If you ask Cameron Monteiro, new Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien may just be on the right track.
It’s too late for O’Brien to land Monteiro, a three-star wide receiver from Brockton, Mass. who signed with Pitt in December and enrolled in January, but it’s the thought that counts. Monteiro feels like recruits from Massachusetts are vastly overlooked. O’Brien, upon taking the BC job, said that he wanted to put up a wall around New England and keep the best player’s home. Not a bad idea.
“I think we’re underrated,” Monteiro said Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “There’s definitely a lot of hidden gems in Massachusetts.”
Monteiro, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wideout from Brockton, originally committed to Pitt back in June — over a list of finalists that included Kentucky and Virginia. It was largely because of former Pitt wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood, but his official visit confirmed that Pittsburgh was the place he needed to be.
It helps that, even though Underwood has left for a job in the NFL, new offensive coordinator Kade Bell runs an offensive scheme that fits Monteiro’s game perfectly.
“It’s fast, explosive, big-time plays,” Monteiro said. “(Bell) gets his guys the ball. If you can play, he’s gonna get you the ball. It’s big plays, one-play touchdowns. So, it’s definitely been fast paced. It’s my play style. I see myself as a speedy deep threat and that’s in coach Bell’s playbook. Most of the things we’ve been running has been deep shot, one shot touchdowns.”
It’s a brand-new offense in a couple of different ways. It’s new to Monteiro as an early enrollee, but it’s new to the entire team as Bell installs it. So, while he’s new to college, he’s not behind when it comes to learning the system. The tough decision to skip his senior basketball season has its benefits.
“It’s gonna prepare me for when that fall camp comes up, getting bigger, stronger, faster,” Monteiro said. “Learning the playbook. I’m gonna be ahead of the game when that comes.”
It also helps that Monteiro has experience playing just about every possible position offensively. He did whatever Brockton needed during his four years in high school, and if that meant playing quarterback, he did it. He played some running back and wide receiver, too. You put the best athlete at the most important position.
“It lets you learn the whole playbook,” Monteiro said. “You know what the quarterback is seeing, you know what the running backs run, you know what the receivers are doing. It was the biggest benefit for me playing everything in high school, to move on to the next level where the playbook gets difficult, and you know everything that’s going on.”
As a senior at Brockton, Monteiro spent most of his time as a wideout. He carried the ball 35 times for 186 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and a touchdown and added 27 receptions for 454 yards (16.8 yards per reception) and four touchdowns — nearly four times as many catches as his nearest teammate.
He was a true triple threat as a junior at Brockton, completing 20-of-32 pass attempts (63%) for 337 yards and two touchdowns and racked up 103 carries for 1,064 yards (10.3 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns. He also added seven receptions for 149 yards (21.3 yards per catch) and three more touchdowns.
He was more of a wide receiver as a sophomore once again, hauling in 45 receptions for 731 yards (16.2 yards per) and eight touchdowns — while adding 33 carries for 258 yards (7.8 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.
Monteiro is built for the college game. He’s raw, still a very developable wideout, but he has the natural traits that college coaches value. He’s a weapon with the ball in his hands, able to make defenders miss and take off the down the field, but he’s more than just an athlete. He’s a natural wideout.
He finished as the 889th-ranked recruit in the class, according to 247Sports, rated as the 121st-ranked wide receiver and third-ranked recruit from Massachusetts. Rivals rates him as the 32nd-ranked athlete and third-ranked recruit from Massachusetts — holding a 5.6 Rivals Rating.
But of course, no matter how well Monteiro played at the high school level, it’s a definite adjustment when it comes to playing at the college level. His fellow Pitt wideouts have been helpful, especially someone like Izzy Polk who hosted him on his official visit last summer, but it’s a brand-new experience.
Monteiro was catching balls from a high school freshman quarterback last season. Now he’s catching passes from Nate Yarnell, Christian Veilleux and Eli Holstein. Those balls are a lot crisper — a lot tougher to catch. But that’s why he’s in Pittsburgh now.
“It’s preparing me for what I’m going out to play,” Monteiro said. “You’re going out against older guys three, four years older than you. It’s preparing.”
Monteiro is joining a wide receiving corps that includes Konata Mumpfield, DaeDae Reynolds and Kenny Johnson in starting roles, and Izzy Polk, Lamar Seymore, Zion Fowler-El and Che Nwabuko are also in the mix. Former Western Carolina wideouts Poppi Williams and Censere Lee are also in the fold.
Underwood isn’t around, but that isn’t a deal-breaker for Monteiro. He believes that Narduzzi is bringing in the right coaches to supplement Bell and his new offense.
It’s a fit on the field and also off the field. Pitt feels a bit like Boston for Monteiro — it feels like home. And now he’s ready to make an instant impact.
Pitt is loaded at WR . That’s a solid position group for this offense
This kid’s highlight reel is really impressive. Fits perfect with Bell’s Go-Go offense. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Monteiro ends up being Pitt’s biggest impact 2023 recruit.