Pitt Panthers Recruiting Notebook: TE Splash, WR Reports

Reviewing recent recruiting scoop collected over the last two weeks in relation to the Pitt Panthers targeting the tight end, linebacker, and receiver positions.

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In today’s recruiting notebook, Inside the Panthers reviews a variety of recruiting scoop at three specific positions, laying out recent interviews and takeaways gathered over the last few weeks. 

First, a look at the tight end position followed by Lone Star State linebackers and various receiver prospects popping up in the Pitt news feed recently. 

The Pitt coaching staff has been booking loads of official visits for the month of June along with several trips during spring ball beginning in March. 

Can Pitt Make a Splash at Tight End This Cycle?

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For the Pitt Panthers at the tight end position, Gavin Bartholomew is an NFL Draft prospect while Jake Overman prepares to enter his final year of eligibility.

Youngster Malachi Thomas looks to build off his 2024 season with the TE2 role in sight. Meanwhile, mid-year enrollee Max Hunt could be prepared for duty as a skilled receiving option at the position. 

What the position will look like in 2025 isn’t crystal clear. Beyond the upcoming season is even more of a crapshoot. 

It’s why the tight end position is important to the Panthers in the 2026 recruiting cycle. You can see it in the coaching staff’s wide net and level of attention spent on a variety of recruits at the position up and down map out East and elsewhere. 

Let’s take a look at a handful of notable prospects at what may be one of the highest priority roles this cycle. 

• ADAM LAND

He’s impressive on and off the field, a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball, football) with a 4.3 GPA and a well-rounded skill set at the tight end position. 

Adam Land is a very skilled receiver with speed that rivals prospects at his position in the four-star category. However, he’s a keen and aggressive blocker who loves contact, too. 

"I categorize myself as a flex tight end, but it's not like I'm against blocking,” Land said this week. “I love blocking, my favorite part of the whole position."

The Florida Panhandle product has a strong relationship with Coach Bronowski who he’ll see again in person when he visits the Panthers on June 12-14. It’ll be a crucial trip in this recruitment, the official visit set to be Land’s first stop in Pittsburgh. 

This week’s report: TE Adam Land Opens Up About Pitt Recruitment

• JULIUS MILES

In mid-January, Julius Miles announced an offer from Pitt. Roughly two weeks later, he tweeted a photo of himself standing next to Panthers tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski. 

At the time of our Pitt tight end recruiting report last week, Miles was averaging 27.5 points per game during his basketball season. At 6-foot-6, that ability on the court in concert with his physical stature add up to a very intriguing and high-potential tight end prospect. 

It’s why the Freeport (Fla.) High School product is entertaining offers from Colorado to Florida State to Michigan State to ACC rivals Pitt and West Virginia among others. He’s one of the very best varsity tight ends in the state of Florida, recording 900 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last year. 

• LUCAS SHANAFELT

An important in-state prospect capable of playing on the defensive line or at tight end at the Power Four level, Lucas Shanafelt is a promising name on the board. 

Out of a quality program in Peter Township, falling just short of a Pennsylvania 5A state title this past season, Shanafelt is best known for his play on the defensive side of the ball at roughly 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. He’s very quick off the snap on both sides of the ball, running crisp routes with impressive agility for an athlete of his size.

That unique athleticism shows through Shanafelt’s routes and when he elevates, twists, and battles for the football. It’s surely a big part of why the Pitt coaching staff is targeting Shanafelt at the tight end position despite his success on defense. 

Shanafelt carries a 4.4 GPA with offers from schools like Harvard, where he’s set to visit on March 13, and Pennsylvania.

After announcing his Pitt offer on January 24, the Pennsylvania product booked a June 5-7 official visit with the Panthers which he announced on February 19. Yet Shanafelt will be on campus sooner than June. Two days after announcing his official visit date, he also announced that he’ll be in Pittsburgh on March 15. 

Keep an eye on Shanafelt. 

• JAVONTE WILLIAMS

This is one of the most impressive tight ends on the board, a fantastic playmaker out of an excellent Maryland program in The Bullis School. 

Earlier this month, Williams announced an official visit for June 5-7 with the Pitt Panthers. 

He recorded an impressive per-catch average of 20 yards last season, reeling in 35 balls for 679 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s a vertical threat at the tight end position, dangerous on seam routes, and his red zone ability stands tall. 

Williams has a track background at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. If he keeps it up, developing his baseline skills, it won’t be surprising to see the Maryland product become a college player similar to what we saw from Gavin Bartholomew in Pittsburgh. 

Below are a few recent tight end-related reports from Inside the Panthers.

Under the Radar: Pitt Panthers Tight End Recruits

Breakdown: Three 2026 Tight End Recruits on Pitt’s Radar

Texas Linebackers in The Spotlight

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Recently, a pair of linebacker prospects out of Texas were in the Pitt news feed. 

Both are particularly athletic, rangy hybrid ‘backers with ideal speed. 

For the Panthers, it’ll be interesting to see if the coaching staff can capitalize off of the success of its development of Kyle Louis from a modest three-star recruit to the All-American stud linebacker he’s blossomed into. 

First, Reilarean Phillips announced just days ago that he’ll take an official visit to Pitt on June 12-14. The Panthers extended the offer back on Jan. 9, currently joined by a solid crop of schools on his offer list. That includes Baylor, Boston College, Houston, and Ole Miss. 

Last season as a junior, Reilarean Phillips logged 53 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and six touchdowns (five on offense and one defensive score). 

