Connor Dintino
OG/Center
Pittsburgh

 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?

 

Connor Dintino:  I was 6’2 ½, weighed in at about 305 at the Tropical Bowl.  I was a little light.  I was constantly around 310 – 315 during the season.  My last forty time at Pitt was a 5.3.  Our strength coach gave us our slowest time last winter.  So guys would have something to improve on.    

Alex Khvatov:  Where are you currently training for the NFL Draft?

 

Connor Dintino:  I am training at Pitt with our strength coach.  Coach Andrews is the best strength coach in the country.  NFL guys always come back to work out with him. 

Alex Khvatov:  Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you?

Connor Dintino:  I was an under the radar guy.  Northeast schools were looking at me.  Holy Cross and UMass.  I transferred to a private high school my junior year.  It was located right next to Yale.  It challenged me academically.  It was rigorous.  I was an All-American for wresting my junior year.  The coaches at Pitt saw my wrestling tape.  They were willing to offer me a scholarship.  I was also talking to Boston College as well. 

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you choose Pitt?

Connor Dintino:  It was my first big offer.  They believed in me.  I liked the coaches.  I shut down my recruitment.  DL coach from Pitt came to recruit me and he was a tough guy.  I liked the culture at the school.  I enjoyed the host that showed me around, and the guys that were there.  I was comfortable being there.  I liked how they treated me and family.  I graduated.  I am now working on getting my master’s degree.

 

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me more about your high school career as a wrestler. 

 

Connor Dintino:  I loved wrestling.  It is an individual thing on a mat by yourself against an opponent.  I knew football with scholarships was so much better.  You find out a lot about yourself in wrestling whether you are better than that guy or not.  It is a pure competitive thing.  It is a feeling like no other.  At the end of my junior year, I tore my rotator cuff and missed wrestling my senior year.  I had shoulder surgery.  Wrestling is in the winter.  I didn’t get a chance to compete at state championships.    

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths?

Connor Dintino:  The knowledge of the game.  I pick up on plays quickly and recognize tendencies.  I am big on preparation in school and football.  It was a hard thing to go to the Tropical bowl without knowing the guys that I will face.  I looked at the roster and found the highlight tape on some guys that I would face.       

Alex Khvatov:  What areas of your game are you trying to improve upon?

 

Connor Dintino:  Guys are faster, bigger and stronger at the next level.  It is all about the little details of making the team.  You have to find something to stand out.  In the next few months, I will continue to train hard, prepare myself and show them who I am.

Alex Khvatov:  Describe your overall career.

Connor Dintino:  Under Paul Chryst, I redshirted my first year.  I came in as a DT.  The redshirt year helped me get acclimated to the school.  As a redshirt freshman under Pat Narduzzi, I got on the field playing special teams.  I was also a goal-line FB that year.  I specialized as a blocker in short-yardage situation.  The coaches told me to find my guy and just run through him.  It was just a pride thing.  Go hard every time.  I was a FB for one or two plays a game.  I made the most of it.  As a redshirt sophomore, I was a reserve at DT and played special teams.  The team moved me to OL before the spring of my junior year.  During the redshirt junior year, I didn’t solidify the starting spot.  I enjoyed football and my teammates.  I rotated as a junior at center.  It was frustrating.  It was a tough year.  Our OC Jim Chaney left, and we got a new OC.  We also got a new OL coach.  He put me at LG.  I started every game my senior year.  I got moved to center when our starting guy got hurt.  They moved me there for the last three games.  

Alex Khvatov:  What is the highlight of your career up to this point?

 

Connor Dintino:  The highlight for me was going to the ACC Championship game.  We overcame a lot of adversity this year.  We got off to a slow start in the beginning of the season and then went on a run.  The seniors stepped up.  We had a really special group of guys that stuck together. 

 

Alex Khvatov:  What is your biggest accomplishment in college that you are most proud of?

Connor Dintino:  Graduating with two degrees and starting my MBA.  Getting to graduate and not having any debt.

Alex Khvatov:  What have you learned the most from your coaching staff?

Connor Dintino:  Patience and persistence.  There are good players coming into college.  You have to find a purpose to what you are doing.  Never give up.  People outside will talk and have an opinion, don’t let that get to you.  Stick to the process.  This just sums up my career.  During my junior year, I didn’t play as much as I wanted to.  During my senior year, we went to the ACC Championship game and I started every game. 

