Here's the latest on the situation:

I can confirm via multiple sources that Pitt sophomore running back Rushel Shell is indeed considering a transfer from Pitt. He could certainly still change his mind, but he's at least very heavily weighing the decision. As of this morning, he had not requested formal transfer paperwork, which would be the first step in the process.

I've heard several different reasons for the decision, so it's probably a combination of factors. The factors that drew Shell to Pitt in the first place, specifically the proximity to his family and his young daughters, are still in play as reasons he could pull a last-minute switch and stick around.

Shell missed practice Tuesday with "an excused absence" that did not appear to be related to the leg injury he suffered in Friday's scrimmage. When asked after practice, Pitt coach Paul Chryst said Shell had "a couple of things" he needed to work through. The Panthers will practice again tomorrow, with Chryst slated to speak to the media afterwards, so it's doubtful the situation would stay in limbo any longer than that.

If Shell does elect to leave, it opens a massive void in the Panthers' offensive backfield. Shell rushed for 641 yards and four touchdowns on 141 carries as a freshman in 2012 and was slated to be the unquestioned starter and workhorse back in 2013. His departure would propel junior Isaac Bennett into the top spot on the depth chart with Malcolm Crockett assuming the No. 2 spot. That duo combined for 41 carries and 191 yards in 2012.

Pitt wrapped up its seventh practice of the spring season this afternoon. Once again, the Panthers practiced inside the UPMC workout facility on the South Side. It wasn't quite as exciting as Friday's scrimmage, but here are some notes from the day that was...

- Sophomore running back Rushel Shell was not at practice with what a Pitt spokesman called "an excused absence." Shell got banged up during Friday's scrimmage, but he wasn't with the rest of the injured players during today's session. After practice, Pitt coach Paul Chryst said Shell had "a couple of things" to work through and that he wasn't sure whether or not he would return at Thursday's session.

- With Shell out, junior Isaac Bennett and redshirt sophomore Malcolm Crockett got most of the work at running back (Bennett took the majority of the first-team snaps). It's going to be important for one of these guys to step up and be able to spell Shell for some meaningful reps next fall, so it's probably a good thing to get them first team work. While both players had flashes, they also had some issues with ball security.
"I think both give you really good effort, but both have put it on the ground," Chryst said. "We kind of moved the ball, had a good playaction, a chance to grab some momentum and then I think the next play, the ball fell on the ground. Sometimes certainly you've got to be able to take care. One time I thought he was trying to make too much happen and then he exposed it. If we can learn from those, all these mistakes, if you can learn from them they're good."

- Junior safety Eric Williams was also absent for the beginning of practice with "an excused absence," but returned about midway through the session. Even though Jason Hendricks is also sidelined, Williams' absence showed you just how thin Pitt is at safety. When he wasn't out there, the starting pair was Ray Vinopal and Ryan Lewis, backed up by Jevonte Pitts and walk-on Ethan Brown.

- When he returned, Williams had a nice interception on Tom Savage. Savage has struggled with his safety reads a few times this camp, and this was the second instance I can recall of Williams just dropping back and getting a (relatively) easy pick.

- Once again, it was TJ Clemmings starting at right tackle for Pitt. Looks like he may have pulled ahead (at least for now) in the battle with Juantez Hollins for that spot.

- Defensive lineman Devin Cook returned to practice for the first time this spring today. He worked mostly with the third team, but got into the second team rotation by the end of the session. I think he'll ultimately be a heavy contender for a starting job (especially given how thin Pitt is at defensive line), so I would expect that this was just the coaching staff working him back into the mix.