Phillips is a heat-seeking missile when he triggers to the football. At 6-foot-1.5, 190 pounds, if he can continue to progress through his senior year and into his college career, there’s no questioning the Houston product’s potential at the Power Four level.

Check out the link below for reporting on Phillips at Inside the Panthers on Feb. 24

Pitt Panthers Hosting 3-Star Texas LB

Another hybrid linebacker with speed, fantastic athleticism, and a bright future popped up over the weekend.. 

Bryson Castile is a long and rangy outside ‘backer at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. The Panthers picked up on that college potential, extending an offer on Sunday. To date, he’s resided in two football-rich regions, previously living in Louisiana before relocating to the Arlington area.

Given his background, it makes sense the Panthers like what they see in Castile as a hybrid prospect.  

“Ever since I was a freshman, I always played the star linebacker (position). So, the star linebacker, it's really like linebacker/safety, so I guess I do everything at once,” Castile said on Sunday. “I’ve always been like a hybrid type.”

“I played safety last year at my old school at Sam Houston. But recently, it’s been linebacker,” Castile added.

Look for Castile to possibly set plans to visit Pittsburgh either in the spring or in June as the Panthers coaching staff are actively stocking the visitor lists for key recruiting weekends during spring ball and official visit season.

To read the full interview with Castile early this week, that reporting is linked below.

Offer in Hand, Texas LB Eyeing Pitt Visit

Reviewing Recent Receiver Reports

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There has been a whirlwind of activity around Pitt Panthers 2026 receiver recruiting efforts over the last couple of weeks. 

Let’s review some of that news….

Angelo Renda eyeing pass-catchers

On Feb. 18, Inside the Panthers churned out an in-depth interview with Pitt’s first commitment of the 2026 class in quarterback Angelo Renda. And in that discussion, he named a few pass-catchers the coaching staff mentioned to the Texas passer as being worthwhile to reach out to. 

“A receiver from Florida, Jasen Lopez,...and then we've got Zach Turner from Duncanville. He's in my area. And Ace [Ayson Theus] from Duncanville I'm trying to get,” Renda said.

The referenced report: Q&A: Meet Pitt’s QB Commit Angelo Renda

An overlooked Mississippi-based pass-catcher

You can decide for yourself whether Zechariah Jenkins is undervalued in roughly the No. 800 overall range on average among networks featuring national rankings. Take a look at the catches below for a closer look at the Laurel, Mississippi product. 

He's unreal!pic.twitter.com/9BtwajAI0W https://t.co/aRTnJR7J0K

— AL Recruiting (@AL_Recruiting) February 27, 2025

“We’re in constant contact, me and the receiver coach and one of the other coaches, Coach (Kade Bell),” Jenkins said this week. “We’re constantly (growing our) relationship, so that gets me comfortable enough, and then knowing that they have a good history with receivers. I know they just had Jordan Addison. Even though he transferred, he won the Biletnikoff (Award), so they’ve got me interested.”

Jenkins is a big, strong, explosive receiver at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, showing the size, toughness, and grit often found on the boundary side while boasting the releases, the vertical threat, and the overall playmaking ability of a field receiver. 

For today's interview with the three-star pass-catcher: Big-Play WR Zechariah Jenkins High on Pitt

Orlando-area receivers in the spotlight

Our recent overlooked receivers report is linked below.

Under the Radar: Pitt Panthers Receiver Recruits

Among the three receivers featured in the above story was Demetrice McCray whose notable offers include Boston College, Illinois, Mississippi State, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh. 

McCray announced recently that he will take an official visit to Pitt on June 5-7. To read that report: Click here . He’s one of the more prominent recruits at his position set to visit Pittsburgh, reeling in 36 balls for nearly 900 yards with nine scores in 2024. 

Also located in the Orlando region is the quick-and-twitchy Carl Jean-Bart, a highly productive slot receiver who put together 68 catches for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.

Jean-Bart will be in Pittsburgh next month for his first recruiting visit with the Panthers. For much more on the three-star prospect, read our interview with Jean-Bart below. The rising senior has an interesting connection to a notable former Pitt Panther.

Carl Jean-Bart Connected to Former Pitt Panthers QB

Pitt makes the cut for a Peach State playmaker

Tallying a very impressive 77 receptions for 969 yards and 10 touchdowns out of the talent-rich Carrollton High School program, Peyton Zachary announced this week his top-seven schools list, including Pitt alongside Georgia, Indiana, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and UNLV. 

The competition will be strong when it comes to landing his pledge, but Zachary is clearly interested. You can read Dominic Campbell’s reporting on the Georgia product below.

3-Star WR Places Pitt Among Top Schools

Virginia State Champ added to the board

Elijah Moss-Williams is listed as an athlete but he’s best known for his playmaking on the perimeter of the Maury High School offense in Norfolk, the Virginia 5A state champs in back-to-back seasons. 

Make no mistake, Moss-Williams has electric quickness off the line and throughout his routes, clocking a notable 10.74 in the 100-meter sprint. It’s a big part of why Pitt is joined by Duke, Indiana, Miami, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia on his offer list. 

Our recent reporting on Moss-Williams is linked below. 

Pitt Offer Report: ATH Elijah Moss-Williams

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

• Pitt Football DB Commit Announces Official Visit
• 3-Star WR Places Pitt Football in Top Schools
• Pitt Football Hosting Wake Forest OL Decommit
• Big-Play WR Zechariah Jenkins High on Pitt
• WATCH: Pitt Football Additions Excited for New Beginnings

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