Inside The Panthers

Report: Pitt Hiring New WR Coach

The Pitt Panthers have landed on a new wide receivers coach.

Stephen Thompson

Report: Pitt Hiring New WR Coach
Report: Pitt Hiring New WR Coach /
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PITTSBURGH -- An offseason of near total coaching turnover is coming to an end for the Pitt Panthers, who reportedly have their final coaching vacancy filled. 

According to a report from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, the Panthers and head coach Pat Narduzzi plan to hire Old Dominion wide receivers coach J.J. Laster to fill the same position at Pitt. FootballScoop.com's John Brice confirmed the news moments later

The Panthers had been in the market for a new wideouts coach since Tiquan Underwood accepted an assistant coaching job with the New England Patriots. 

Laster, the former wide receivers coach at Western Carolina, had just taken a job with Old Dominion this month after spending three seasons with the Catamounts. He'll now depart for a new job before spring practices for the Monarchs have even begun. 

Like new Pitt offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau, he has a previous connection with new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who comes to Pittsburgh from Western Carolina. The Panthers also recruited a handful of former Catamount skill position players to transfer into Pitt this offseason. 

Prior to Western Carolina, Laster had worked as running backs and tight ends coach at Gardner Webb, where he coached three All-Big South selections. 

Laster, a former standout running back at Jacksonville University, also has experience coaching at the high school level and with Tusculum University. 

The Panthers lost their entire offensive coaching staff this offseason - most by the program's choice, one to an NFL job - and have now rebuilt it entirely. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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