Mar 17, 2015 4 min read

Ryan Coyle watched from the sideline as Albert Gallatin’s weak-side blitz caused issues for Trinity’s offensive line during the first half of a Big Nine Conference game in 2012.

The Hillers’ former head coach could not see what technique the opposing linemen were using to disrupt Trinity’s blocking schemes. Coyle did not turn to his coaching staff for answers.

At halftime, he asked Aaron Britton, a 6-2, 200-pound sophomore tight end, if he was able to identify what gaps each defensive linemen was penetrating and what technique was being used.

Coyle was impressed, but he knew Britton’s background. The son of a football coach, Britton had been around the game since he was a toddler.

Britton was switched to tackle for the second half of that game and was dominant. He found his niche.

A three-year starter for Trinity, Britton became a two-time WPIAL Class AAA Big Nine Conference selection as an offensive tackle and defensive end. As a senior last fall, Britton led the Hillers in knock downs from his right tackle position, led the team in tackles for a loss and showed his athleticism with a 73-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in Trinity’s 63-20 victory over Yough.

Coyle was not the only one who was impressed. Former Pitt head coach Paul Chryst’s coaching staff invited Britton to attend the Panthers’ game against Syracuse. When Chryst left, Coyle got in touch with Pat Narduzzi, Chryst’s replacement.

Narduzzi liked Britton’s ability to play any position on the offensive line and his athleticism. He invited Britton to campus for an official visit and offered him a spot as a preferred walk-on next fall.

Britton accepted and made it official Monday morning, when he signed his financial aid documents to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where he will major in business and take on the responsibility as a non-scholarship athlete.

He’s not about to settle though. Narduzzi’s staff views Britton, who is now 6-5 and 265 pounds, as a potential scholarship player.

The Panthers also will run the same offense Coyle ran the past three years at Trinity, a system Britton excelled in. It was a perfect match.

He chose Pitt over an offer to join West Virginia as a preferred walk-on and scholarship offers from several Division II programs.

“It was exciting to finally sign,” Britton said. “It was nice to make it completely official. I wanted to go and prove I can play Division I, even though I didn’t get recruited heavily. That was partly my fault, too. I didn’t know if I wanted to play football until halfway through my senior season, but then I realized I didn’t want to walk away from it. I didn’t want it to end yet.”

When Trinity had only three games remaining last fall, Britton decided he could not walk away from football. He approached Coyle with the idea of contacting Pitt and West Virginia. Coyle contacted Chris Haering, one of Chryst’s assistant coaches who Coyle coached under at Mt. Lebanon.

Haering invited Britton down for a visit. Once Chryst was hired at Wisconsin and Haering joined him as special teams coordinator, Coyle called Narduzzi.

The two spoke on the phone for two hours about Britton. Narduzzi was enamored.

“Aaron has tremendous upside with just his size alone. He’s a late bloomer and is getting bigger by the day,” Coyle said. “He has gained 25 pounds since the end of the season. (Narduzzi) was impressed with his athleticism and even his tape from his sophomore year playing tight end.”

The life of a walk-on at a Division I football programs is a challenge. Along with balancing academics with the demands of football, the player must pay their own way. Some athletes shy away from the process.

Britton is embracing it. Work is nothing new to him. During workouts last summer, he would leave practice to work part-time at Cappelli’s Beer & Pop on Jefferson Avenue or to cut grass for extra money.

“Aaron knows that in order to get what you want, you have to work for it,” Coyle said. “He has that rare blue collar work ethic. His football IQ is off the charts. He’s been around it for so long and he accepts any challenge. He understands you need to work. I’m very excited for him and his family.”