Pitt Football Lands Division II Transfer WR

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers added another football player to their roster for the 2025 season, who didn't even play at the Division I level.

Justin Cook, a transfer from Division II program East Stroudsburg, announced his commitment to Pitt on his Twitter.

Let’s work💰@CoachKlineAlex @MetzgerParish @CoachJjLaster @Pitt_FB #H2P pic.twitter.com/wK1r20m1oJ
— Justin “Hollywood” Cook (@Cook_x5) January 14, 2025

Cook hails from Harrisburg, Pa. and played for Harrisburg High School. He excelled as a senior in 2021, tying a school record and leading the state with 11 interceptions at defensive back, earning Unanimous First-Team All-State honors.

He also made 48 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns that season and had 927 all-purpoes yards from his work as a kick-returner, earning Mid-Penn All-Conference honors.

Cook led Harrisburg to both the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Championship and the District 3 6A District Championship as a senior.

He would then go play for East Stroudsburg and played in the final eight games of his true freshman season in 2022. He made 11 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown, 15.5 yards per reception.

Cook also starred as a kick returner for the Warriors, with 10 returns for 368 yards, 36.8 yards per return, plus a program-record 100-yard return for a touchdown vs. Bloomsburg on the road in Week 8, earning PSAC Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors.

He played in all 12 games in 2023 and starred as a returner, ranked second nationally in combined kick return yards at 843, ranking fifth in the conference and 17th in NCAA DII in average kickoff return, 26.3 yards, earning All-PSAC East Second Team honors as a return specialist.

Cook also made 31 catches for 391 yards and a touchdown, 12.6 yards per reception, ranking eighth in the PSAC in all-purpose yards per game.

He finished this past season with 18 returns for 433 yards and a touchdown, along with 32 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver in 12 games.

His best game came in a 57-17 road win over Millersville in Week 5, as he made seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, plus a kickoff return for a 99-yard touchdown.

Cook has one more year of eligibilty and will join Pitt as an apparent walk-on to prove himself at a higher level before the end of his college career.

He is the fourth wide receiver transfer that Pitt has gotten, rising sixth year Deuce Spann from Florida State and rising redshirt sophomores in Andy Jean from Florida and Cataurus Hicks from Louisville.

They lost senior wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, who made 52 catches for a career-high 813 yards and five touchdowns in 12 starts this past season, to graduation.

The Panthers also saw four of their wide receivers depart for the transfer portal in redshirt senior Jake McConnachie, redshirt junior Daejon Reynolds and fellow redshirt freshmen in Lamar Seymore and walk-on Devin Whitlock.

The returning wide receivers the Panthers have coming in for next season includes rising redshirt senior Raphael Williams Jr., rising senior Censere "C.J." Lee, rising junior Kenny Johnson, rising redshirt sophomore Zion Fowler-El and rising redshirt freshmen in Cameron Monteiro and Tyreek Robinson.

Cook is also the second Division II transfer to join Pitt this offseason, with rising senior defensive back Rashan Murray coming from California (Pa.)

He is also one of six offensive transfers for Pitt, along with offensive lineman in rising redshirt seniorKeith Gouveia from Richmond and rising redshirt junior Kendall Stanley from Charlotte.

Pitt also added on defense from the transfer portal, with three defensive linemen in rising redshirt senior Joey Zelinksy from Eastern Michigan, rising seventh year Blaine Spires from Utah State and rising redshirt sophomore Jaeden Moore from Oregon.

It also features three defensive backs in rising sixth year Kavir Bains from UC Davis, rising redshirt sophomore Jayden Bonsu from Ohio State and Murray, plus rising junior kicker James London from Murray State.

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

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt