Pitt had been courting JUCO wide receiver Juwann Winfree for quite a while and on Sunday, his commitment to the program was made official through his Twitter account:
Despite the many setbacks, I've been blessed,can now say I've officially committed to the Univ. of Pitt #GOPANTHERS pic.twitter.com/QwyEfa8Mad
— Juwann Winfree (@OnlyOne_JW) December 20, 2015
This season at Coffeyville Community College, Winfree had 55 catches for 837 yards and seven touchdowns in ten games.
Winfree initially committed to Maryland and played there briefly. In limited action in 2014, he had 11 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns for the Terps. He was a four-star wideout reportedly offered by a slew of major programs, including Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, South Carolina, and others. Pitt appeared to be in that initial group, too, with those who wanted him.
Earlier this summer, I wrote about his interest in Pitt and it seemed pretty exclusive at the time. So what's not to like about a four-star recruit joining the program? Well, Winfree brings at least some baggage coming in as he had some problems at Maryland. He reportedly had a couple of suspensions while there before deciding to transfer out of the program.
Despite the issues, at the time his interest in the Panthers came out, we took a poll that was mostly favorable towards Pitt pursuing him.
If he can stay out of trouble, there's no question that adding Winfree will help the receiving corps. While we can't guarantee that he'll become a star, in terms of depth, it's a nice addition. That's particularly true given that Pitt could be without Tyler Boyd, who many figure plans to jump to the NFL Draft a year early. Winfree is eligible to play right away and will have two years of eligibility left. The Panthers desperately need to find a receiver to pair with likely this year's No. 2 guy, Dontez Ford, and Winfree could fit that bill.
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