The last true freshman wide receiver to make a major impact at Pitt was Jordan Addison. That’s undoubtedly a tough act to match.
And yet who does Pitt early enrollee wide receiver Lamar Seymore look to for inspiration? Larry Fitzgerald. What do Addison and Fitzgerald have in common? Both won the Biletnikoff Award at Pitt.
“That’s something I want to do, too,” Seymore said last week at the UPMC Rooney during his first Pitt media availability. “Like Larry Fitzgerald did it. I’ve been watching Larry Fitzgerald, so that gave me a reason to come here, too.”
Seymore, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout from Miami Central in Miami, Florida, was a three-star recruit in the class of 2023. He flipped from Miami to Pitt after an official visit, an official visit slate that included UCF and Auburn, but he was never ranked among the top recruits in Florida.
He received praise from the 247Sports’ director of scouting prior to a stellar senior season, in which he racked up 35 receptions for 601 yards (17.2 yards per reception) and a team-high nine touchdowns on perhaps the best high school team in the country, but he never saw the recruiting bump others did.
The major recruiting sites never ranked him among the best prospects in the Sunshine State, despite offers from the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and West Virginia, and he certainly felt the feeling of being overlooked.
“Yeah, I really did, but I wouldn’t complain about it because that’s what they think,” Seymore said. “But I know I’m way better than a three-star … I wouldn’t really complain about it, I know what I can do, so I wasn’t really tripping about it.”
Seymore knows what he can do. Pitt does, too, especially wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood, who was paramount in bringing Seymore up north.
The pair formed a bond that transcends even football, but it was the relationship with both Underwood and Narduzzi that cemented his commitment. It was the feeling of home that allowed Seymore to feel comfortable flipping from Miami to Pitt, signing in December and enrolling early way up north in Pittsburgh.
“We’re excited about Lamar,” Narduzzi said in December when breaking down the 2023 recruiting class. “You know, he’s just a worker. The guy’s gonna come in here, and I’m excited about especially seeing him in spring ball.”
Seymore’s status as an early enrollee is a big deal. He has the upper hand in spending the winter adapting to college life and college football, all 15 spring practices — which includes the spring game in April — and the ability to work with Phil Jurkovec and Christian Veilleux at a whim.
And if the early returns when talking to Pitt’s wide receivers is to be believed, the addition of both Jurkovec and Veilleux and a second season of Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense, the passing game will be a much bigger emphasis in 2023.
In fact, one of the most exciting things Seymore has seen so far is that Pitt will be able to throw the ball now.
“Last year,” Seymore said, “it was a run-heavy team, and now they want to spread the ball, so that’s better for me as a receiver.
“It was a new system that they just put in, and they had a good running back last year, so it was only right to run the ball.”
Pitt still boasts Rodney Hammond Jr. and C’Bo Flemister at running back, and added Derrick Davis Jr. from the transfer portal, so it’s not as if the running game is going anywhere. In fact, it may not be impacted much at all. But the ability to move the football through the air may be improved upon.
And while Seymore may be looked upon as a young guy in the room, maybe be doubted in his ability to see the field as a true freshman, he’s coming in to play immediately. There’s a lot of competition at every position entering the 2023 season, but his ability to come in early and get a hold of things shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“I get open,” Seymore said. “I get open, and I score touchdowns, that’s really it. But I work hard. I’m competitive, too. If we do one-on-ones, I wouldn’t let a DB try to lock me up.”
The goal now, as it’s been since he arrived at Pitt in January, has been getting to work in the classroom and on the field. Communication across all aspects is the key to success.
And as he’s adapted to life in the classroom in Oakland and life on the practice field on the South Side, he’s also begun to adapt to those Pittsburgh winters already.
“I was seeing snow for, like, two to three days on a trip,” Seymore said. “I’m here for four years, so it’s way different, but I’ll get used to it, sooner or later.”
Wonder what credentials are needed to rate these high school kids for the major recruiting sites. Are they mostly ex-jocks, former coaches, journalism majors or just regular guys off the street that needed a job.
In any case, they seem to miss on a lot of their evaluations. Used to think that they relied heavily on a kid’s offer list, but Seymore had some impressive power five offers and yet he is still only rated a 3-star receiver.
Other than 5🌟 I think it more about evaluation and developing
Developing. I always think of Dion Lewis. 2 star I believe. Pretty nice pro career with a championship.
Because of the sheer volume of players coming out of high school, metrics are used to evaluate players, height, weight and school attended. Aaron Donald had none of these and was overlooked. Jim Morrissey is another example, PWO, 4-year starter and pulling a paycheck in the NFL. Additionally, some player’s experience a growth spurt. Example, Paul Evans recruited 6’ 8” David Robinson to the Naval Academy. David was the tallest allowed at the academy. He grew an additional 5” and became a star.