Pitt guard B.J. Williams, safety Cruce Brookins named most improved players during spring drills

Guard B.J. Williams and safety Cruce Brookins were named winners of the Ed Conway Award on Saturday, emblematic of the most improved players during Pitt’s spring drills. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made the announcement two hours before the Blue-Gold game at Acrisure Stadium.

Williams (6-foot-4, 315 pounds) appeared in nine games as a first-year freshman last season, starting six. He was the first Pitt freshman to start on the offensive line since Dorian Johnson in 2013. The Panthers will rely heavily on Williams this season to help anchor the right side of Pitt’s line with tackle Ryan Baer.

“B.J. is no longer a rookie on our offensive line, and he carried himself like a veteran this spring,” Narduzzi said in a statement. “He is asserting himself as a leader, both by his play on the field and in our meeting room. We are really excited about the jump he took this spring and look forward to his continued progress come training camp.”

Brookins, a Steel Valley graduate, appeared in two games last season as a freshman, preserving his redshirt. He continually garnered praise from coaches and teammates for his consistent play during the previous 14 practice sessions this spring. At 6-2, 195 pounds, he is expected to provide backup for veteran safeties Javon McIntyre, Donovan McMillon and P.J. O’Brien.

“We knew Cruce was a football player when we signed him out of Steel Valley,” Narduzzi said. “He loves everything about the game, including the preparation part of it. Cruce made a great impression on both his teammates and coaches this spring. We know he will be an asset for us this season.”

Brookins is injured and did not play in the spring game.

At Steel Valley, he was one of the WPIAL’s best players, lining up at quarterback and defensive back while helping his team win the Class 2A championship. He rushed for 170 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns in the title game against Beaver Falls and ended up with 2,336 yards of total offense (1,625 rushing and 711 passing).

Past winners of the Conway Award are running back Izzy Abanikanda and linebacker John Petrishen (2021), offensive tackle Carter Warren, wide receiver Tre Tipton, linebacker Phil Campbell and safety Paris Ford (2019) and quarterback Pat Bostick (2009).