Inside The Panthers

Spring Preview: Five Newcomers in Pitt's Receiver Room

Who have the Pitt Panthers added to the receiver room, and where will they fit into the rotation?

Kevin Sinclair

Florida Gators wide receiver Andy Jean (6) makes a catch during spring football practice at Sanders Outdoor Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 23, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Florida Gators Spring Football Practice
Florida Gators wide receiver Andy Jean (6) makes a catch during spring football practice at Sanders Outdoor Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 23, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Florida Gators Spring Football Practice / Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

Last year’s most successful Pitt Panthers perimeter weapon clocked in the high-4.5s and turned heads in the gauntlet drill at the NFL Combine over the weekend.

Konata Mumpfield recorded 52 catches for 813 yards and five touchdowns during Kade Bell’s Pitt debut. It marked four consecutive seasons of solid production, wrapping up his college career with 217 catches for 2,691 yards and 19 touchdowns (2021-24).

Not bad for a former two-star recruit (according to 247Sports). 

On that note, with the never-ending debate around the relevance of recruiting rankings, the proof is in the pudding. Stars matter. However, those in the ‘stars-are-overblown’ camp should cite Mumpfield in their next debate. 

The industry average (247Sports Composite) suggested there were 2,639 players more talented than the Georgian in 2020. He immediately and thoroughly rebuked the experts as a 2021 Freshman All-American. 

Putting star rankings aside, Pitt’s receiver room includes two of last year’s three starters set to compete alongside an interesting combination of newcomers.

Newcomers: Portal Pickups

All five new faces enrolled at Pitt in January. That includes a former four-star SEC import, a big horse for the boundary out of Florida State, a former Louisville Cardinal, and two true freshmen with impressive speed.

All five spoke to the press in recent weeks, including portal additions in Andy Jean (click here for video of his media address), Deuce Spann (video), and Cataurus Hicks (video) along with 2025-class signees in Tony Kinsler (video) and Bryce Yates (video). 

Andy Jean: A big-time recruit out of high school - Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Texas A&M offers in tow - it was reported that Jean proved sub-4.5 speed as a four-star prospect.

Across just 93 snaps in four games as a freshman in 2024, Jean caught six passes for 97 yards. He was sidelined for a half-dozen games that year, and he missed all but one game in his sophomore season rocked by an upper body injury.

From what Jean has shown as a route runner with dynamic speed, he should be able to make plays out of the slot in tandem with Pitt’s returning starter in Poppi Williams Jr., and it’ll be interesting to see if he could earn snaps on the perimeter, too. Don’t sleep on Jean. 

Deuce Spann: Kenny Johnson (6-1, 200) is projected to start as the field receiver alongside projected slot receiver Poppi Williams Jr. (5-10, 165). The boundary side is up for grabs. However, it’s worth considering the additional returners. 

Among that group are Cinsere Lee (5-10, 175), Cameron Monteiro (6-1, 185), Zion Fowler El (6-0, 190), and Tyreek Robinson (5-10, 170) along with Andy Jean (6-1, 184) and Cataurus Hicks (5-10, 180) via the portal, and mid-year freshmen Tony Kinsler (5-11, 165) and Bryce Yates (6-0, 160). Notice a trend? The average size of the eight listed pass-catchers is roughly 6-foot and 180 pounds. 

It’s why Deuce Spann made plenty of sense for Pitt given the question marks on the boundary side. He isn’t known for being overly fast-twitch. Even so, when the big-framed, 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver cuts loose, his speed appears to be significant, and you can be sure that attempting to tackle Spann when he’s in full stride and at top speed couldn’t be a particularly enjoyable situation, especially for defensive backs. This is a big-target receiver with five college seasons under his belt, equipped with ideal size for the short side of the field. 

Fun fact: Deuce Spann was a prominent quarterback at the high school level, throwing for 4,771 yards and 45 touchdowns, and rushing for 2,165 yards and seven touchdowns over three years. Spann was a three-star dual-threat quarterback on paper as a prospect, earning over two dozen offers, including Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ole Miss, and others. (Check out some of his varsity highlights here).

Cataurus Hicks: Ja’Corey Brooks (61 rec, 1,013 yds, 9TD) and Chris Bell (43 rec, 737 yds, 4 TD) had the lion’s share of the receiving stats for Louisville last season. The remaining pass-catchers didn’t exceed 239 yards on the season. 

It’s why Cataurus ‘Blue’ Hicks sought out a new home after playing in just one game as a freshman followed by four starts at the end of 2024 (12 catches, 149 yards). Given the receiver-friendly Kade Bell offense, Hicks settled in as a Panther.

Putting aside the position fit topic, Hicks simply brings dynamic speed and versatility as a skill player to the discussion. Between Hicks and Jean, Coach Bell adds a pair of exciting receivers out of Miami, a city that churns out recruits with lightning speed year after year. And Hicks is no exception, adding to the slot receiver battle and potentially earning a look for return duties. (Check out the clip below for a taste of what Hicks has in store). 

Newcomers: Fresh Out of High School

Tony Kinsler: From the Daytona Beach area, Tony Kinsler made our ‘Pitt Mid-Year Freshmen Who Could Play Early’ series for a reason. Inside the Panthers put together a small sample of his film to make clear that Tony Kinsler is a special athlete. 

He exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons with a combined 130 receptions and 28 touchdowns through his junior (2023) and senior years. 

“This kid is dynamic. This kid is a hard worker. All the time when I’d be talking to him, he’s always working,” Coach JJ Laster said during the Signing Day press conference.

“Tony Kinsler is a guy that can help us out in the return game,” Laster added. 

At 5-11, 165, don’t be surprised to see Kinsler add 10 to 20 pounds of good size throughout his freshman campaign. In the meantime, Pitt fans should expect to see the Florida product working in the slot or cross-training at two spots with a potential look at return duties. 

Without question, when we’ll see it is unclear but Kinsler has excellent potential on gadget plays, jet sweeps, screens, and other creative ways to get the speedster the ball in his hands with room to maneuver. He’s lightning down the seam and after the catch, he’s slippery and scrappy with a nose for the end zone.

Bryce Yates: Another versatile playmaker, Bryce Yates logged 79 catches for 1,193 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. On defense that year, he put together 27 total tackles and a half-dozen interceptions. 

Leading the offense behind center last year as a senior, Yates recorded 388 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in concert with 2,176 yards and 26 touchdowns passing. Last fall, he also put together a pair of interceptions, returning both to pay dirt. 

In many ways, Yates draws comparisons to Kinsler. In this case, though, the Virginian stands two inches taller and could prove to be more capable of working out on the perimeter compared to his classmate. 

There’s a lot to like about Yates as a receiver in his junior season film. 

As Mumpfield turns pro, the Panthers will begin hosting auditions at the receiver position next week as spring ball begins. 

In Year Two of Kade Bell running the Pitt offense, only time will tell whether a new No. 1 will emerge as a true Mumpfield replacement, whether it'll be Johnson, Williams Jr., a combination of the two, one of the newcomers, or a by-committee approach.

Although the Jean, Spann, and Hicks struggled to carve larger roles at Florida, Florida State, and Louisville in recent years, a fresh start could lead to breakouts.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt

Published
Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

Home/Football