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Audio Interview -- Player Spotlight (04.02.10) -- LISTEN

SCOUT'S TAKE

Skinny: After a season in which he nabbed 20 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown, Byham has positioned himself as one of the more well-balanced combination tight ends who can block and catch. He underwent off-season knee surgery after sustaining a patellar dislocation in the 11th game last year but is expected to return to 100% in time for the start of the season. Entering his senior season, Byham has a third-to-fifth round grade.

NEWS

01.20.09 - The Panthers’ East-West Shrine Game participants include tight end Nate Byham. Played in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl, the game will be a 3 p.m. (ET) ESPN2 telecast on January 23. Byham is the first tight end in Pitt history to twice be named to the All-Big East Team. He was an integral contributor to the Big East’s top rushing attack this past season and also had 10 receptions for 108 yards (10.8 avg.).   Pitt finished No. 15 in both The Associated Press rankings and USA Today coaches’ poll. The lofty rating was earned following a 10-3 season that included a 19-17 victory over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. - University of Pittsburgh

03.18.09 - All-Big East tight end Nate Byham has been named to the preliminary watch list for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award, annually presented by the Rotary Club of Houston. Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball. Linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage are also eligible. The candidates earned a place on the preliminary watch list by earning All-American honors or by being named to their respective all-conference first team as selected by the conference's head coaches. The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2009 season in order to identify those players who have been selected as preseason honors candidates.

01.06.09 - Pitt tight end Nate Byham will have shoulder surgery the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported. Byham, who caught 17 balls for 252 yards and a score, should be good to go next season.

12.03.08 - Byham said he loves to get opportunities to catch passes. But it isn't fair, he said, to judge his performance in a game simply by how much he touches the ball, because it overlooks the other areas, particularly blocking, in which he helps the team. "Whatever I need to do that week, I am happy with. There are some games this year where people said, 'You need to get the ball more; how do you feel about not getting the ball?' And my response is, 'Well, I had five pancakes [blocks], we won the game and [LeSean McCoy] had more than 100 yards rushing, so I did my job.' Byham told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

08.06.08 - Byham has been named a preseason candidate for the John Mackey Award, annually presented to the countrys top tight end by the Nassau County Sports Commission. Thirty players were named to the John Mackey Award watch list. The winner will be announced in December. Former Pitt tight end Kris Wilson, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, was a finalist for the John Mackey Award in 2003. Byham, a junior, enters his second season as a starter for the Panthers. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound product of Franklin, Pa., figures to be a prominent contributor for Pitts offense this year. Last season, Byham started 11 contests and had 15 receptions for 210 yards (14.0 avg.), including a 50-yard touchdown. He missed the regular-season finale at West Virginia due to a left knee injury that necessitated surgery. Although he sat out the spring, Byham has returned to training camp at full strength.