Inside The Panthers

Report: Former Pitt Football 5-Star Target Making Visit

Per a recent report from 247Sports, a former Pitt Panthers receiver prospect will be visiting the program after hitting the transfer portal.
Kevin Sinclair|
Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) tries to fight off a tackle. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Duke Blue Devils 38-20 on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) tries to fight off a tackle. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Duke Blue Devils 38-20 on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Pittsburgh Panthers

A former high-priority recruit for the Pitt Panthers hit the transfer portal this week. Now, he's expected to take his first trip to Pittsburgh since his recruiting process back in the 2023 cycle.

Hykeem Williams boiled his 35 scholarship offers down to a half-dozen contenders back in 2022. That top six included Pitt along with Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Texas A&M.

Despite the big-time program-laden list, the Panthers were considered a serious challenger. In the end, Williams stayed home in Florida and chose the Seminoles.

After spending two seasons in Tallahassee, Williams entered the transfer portal a few days ago.

It wasn't long before the former five-star prospect booked a trip to Pitt, according to a report from Zach Blostein of Noles247 of the 247Sports Network (citing an X post on Friday night).

Per Blostein's social media post, Williams is also set to visit Colorado and Syracuse. For the former, a majority of Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes' productive receivers will be available in the NFL Draft next week.

That group includes a surefire top-five pick in Heisman Award and Biletnikoff Award winner Travis Hunter along with his teammates LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Will Sheppard. So, on paper, it seems the Buffaloes could be a tough competitor in this race.

In the winter, the Panthers picked up three receivers from the portal, including a pass-catcher who - like Williams - was on the Florida State roster last season in Deuce Spann. Another receiver from a Sunshine State program headed to Pitt in Andy Jean, and Louisville import Cataurus Hicks rounded out the trio.

Following the spring game, Jean re-entered the portal. Additionally, redshirt freshman Pitt receiver Cameron Monteiro also left the program when he jumped into the transfer market.

With that, Williams makes sense for the Panthers for three immediately obvious reasons: (1) He was heavily pursued in a previous recruiting cycle, (2) Pitt has lost multiple receivers to the portal, and (3) Kade Bell could use more size at the receiver position alongside Spann at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds.

At 6-foot-2-plus and 215 pounds, Williams fits the bill.

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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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