Apr 23, 2017 8 min read

WAYNESBURG – On the dining room table in the ranch home in Waynesburg owned by Scott and Beverly Orndoff, three jerseys and football helmets are on display as a centerpiece.

The jerseys and helmets belong to the youngest of their five children, Scott – he’s not a junior because his father goes by his middle name – from his college football days at Pitt.

There is an empty spot for a fourth, which the younger Orndoff hopes to fill next weekend.

Orndoff, a Seton-La Salle High School graduate, hopes to become the first Waynesburg native drafted since Pro Football Hall of Fame member Bill George was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1951 draft. He also would become the first Greene County native chosen by an NFL team since Joe Taffoni of Carmichaels was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the 1967 draft.

Some might think it would add a lot of pressure for a 23-year-old. But Orndoff has a good head on his shoulders. The three-time all-ACC academic selection already has a degree in Administration of Justice and is currently working on a second in Social Sciences.

“This is the least stressful time that I’ve had since I’ve been in college,” the 6-5, 256-pound tight end said. “There are no practices to worry about. I’m just going to class and working out. When it gets closer, I’ll be a little nervous. But I’m just trusting that whatever happens, I’ll just try to enjoy it.”

Scott and Beverly’s other four children stayed in the Waynesburg area for college and beyond. But the elder Orndoff always knew his youngest was going to leave the nest.

“Out of all of our kids … they all live within seven miles of us,” he said. “He was always the one. I told his mom when he was little, he’s the one that will (move away). He’ll be gone.”

Where that will be is the big question.

This is the first time in his life that Orndoff doesn’t have a plan mapped out. His longtime girlfriend, Kristen Tunno of Burgettstown, was recently offered a teaching job in Florida. But NFL jobs are few and far between.

“It’s weird. I have no idea where I’m going and how long I’ll be there,” Orndoff said. “I honestly don’t know. I tell people, this is the first time in my life I honestly don’t have any idea of what’s going to be happening down the road. When I was in high school, even when I was a junior, I had a pretty good idea I was going to be at Pitt in five years. Now, it’s weird. I have no clue.”

Orndoff transferred from Waynesburg to Seton-LaSalle as a freshman in the hopes of getting more attention as a football player. It worked. By the time he was a sophomore, he already had an offer from Wisconsin. As a senior, he was considered one of the top 20 tight end prospects in the country.

He chose to go to Pitt, which, ironically, hired Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst that year as its head coach. Chryst left after two years to return to Wisconsin as head coach and was replaced by Pat Narduzzi.

“The main reason I came to Pitt at first was the coaching staff,” Orndoff said. “When they left, people asked, ‘Are you going to leave?’ I’m close to home. If I went to another college, I might be, at the shortest, an hour-and-a-half plane ride away. I can come home pretty much every weekend in the offseason. I had already established myself a little bit when the coaches left. I didn’t want to start from zero again at another school. With the new staff, I just wanted to prove myself all over again. I’m definitely glad I ended up staying my full career.”

The Panthers are, as well.

NFL.com has Orndoff as its 21st-rated tight end prospect. NFLDraftScout.com has him 24th.

But Orndoff, one of 19 tight ends invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine at Indianapolis in February, isn’t concerned about his ranking because he knows the tight position has changed greatly in recent years.

“There are two different kinds of tight ends. There are the tight ends who are receivers and there are the blockers,” the younger Orndoff said. “At the next level, I’ll be more of a blocker, which I’m totally comfortable with. Some of these guys, at the combine, they put up crazy numbers, but most of those guys really don’t block much. If a team needs a guy to catch passes, they’ll look at those guys. But I’m comfortable being in the role I anticipate to be in. In the tight end class, because of that divide, there are fewer blockers than pass catchers.”

It will depend on what teams are looking for in a tight end.

“Scottie had better numbers than most of the blocking tight ends (at the combine),” his father said. “Bucky Hodges (of Virginia Tech) couldn’t even get into a three-point stance. He never did it.”

That won’t be a problem for Orndoff.

He largely was utilized as an in-line blocker at Pitt, especially early in his career.

Orndoff caught 23 passes in his first three seasons, with eight going for touchdowns. Last season, he had one of the most productive seasons by a tight end in Pitt history, catching 35 passes for 579 yards and five scores, ranking second on the team in all three categories.

He also played special teams, though the coaching staff eased up on those duties after he logged more than 100 snaps in a 45-38 loss at Oklahoma State.

It was one of many memorable games for Orndoff at Pitt. He fondly recalls an early season win over Penn State in the renewal of that rivalry and a win over Notre Dame earlier in his career, when his missed block on future Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt resulted in Tuitt being ejected from the game for a targeting penalty on quarterback Tom Savage.

“We were watching the (2014) draft and the Steelers took Stephon Tuitt and I said, ‘Scottie, didn’t you block that guy when you were a freshman?,” the elder Orndoff said. “He said, ‘I tried to.'”

But it’s the Panthers’ 43-42 win at then second-ranked Clemson last November that stands out.

Orndoff had one of the most productive days for a tight end in Pitt history, catching a nine passes for 128 yards and two scores as Pitt stunned the home crowd on a 48-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game to hand the eventual national champions their only loss of the season.

“We were the first team to score a touchdown on them in the first quarter,” Orndoff recalled. “Then we scored again. When we scored on the third possession, the whole stadium was like, ‘Uh oh. We might be in for a game.’ We stuck with them. We lined up for that field goal and there was a timeout and I looked around and thought, ‘We’re about to beat Clemson.'”

His mom and dad were there in the stands, as they were almost every game, to see it unfold. Beverly Orndoff missed only a couple of games over her son’s career, while his father missed only the East-West Shrine Game – a college all-star game played in January.

A former California University and USFL player and high school football coach, the elder Orndoff always wanted to be there to see the action unfold.

“I used to text him sometimes on game days – and I just learned how to text about a year ago – I would text him and I would say, ‘How many guys in America would like to be you?'” the elder Ordoff said. “I would say, ‘Thousands.’ Then, I would say, ‘How many dads would like to be me?’ I would say, ‘All of them.’ It’s been a pretty good run. It’s been exciting.”

With more excitement possibly to come.

Orndoff plans on being in Waynesburg during the draft. And he’ll keep an eye on his Twitter feed to see where some of his Pitt teammates wind up.

But he doesn’t plan on watching the draft.

“Whatever happens from here, I’m at peace with,” Orndoff said. “I’m just enjoying it. I know a lot of guys in the NFL, they are so worried they don’t take time to take a step back and enjoy what they’re going through. I’m just trying to take it all in.”

And maybe his parents can add another jersey and helmet to their ceterpiece.