- True freshman Shakir Soto, though, did get some first team reps in 11-on-11 drills at defensive end.
"It's funny, we joke in our defensive staff room, Shakir should be getting ready for the senior prom and he's out here competing with 22-year old kids," defensive coordinator Matt House said. "Every day is a new experience for Shakir, but I'll tell you what, he's willing and he's certainly got a ton of potential."
It looked like the coaching staff was mixing it up a little more in general along the defensive line, with Darryl Render, Tyrique Jarrett and K.K. Mosley-Smith into a couple of first-team drills.
"They're developing depth and an identity," House said. "It starts up front. Really, we're going to depend on them having a sort of attitude and controlling the line of scrimmage just like any good defense does."

- Chad Voytik threw two interceptions during the team drills, one to Chris Davis and the other to Jevonte Pitts. Pitts has had a nice camp so far, with a pick today and a few nice tackles in the scrimmage Friday.

- Chryst said that, like always, there was some good and some bad when he watched film from Friday's scrimmage.
"That's the good thing about spring if you want to look at it. Someone's going to win, someone's going to lose, they're both on your team," he said. "If you want to pick the winner all the time, say that was a great day."

- House, specifically, said that he wasn't pleased with the defense's pad level and tackling angles during the scrimmage, noting that he counted 17 missed tackles during the 130 or so plays that Pitt ran Friday.
"Two big runs in the scrimmage hit us and both times we just didn't leverage the football," he said. "More important than any scheme, pad level, leverage and tackling. Those are fundamental cores to defense and if we don't get those done, then we won't be very good."

That's all for today. My first spring football chat of the season is tentatively officially scheduled for this Thursday (March 28) at noon, so mark your calendars. The Panthers will be back on the field Thursday for practice No. 8 of the spring.

Pitt scrimmaged for the first time this spring, live with referees and everything Friday. The Panthers ran 26 series and about 130 plays, mostly ones vs. ones and twos vs. twos. It was full-pads, to-the-ground tackling. Here are the notable stats from the scrimmage:

PASSING
Tom Savage: 16/30, 161 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Chad Voytik: 10/24, 172 yds, 3 TDs

RUSHING
Rushel Shell: 10 car, 30 yds
Isaac Bennett: 29 car, 78 yds, 1 TD
Malcolm Crockett: 18 car, 67 yds, 3 TDs
Demitrious Davis: 10 car, 24 yds
Desmond Brown: 3 car, 5 yds
Chad Voytik: 1 car, 4 yds

RECEIVING
Devin Street: 4 rec, 82 yds, 1 TD
Chris Wuestner: 3 rec, 43 yds, 1 TD
Kevin Weatherspoon: 3 rec, 61 yds
Manasseh Garner: 3 rec, 54 yds, 1 TD
Ed Tinker: 2 rec, 29 yds
JP Holtz: 2 rec, 9 yds, 1 TD
Drew Carswell: 2 rec, 15 yds
Rushel Shell: 2 rec, 2 yds
Scott Orndoff: 1 rec, 29 yds, 1 TD
Brett Zuck: 1 rec, 10 yds
Isaac Bennett: 1 rec, 3 yds

A few quick thoughts to go along with that...

-Looked like both quarterbacks had some trouble with their accuracy today, especially inside the red zone. Savage spoke afterward about how it's tougher in the red zone in a confident space, and that's one of the hardest things to get acclimated to in live action scenarios.

-Savage had one beautiful bomb to Weatherspoon that must have gone 60 yards in the air, but fell incomplete.

-Shell got hurt after three series and sat out the rest of the session with an ice pack on his groin.

-With Shell out, Crockett looked like the best running back, showing some good burst on his runs.

-There were a few mistakes. Gabe Roberts had a fumbled shotgun snap to Savage, and the first team got called for two red zone penalties, one of which they atoned for with a touchdown. The practice ended with an interception by Mike Caprara on a Savage pass. Bennett also lost a fumble that was stripped by Anthony Gonzalez.

-There weren't any significant depth chart changes. T.J. Clemmings worked with the first-team offense at right tackle, so he may have pulled ahead in that battle with Juantez Hollins for now. K'Waun Williams left practice early, and E.J. Banks and Chris Davis mixed in with the first team at the boundary cornerback spot. Tyrique Jarrett also got some run with the first team along the defensive line.

Pitt was back on the practice field today for the fifth time this spring. The Panthers practiced indoors in shoulder pads, helmets and shorts. Here are a few of the notable observations from the session...

- No significant changes to the depth chart from last week. The only thing that might have switched today was TJ Clemmings seeing some more time with the first team at right tackle. Juantez Hollins started the session with the first unit, but it was Clemmings by the end of practice. Paul Chryst said afterwards that neither one had claimed a hold on the starting job, and that both guys would probably see first-team reps for the foreseeable future.

- The first hour or so of practice was spent doing 11-on-11 red zone possessions. Chryst had to call the team together twice to try and inject some spirit into them, to put it mildly. Wide receiver Devin Street said after practice that, since the schedule called for half-pads and red zone work, some guys might not have been as focused as they should have been heading into the session.
"I think it's a choice," Chryst said. "Every guy gets the opportunity to make a choice and every one of us is fortunate to be here, fortunate to be a part of this team, this program. We're fortunate and you better act like that.
"We were a consistently inconsistent team [last year]. If you don't come out with a purpose, then you don't get better. You either get better or you get worse, and everyone gets to choose."

- Street was pretty honest after practice when talking about the passion and excitement level on this team Specifically, he spoke about recognizing that the little things Pitt does this spring will have ramifications on the field next fall.
"No, I don't think there is enough," Street said. "And that's what we have to get to. There's a passion about coming out here and playing, but there's not a passion about doing everything right. I feel like guys love football, but we have to be willing to do all the right things, because all the right things will lead us to great things. It's not just the big things; it's the little things. It's the film study, it's going to class, it's the little things that he's telling us to do that we have to start buying into to come together and be a complete team."
Street has been pretty active about trying to be more of a leader this spring. During the first week of practice, he was the guy bringing everyone together when the coaching staff was making them run after practice, imploring his team to focus on the details.
"I feel like we've lacked that in previous years, especially since I've been here; just a vocal leader, a guy who's going to step up and be wiling ot take the blame for other people's mistakes and my mistakes as well," Street said. "I feel like every great team has a solid leader and a go-to guy that guys can lean on and look to for examples, not even just vocally, but setting an example and practicing hard each day and coming out ready to go."

- Manasseh Garner looks like he's going to be a real weapon in this offense. He probably had the best practice of any player, hauling in three touchdown catches during the red zone drills. He did a good job going over the middle and making catches in traffic. On two of his TDs, he had linebackers and safeties all over him and still came up with the ball. That's a nice skill to have as a sort of wide receiver/tight end hybrid that will draw a lot of mismatches on the defense.

- As for the quarterbacks today, it was still pretty much Tom Savage with the first team and Chad Voytik with the second team. Both had some good moments and bad ones today. Tra'von Chapman is in pads this week after sitting out the first week of practice. He's still limited due to injury, but is at least getting full mental reps with the other quarterbacks.
"We've got to get him back, get him healthy," Chryst said of Chapman. "Of all the spots that's a hard one, because you want to get him going, get him some work, but make sure you're not setting him up – I don't want to say for failure — but you've got to just learn. I think you can still get some stuff done, and we're getting him going."

- The defense has used some interesting looks in its nickel packages this spring. The one I noticed today had Trenton Coles on as the third defensive back, but lined up as the boundary cornerback. K'Waun Williams shifted over and played in the box as the true "nickelback" matched up against a tight end, and Ejuan Price was on as a fourth linebacker/standup rush defensive end. Matt House has said that he wants to be more multiple on defense than Pitt was last year, so this could be an example of that. Long-term, I would think that Jahmahl Parder will probably take Coles' spot when he comes back from injury.

- Chryst said after practice that he didn't anticipate getting linebacker Shane Gordon (neck) and safety Jason Hendricks (toe) back any time soon.