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team?

 

Connor Dintino:  I am from Boston, Massachusetts, I was always watching the New England Patriots.  My parents are season holders.  I have been to a share of their games.  They have been so successful for 20 years under Belichick.  It is a special thing. 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite NFL player?

Connor Dintino:  Before it used to be Mike DeVito.  He grew up on Cape Cod and played in the NFL.  Not many guys come out of Cape Cod like myself and play Division I.  I also like to watch Vince Wilfork.  He is a massive person and unbelievably athletic.  He was a freak athlete at NT.   

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most important trait for an OL?

Connor Dintino:  I want to go back to the knowledge.  You have to know what you are doing at a high speed.  Knowing the plays and tendencies. 

Alex Khvatov:  Before the ball is snapped, what are the tendencies that you are looking for from the defense?

Connor Dintino:  Before the ball is snapped, I am looking at the formation.  I look at the linebackers and secondary guys.  I look at the safeties, they can tell you everything.  The knowledge of the defense and their tendencies helps you out a lot.    

 

Alex Khvatov:  Describe your Tropical Bowl experience.

 

Connor Dintino:  It was a good experience.  I suited up against guys that I would not normally go up against at Pitt.  They were players from Missouri and West Virginia.  It added another challenge.  It was a thrill to be playing football again.  It was a unique experience.  Meeting new people, seeing different players and personalities.

 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the biggest thing that you will take away from the all-star game?

 

Connor Dintino:  The players were even faster at the all-star game than they were in college.  It was at a different speed than what we played.  It was a bigger jump that what I expected. 

 

Alex Khvatov:  Who was the toughest player that you faced at the Tropical Bowl?

 

Connor Dintino:  #13 Rashad Brandon from Missouri.  He got me on a swim move in the one on one’s one time.  I never went up against him after that.  I wish that I would have gotten a redemption shot.  I had good reps against him in run blocking.  He came off the ball hard.  He is an athletic guy with a great swim move. 

Alex Khvatov:  What players on your team should we keep an eye on for next season?

Connor Dintino:  Two returning guys that you should be looking at.  Jimmy Morrissey is a player that I competed with my junior year for a chance to start at center.  It was his redshirt freshman year.  He was third team All-ACC his redshirt sophomore year.  He is a smart guy and a good player.  He is a vocal guy.  Jimmy is a natural leader.  He has the respect from everyone on the team including the coaches.  Bryce Hargrove took my spot at LG when I switched to center.  He started the last three games against Miami, Clemson and Stanford.  He stepped up and played well.  He will have a great career.    

Alex Khvatov:  Who is the toughest player that you have faced on an opposing team?

Connor Dintino:  Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence were up there.  Tillery from Notre Dame.  They are freak athletes and they are really good.  They are special players.  Christian Wilkins had a great bull rush.  He was finesse and athletic.  Lawrence is as strong as can be.  Tillery is big, strong and athletic. 

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about football?

Connor Dintino:  Competing.  Showing that you are a better player and proving people wrong.  People told me that I couldn’t play D-I football.  I love the camaraderie with the O-line.  Down at the Tropical Bowl, the OL were different.  If you an OL, you are a special person.  You have to be gritty.  Without a great OL, you can’t set anything up.  You can’t pass block or run block.  We are unsung heroes.   

 

Alex Khvatov:  What is your definition of a leader?

Connor Dintino:  A leader leads by his actions.  He leads by example.  They will look up to you. 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies?

Connor Dintino:  I have a dog from my sophomore year of college.  He is a big part of my life.  I go to a dog park with him all the time.  He is basically my roommate.  I also started to play golf.  It is fun.  I am improving my game. 

Alex Khvatov:  What do you want to do with your life after your football career is over?

Connor Dintino:  I have no idea what I want to do.  I want to have a family.  I want to have a successful life with my girlfriend.  My parents were always doing stuff for me.  They made sacrifices and sent me to camps.  I want to succeed, so my kids can succeed.  I want to succeed in taking care of them.  I want to do something in business. 

Alex Khvatov:  What five words best describe you?

 

Connor Dintino:  Caring, loving, growing, outgoing and personable.