Wide receiver Juwann Winfree is eager to get his Power 5 college career back on track, and he said Pitt will provide the avenue.
Winfree, who spent this past season at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College after transferring from Maryland, made a verbal commitment Sunday to Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.
“He was excited,” Winfree said. “He is looking forward to me being one of the major prospects in this class. I'm ready to pick up where I left off. I'm going to work and show everybody I can come right in and be that guy.”
Pitt has been searching for depth at wide receiver for the past two seasons, and it could become a greater need if junior Tyler Boyd declares for the NFL Draft.
Winfree, who took an unofficial visit to Pitt in 2014 when he was in high school in Englewood, N.J., made an official visit last week and he said he met many of the players.
“They are all talking about me in a great way,” he said.
He said he also had offers from East Carolina and Colorado.
Among the 19 players in Pitt's Class of 2016 are receivers Winfree; four-star Ruben Flowers of Lima, Ohio; and three-star Maurice Ffrench of New Brunswick, N.J.
Winfree (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) was a four-star recruit in 2014 when he left Dwight Morrow High School. He caught 11 passes for 158 yards and two TDs for Maryland in 2014 but was suspended twice for violating the school's student-athlete code of conduct, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Winfree caught 55 passes for 837 yards and seven TDs this season, his sophomore year. He will join the Pitt team this summer, with two years of eligibility remaining.
Winfree is the second transfer player to commit to Pitt since the start of the season. Tight end Chris Clark, a transfer from UCLA, is scheduled to enroll next month, but he won't be eligible until 2017.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
Winfree, who spent this past season at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College after transferring from Maryland, made a verbal commitment Sunday to Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.
“He was excited,” Winfree said. “He is looking forward to me being one of the major prospects in this class. I'm ready to pick up where I left off. I'm going to work and show everybody I can come right in and be that guy.”
Pitt has been searching for depth at wide receiver for the past two seasons, and it could become a greater need if junior Tyler Boyd declares for the NFL Draft.
Winfree, who took an unofficial visit to Pitt in 2014 when he was in high school in Englewood, N.J., made an official visit last week and he said he met many of the players.
“They are all talking about me in a great way,” he said.
He said he also had offers from East Carolina and Colorado.
Among the 19 players in Pitt's Class of 2016 are receivers Winfree; four-star Ruben Flowers of Lima, Ohio; and three-star Maurice Ffrench of New Brunswick, N.J.
Winfree (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) was a four-star recruit in 2014 when he left Dwight Morrow High School. He caught 11 passes for 158 yards and two TDs for Maryland in 2014 but was suspended twice for violating the school's student-athlete code of conduct, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Winfree caught 55 passes for 837 yards and seven TDs this season, his sophomore year. He will join the Pitt team this summer, with two years of eligibility remaining.
Winfree is the second transfer player to commit to Pitt since the start of the season. Tight end Chris Clark, a transfer from UCLA, is scheduled to enroll next month, but he won't be eligible until 2017.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
