Graham was leading the Big East, averaging 135.0 yards rushing per game, before he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Connecticut in late October. Continued recovery and rehabilitation kept Graham out of spring practice, but Chryst suggested this week at the ACC spring meetings that Graham should be ready for fall camp.
"The plan is he will be ready," Chryst told ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson. "We'll have him practice. He needs it. They all need it. I'm not going to project too much until it's time. But we're planning on it. We're going full steam ahead."
In addition to providing a reliable option for starting quarterback Tino Sunseri, Graham will be needed as an on-field leader for the Pittsburgh. The current Panthers must get accustomed to their third head coach - not counting Mike Haywood - in as many years, with Graham and the other seniors being the one constant.
Chryst also revealed that Sunseri would be Pittsburgh's starting quarterback, after competing with Mark Myers and Trey Anderson this spring. The senior completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,616 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season - his second as a starter.
Off the field, Pittsburgh just filed a lawsuit demanding the Big East allow the Panthers to join the ACC on July 1, 2013. Since the Big East is expecting to have 12 football members in 2013 that aren't Pittsburgh and Syracuse, many have expected the two schools to leave one year before their scheduled 2014 exit date. The lawsuit filed last Friday was one step towards guaranteeing a clean break from the Big East.
For more on the Big East and conference realignment, check out Brett McMurphy's blog.
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