Inside The Panthers

‘Diamond In The Rough’ Receiver Visiting Pitt

Carl Jean-Bart is high on the Pitt Panthers, and he may be one of the most undervalued receivers on the board.

Kevin Sinclair

X: @CarlJB26
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Given the volume of high-level varsity talent in Florida, naturally, a few prospects slip through the cracks each recruiting cycle. But the Pitt Panthers are often an exception, with a staff that’s skilled in locating those overlooked recruits. 

It’s true not only in Florida but across the map. For example, Pitt was the only Power Four program to extend an offer to Gavin Bartholomew back in the 2021 cycle. Today, most draft experts expect him to be on an NFL roster later this year. 

The Panthers cast a wide net in The Sunshine State. 

This cycle, Carl Jean-Bart turned up in their catch. From an area heavily saturated in skill positions talent - Orlando - the 2026 receiver seems to fit that undervalued category.

“Yes, I think he's very under the radar,” Jean-Bart’s head coach Karlos Odum said. “They just really don't understand how the ceiling is for this kid. He's put together. He's about 6-feet, 175, but he's really ripped up. Shredded."

“I laser-timed him before he went on spring break. He ran a 4.48 (40-yard dash).”

According to Coach Odum, it’s his God-given baseline talent combined with an intense drive to maximize those gifts. 

“He's in the weight room. Working out, working out, working out. Goes on the track. Workout, workout, workout. And after that, he comes and tells me, 'Coach, can I run routes with the receiver coach?' 

“So, it's almost to the point where I have to shut him down to make sure I protect him from himself. He's just really a gym rat kid. He just wants to work, work, work, work.”

Last season, facing quality programs, Jean-Bart recorded 68 catches for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns. 

To date, Pitt joins Wake Forest among his Power Four offers. Arkansas State, Bowling Green, FAU, FIU, and Liberty round out his list. And if more programs catch on to his big-time talent, that list could double or triple in short order. 

This week, Jean-Bart was on his way to Pennsylvania where he’ll visit the Pitt Panthers on Thursday, March 20. 

Meanwhile, Coach Odum continues to work to get eyeballs on his star receiver. 

“When I told a receiver coach about him...I said, 'I'm telling you, dude,” Odum said. “When he got him, worked him out and started doing stuff with him, he called me, like, 'Coach, this dude, this is a four-star, five-star-type kid, coach. I'm telling you, coach. You've got a diamond in the rough.' 

“Nobody is going to be prepared for him, I don't believe. I'm just anxious to see what all he's going to do.”

Through the rest of the off-season, expect Jean-Bart to be working. He’ll be in the weight room or on a field or track. And it’s worth noting that he’s equipped with a young coach ready to guide him to new heights. 

“When you see him, by the kids not knowing who he is, they'll walk up on him,” Coach Odum said. “They don't know he's very strong. I think he's 275, 280 bench press. (He) squats 450…His strength is going to take him places, and then he has the speed to take the top off as well. 

“My receiver coach is really young. He's about 25, 26. He's fresh out of college. He played at Florida A&M where he had a spectacular career. So, he's out there, very detailed, coaching this kid. 

“I just want to see the finished product, being that he's never had a wide receiver coach...Being with the receiver coach from January to now, you can see the skill set developing and developing because of how hard he works at it.”

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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.

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