Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt OC Kade Bell Fostering Strong Bond With 2025 3-Star WR
Anjuan Coleman Jr. has been talking to new Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell for quite a while now, since Bell was the offensive coordinator at Western Carolina, and the relationship has carried over to Pittsburgh now.
Coleman — a 5-foot-11, 165-pound three-star wide receiver from Miami Central in Miami, Fla. — picked up an offer from Pitt this week.
“It makes me feel great,” Coleman told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “It was a surreal experience, a surreal feeling, and I was so happy to get another Power Five offer.”
Charlie Partridge stopped into Miami Central on his recruiting trip, checking in with some targets from one of the biggest high schools in Florida, and while Coleman wasn’t able to link up with Partridge, he’s been talking to Bell consistently.
“After Friday nights, I show him what I did,” Coleman said. “He’s like, ‘You’re a ball player, I can’t wait to talk to you, can’t wait to see you again.’ He’s a very cool guy, nice personality and somebody I could definitely see myself playing for.”
Blessed To Receive An Offer From The University Of Pittsburgh 💙💛@Kb1Raw @CoachPartridge @larryblustein @TheCribSouthFLA @MohrRecruiting @asnipes11 @CoachJube pic.twitter.com/ZJwtpNy4qm
— Anjuan“Ace”Coleman jr (@AnjuanColeman25) January 19, 2024
Coleman holds offers from FIU, Louisville, UMass, Oregon, Pitt and Western Carolina at this stage of his recruiting process, and the WCU offer arrived pretty early last year — with Bell kicking off the relationship last May.
The relationship has continued throughout the year, and it got even stronger as Bell transitioned to Pittsburgh.
“I like him because I know he’s a go-getter, I know he was putting up numbers at Western Carolina, so I know it’s just gonna translate,” Coleman said. “I know he’s got a good grind, he’s all about the kids, so I know he’s gonna make a nice impact at Pittsburgh.”
But it isn’t just Bell that Coleman is familiar with though. He’s been hearing from Pitt since Bell arrived, but he’s been hearing from former Miami Central star Lamar Seymore, too.
Seymore, who played in one game as a true freshman at Pitt last season, has been telling Coleman all about Pittsburgh since he arrived last January.
“I really like (Pittsburgh),” Coleman said. “I know it gets very cold, I’m a Florida boy so I’m used to the sun, but my teammate been telling me it’s been very cold up there. Nice little wind chill. So I’ll have to get used to that if I decide to make that decision to go up there.”
Coleman hasn’t been able to talk with Tiquan Underwood yet, but he’s looking forward to the opportunity to do so.
He’s the type of speedy athlete that Bell — and Underwood — like to utilize. Coleman was an all-purpose threat for Miami Central last season, completing 12-of-22 pass attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns, racking up 39 yards and a touchdown on the ground and hauling in 21 receptions for 268 yards (12.4 yards per reception) and five touchdowns.
Rivals rates Coleman as the 74th-ranked wide receiver and 73rd-ranked recruit from Florida — holding a 5.7 Rivals Rating. 247Sports and On3 will follow suit with evaluations in the coming weeks and months.
Coleman is hearing from FIU, Louisville and Oregon, along with Pitt, but with his 7-on-7 action this spring, he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to start checking out the schools interested in him.
He’s looking for a school, in the end, that makes him feel like family. A real relationship with the coaching staff and an offensive scheme that fits his style of play. The relationship he’s built with Pitt is still pretty fresh, but the relationship with Bell is already strong.
“Coach Kade brings a lot of energy when he texts me, when I was on the phone with him one time, he was just black and white with me,” Coleman said. “Just telling me everything, wasn’t sugarcoating anything.
“Pitt would be definitely in my top three, top five.”
Pitt has not yet landed a commitment in the class of 2025, but the recruits in the class are beginning to come to the forefront.
The Panthers are in the mix for four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett (Pittsburgh, Pa.), three-star athlete Emmanuel Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.), three-star offensive lineman Raphael Greene (Cincinnati, Ohio), four-star wide receiver Jadyn Robinson (San Juan Capistrano, Cal.), three-star running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. (Woodbridge, Va.) and three-star edge rusher Sharlandiin Strange (Wyncote, Pa).
