Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes running back Ky Thomas (3) runs the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Cruce Brookins (12) chases during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 55-24.Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Watch: Pitt DB Cruce Brookins Drops the Hammer

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Kevin Sinclair | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 1:11 PM ET

Spring camp is underway for the Pitt Panthers.

Last weekend, the ACC squad competed in full pads for the first time while scores of prospects across the 2026, 2027, and 2028 classes poured onto campus.

Those padded practices have continued through this week, increasing the level of physicality day-to-day. This upcoming Saturday, the Panthers will head to Acrisure Stadium where the team will compete in a full scrimmage.

“Saturday, scrimmage. We got out in shells on Thursday, get to Acrisure on Saturday, barring that the weather is good,” Narduzzi said on Tuesday. “We’ll get to see what we really have that day. You know, when you go live for a whole scrimmage, you find out what you have.

“Saturday, we’ll be live the whole time. We’ll get 100-plus plays. We’ll be live. Oh yeah.”

On Wednesday, the Pitt Panthers X account posted a clip of third-year defensive back Cruce Brookins delivering an excellent takedown in the latest spring session.

The Cruce Missile @BrookinsCruce pic.twitter.com/bWeA32h8IJ
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) March 19, 2025

In the 2023 recruiting class, Brookins chose Pitt as a three-star recruit out of Homestead (Pa.) Steel Valley High School over opportunities from Syracuse, West Virginia, and others.

After barely getting his feet wet as a freshman that year, Brookins saw a lot more action last year as a true sophomore. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound in-state talent put together 35 total tackles, 26 of those takedowns being solo, while recording two pass breakups and two interceptions.

Click here for a look at Brookins' first interception via YouTube

It'll be interesting to see where Brookins fits into this year's defensive backfield roster. By the look of it, he's bringing plenty of energy and aggressiveness to the spring camp practice field.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: