Pitt Football Making Moves in Florida WR Market

When the second sophomore receiver out of Florida announced his commitment to the Pitt Panthers over the past week, it caught many off guard.

However, when you take a step back, if you’ve been paying attention to the volume of resources the Pitt staff has attributed to the state of Florida’s wealth of college-bound pass-catchers, maybe this is simply the outcome of a deliberate focus on a specific profile.

It was surprising, no doubt. On the other hand, perhaps it wasn’t an unpredictable development in the big picture.

To date, the Panthers have extended scholarship offers to a whopping 22 receivers located in Florida. That’s seven more Sunshine State pass-catchers on the board than ACC foe Miami has on its board. Of course, the Hurricanes focus heavily on its in-state talent in every recruiting cycle.

Some Power Four programs haven’t offered 22 receivers in total from coast to coast so far in the 2026 cycle.

It’s a specific focus from a Pitt coaching staff that must be enthused with the results over the last week. Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Charles W. Flanagan rising junior Jacob Thomas announcing his commitment to the Panthers on March 1, and Miramar (Fla.) High School receiver/running back Tyler Reid following Thomas into Pitt’s 2027 class just six days later.

“What led me to commit there is I keep in contact almost every day with them,” Thomas said on Mar. 1. “We talk about how I can fit in that system, but not only just football, becoming a young man and growing up in life, that they really love me for me and that stands out to me. So, I feel like that’s a place I could call home.”

I’m 🏠 , 1000% Committed pic.twitter.com/JLOdYOgqyj
— Jacob Thomas (@1gump_) March 1, 2025

Within hours of announcing his commitment, Thomas - a legitimate 10.6 sprinter as a 10th-grader - scooped up scholarship offers from Auburn and Purdue. Central Florida and Kentucky followed since then.

Today, Pitt followed the addition of Thomas with the Reid pledge.

Reid is the younger brother of 2024 breakout newcomer Desmond Reid who churned out an impressive combination of rushing and receiving numbers after transferring in from Western Carolina alongside offensive coordinator Kade Bell.

Reid recorded 966 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, and 52 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdowns in his Pitt debut. This followed productive freshman and sophomore seasons prior to his transfer to the ACC stage.

What’s exciting for Coach Bell and his staff with the back-to-back commitments is the pure, unadulterated speed proven by the rising juniors. As mentioned, Thomas is a 10.6 sprinter. Reid also runs track, and he carries a personal best of 10.69 in the 100-meter sprint. And that speed fueled a sophomore campaign that finished with 872 yards and six touchdowns

It’s a baseline level of speed that instantly creates a vertical threat among other key attributes. As they say, speed kills.

This activity in Florida comes after one-third (seven of 21 newcomers) of Pitt’s 2025 recruiting class are from Florida. Three of those seven Florida products were receiver prospects last cycle.

Additionally, Pitt signed three receivers from the transfer portal in the winter. You guessed it…all three grew up in Florida in Andy Jean, Cataurus Hicks, and Deuce Spann. Raphael ‘Poppi’ Williams Jr. was the lone transfer receiver addition a year earlier.

Of course, the projected starting slot receiver is a Fort Lauderdale product.

Over the coming months, don’t be surprised to see Florida receivers join Pitt’s 2026 recruiting class as Sunshine State receivers Carl Jean-Bart (Orlando, Fla.), Santana Carlos (Hollywood, Fla.), Larry Miles (Orlando, Fla.), Demetrice McCray (Leesburg, Fla.), and Dylan Wester (Sarasota, Fla.) have trips to Pittsburgh lined up.

Kade Bell and his co-workers are on a roll in Florida.

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