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<p>The position is new for Shakir Soto. But other than having to pack on some extra pounds, the GAR grad hasn&#8217;t changed.</p><p>On Saturday, he&#8217;ll line up at defensive tackle for Pitt, aiming to disrupt Penn State&#8217;s rhythm on offense. But when he gets a break from football, the Panthers senior makes sure to get back to Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Paul Wiedlich Jr. has seen it. Wiedlich coached Soto with the Grenadiers and Soto still swings by when he comes home. Wiedlich said both Soto and another notable GAR alum, Seattle Seahawks guard Mark Glowinski, have returned in the offseason to work out with players.</p><p>&#8220;Shakir&#8217;s one who knows exactly where he&#8217;s from. He gives back to the community,&#8221; Wiedlich said. &#8220;He&#8217;s meant a great deal. Coming from inner-city Wilkes-Barre basically and showing kids of his background that if you study hard and you do well in the classroom and you&#8217;re a pretty good football player, it can take you places.</p><p>&#8220;Shakir makes us really proud.&#8221;</p><p>Soto himself wasn&#8217;t available to talk this week as Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi canceled player interviews and closed practices.</p><p>But from most accounts, his move from end to tackle has gone well. He was listed at 290 pounds when he made his first start at the position last week against Villanova, recording two tackles and two quarterback hurries.</p><p>&#8220;Shakir is doing a good job for us,&#8221; Panthers defensive line coach Tom Sims said during training camp. &#8220;He&#8217;s another kid that put on a considerable amount of weight without losing any athleticism.</p><p>&#8220;I expect big things from him. I expect him to step up and be a leader on the defense.&#8221;</p><p>A year ago, Soto started three games at defensive end. He had perhaps his biggest impact in a win over Georgia Tech in which he had four solo stops, a 9-yard sack and blocked a long field goal try just before halftime of a tie game.</p><p>He finished the season with a career-best seven tackles in the Military Bowl against Navy. It was after that game that Pitt coaches asked him to make a move inside.</p><p>&#8220;I felt good out there,&#8221; Soto told the Times Leader in the spring. &#8220;The only thing that&#8217;s different are the double teams. There are a lot more double teams. Other than that, I feel confident playing the position.&#8221;</p><p>It helps, naturally, to be part of a strong front that features one of the ACC&#8217;s top pass rushers in Ejuan Price as well as 340-pound nose tackle Tyrique Jarrett.</p><p>Soto will be right in the center of things on Saturday when the Panthers and Nittany Lions resume their rivalry after a 16-year hiatus.</p><p>Of course, the matchup will provide an interesting dilemma for some people in Wilkes-Barre. Count Wiedlich &#8212; a Penn State fan &#8212; in that group.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m rooting for Pitt&#8217;s defense and I&#8217;m rooting for Penn State&#8217;s defense,&#8221; Wiedlich said while trying to stifle a laugh. &#8220;So we&#8217;ll see how that goes. Shakir knows.</p><p>&#8220;Shakir&#8217;s doing really well, he adjusted to moving to the inside. So we&#8217;ll see how he does.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Gears turn at guard</strong></p><p>Soto may even get some time lined up against another Wyoming Valley Conference alum in Lake-Lehman&#8217;s Connor McGovern.</p><p dir="ltr">While fifth-year man Derek Dowrey is still the starter at right guard, McGovern will continue to work his way in for entire drives as he did against Kent State.</p><p dir="ltr">Lions coach James Franklin said McGovern has been &#8220;learning every single day.&#8221; And he&#8217;s had help.</p><p dir="ltr">&#8220;Derek has been a big part of that and done a great job taking him under his wing and continuing to help him grow,&#8221; Franklin said. &#8220;I think you&#8217;ll see a combination of those two guys all year long. Some games more than not. Some of it is a philosophy going into the game, and some of it is watching the game to see how it goes based on matchups and things like that.</p><p dir="ltr">&#8220;Connor&#8217;s got a very bright future and we&#8217;re excited about him. And Derek&#8217;s done a good job for us the last couple of years and I think has a chance to leave here on a high note with his career.&#8221;</p><p dir="ltr">It sounds as though another rotation will continue at the other guard spot. Redshirt freshman Ryan Bates started on the left side a week ago but fifth-year senior Wendy Laurent also played for extended stretches.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">GAR grad Shakir Soto made his first start at defensive tackle on Saturday against Villanova. He&#8217;ll be looking to make life tough on Saquon Barkley and Penn State this week. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_DSC_9693201698155812813.jpg</photo0><caption0>GAR grad Shakir Soto made his first start at defensive tackle on Saturday against Villanova. He&#8217;ll be looking to make life tough on Saquon Barkley and Penn State this week. </caption0><photoCredit0>Courtesy of Pitt Athletics </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>UP NEXT</strong></p><p>Penn State at Pitt</p><p>Noon, Saturday, ESPN</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

GAR’s Shakir Soto taking on a new role for Pitt’s defense