt Altsman for helping him navigate stairs — and able to motivate only with his words. A positive aspect of his recovery was having his mom, Lisa, around for a week, cooking and cleaning for him.

“It wasn’t a great year,” he said. “A lot of guys had their heads down. (I was) trying to keep positive and motivate people.”

Jacoby is part of a experienced line that includes seniors Collier and Branson Taylor, juniors Terrence Moore and Lyndon Cooper and sophomores Ryan Baer and B.J. Williams. Between the seven, they have started 53 games in their careers.

Sounds promising, but it’s still early in the process and they have yet to wear full pads in practice this summer. Narduzzi is optimistic the new style of offense will help the offensive linemen.

“Last year, we didn’t play like we needed to,” Narduzzi said. “We were thinking too much. Part of (new offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s) philosophy is keep it simple. Let our guys play fast and don’t give them too much to think about pre-snap. That’s part of why we’ll see those guys maybe being average players a year ago and being above-average or great players this year.”

Said Williams: “There’s not too much to think about. Just go.”

Jacoby was medically cleared Monday, two days before the first practice, but he’s already catching the coach’s eye. He might fit perfectly into Bell’s speed-based, no-huddle offense because he played in a similar system at Mentor High School.

“We thought it was going to take a little while because he’s been out for a year,” Narduzzi said, “but (training staff members) have done a great job getting him back.”

Narduzzi said Jacoby didn’t show his frustrations last year, and that helped him focus on his recovery.

“There’s the story he showed, and the story he didn’t show,” the coach said. “Does he wear his emotions on his sleeve? Probably not. He’s done a great job. Ryan has stayed locked in. That’s why he is where he is today. He’s done a nice job, a really nice job.”

At right guard, Williams, who started six games last season, is trying to back up his strong spring work with equally effective efforts in summer camp.

“He was impressive in the spring,” Narduzzi said. “We’re waiting to see this fall yet. In spiders (light pads), it’s hard to tell. We’re going to kick him in the butt (Friday morning) and see what we can get out of B.J.

“B.J.’s a talented dude. We were happy with where he was in the spring, and we’ll find out this fall. Spring ball All-Americans? Don’t care for them. I like fall All-Americans.”

Said Williams: “Just working on the little things, being more consistent. Focusing on the details because those matter a lot in this offense.”

Narduzzi also said there is competition at center between Moore, who started nine games last season, and N.C. State transfer Cooper.

“It’s fun to watch,” Narduzzi said.

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