Pitt Recruiting Class Breakdown: Wide Receiver
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers added 22 players - to their 2023 roster this past week on Signing Day. Inside the Panthers will be diving into each addition - who they are, what they do and where they'll fit into the Panthers' roster now and later.
After addressing the quarterback situation, we move to their primary weapons at wide receiver.
The Panthers need wide receivers - both the quality and quantity of wideouts they added through high school recruiting prove that and their pursuit of high-level transfer candidates hammers the point home further.
Jaden Bradley and Jaylon Barden - two reserves assumed to comprise the future at the position - intend to transfer. Leading receiver Jared Wayne's departure is expected and will likely come before the kickoff of the Sun Bowl in less than a week.
That leaves just Bub Means and Konata Mumpfield as the only two receivers on the roster with any significant game experience and their production in the Panthers' spotty passing offense was more miss than hit. It's reasonable to expect a step forward as they spend another year in Frank Cignetti's offense, but Pitt was looking for upgrades at that position nonetheless - Pat Narduzzi said so himself.
So wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood and the rest of the staff went to work filling in the holes left by the attrition suffered this season.
First, they landed three-star prospect Kenny Johnson, a native of York, Pennsylvania whom the Panthers stole out from under Penn State's nose. Johnson was considered to be leaning towards committing to the Nittany Lions before pledging his NLI to Pitt in June. He visited State College even after committing but stayed true to his word and signed this week.
Pitt was also able to pull a flip on the Miami Hurricanes, getting three-star wideout Lamar Seymore to reverse course and pick Pitt in the end. He carries an impressive offer sheet - Georgia, Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Penn State, Oklahoma and Tennesee. If that isn't convincing enough, watch Seymore's highlights, which feature play after play of him running through and around helpless high school defenders.
The last two additions came late, as the receiver room began to thin out. One - three-star recruit Zion Fowler - was a familiar face. He committed to Pitt in October 2021, decommitted this past November and recommitted the night before Signing Day. Narduzzi raved about his athleticism and
Rounding out the class is three-star Isaiah Polk, the leading pass-catcher on powerhouse St. John Bosco's 8-1 2022 squad. Pitt was one of just four Power 5 teams to extend an offer to Polk but he outperformed players on that Braves team with much more distinguished pedigrees.
It hasn't been often the Panthers have pulled star wideouts from the high school ranks during Pat Narduzzi's tenure as head coach, but when they do they strike gold. The highlights of his receiver recruiting have been Jordan Addison, Jared Wayne and Maurie French. Over eight years, the coach who said he prefers to build his teams through high school recruiting has found those secondary threats - players like Taysir Mack, D.J. Turner - through the portal.
That could change very soon because you don't have to squint to see future stars in this class of wideouts. Looking at Seymore and Polk specifically, you see players who stood head and shoulders above some of the best high school competition in the country. Seymore's offer sheet reflects that while Polk flew more under the radar.
Between those two, plus Jonshon and Fowler, the 2023 class has a deep and talented group of receivers - a couple with the physical measurables to contribute immediately. Don't be surprised to watch this group of wideouts be thrust into action quickly and grow up at a similar speed.
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