Pitt Football
Young Defensive Ends Embracing Early Start at Pitt

When Pitt defensive ends JuJu Anderson and Denim Cook decided to enroll early at Pitt, they knew there would be sacrifices when it came to their senior years of high school.
The opportunities that presented themselves with an extra six months of work as a freshman in a college football program was too good to pass by.
“It’s a blessing. Not a lot of people get that opportunity, so it’s an opportunity you got to take to be in the weight room, get used to the college environment,” Anderson said.
Anderson and Cook alike are working towards the possibility of playing early and preparing for the start of their college careers.
“You’re just going to be so much more ahead than someone who doesn’t come in earlier,” Anderson said. “You know the play book, the eating, the routine, so just being advanced heading into your freshman year.”
“That was one of the reasons I early enrolled was to get some early minutes and learn and develop and get stronger physically and get ahead of the game before August,” Cook added.
For Cook – a 6-foot-3, 245-pound talent out of Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio — the transition comes a little easier with a familiar face in the building on defensive side of the ball.
“It was inspirational because one of my cousins, he’s one of the ‘sharks:’ Rasheem Biles. Seeing him and where we came from together, really showed me what I can do and what it holds for the future here,” Cook said.
The idea of playing with Biles became an important factor that ultimately led Cook to Pitt.
“That was major. We always played against each other as young children, but we never got to be on the same team and now we’re finally on the same team. That means a lot to me,” Cook said.
Biles, who helped man one of the best linebacker units in the country this past fall as a sophomore, provided Cook with some perspective on what it will take to make an early impact.
“He said it wasn’t easy. It was a grind every day. You got to work hard no matter what and work towards a goal and they worked towards a goal to be the best linebackers in the nation,” Cook said.
Cook saw his senior season get cut short due to an arm injury, but he has since nearly recovered to 100 percent as he begins crafting his game as an edge rusher – a position that is still rather new to the longtime linebacker and safety.

Pitt 2025 commits Denim Cook and Trevor Sommers.
“I’m really open to it,” Cook said about transitioning to the edge. “Coach Daoust is a great teacher. I feel like he’s going to put me in the best position to be great, whether it’s putting my hand in the dirt or standing up.”
Like Cook, Anderson is looking forward to learning from Daoust.
“He’s a real honest guy. He’s going to keep it 100 and not sugarcoat anything. Personally, for me, that’s the kind of coach I’m looking for. He kind of gives you that family aspect that he’s going to be hard on you when he needs to, but he’s also going to try and bring you up as a player and help you out,” Anderson said.
Anderson spent his final prep season at Blair Academy in New Jersey – the state in which he grew up in until he moved to Florida in 2020.
With a large frame at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Anderson prides himself on speed at the edge to get into the backfield. That quickness was further developed as a two-way player at wide receiver.
“Speed kills at the end of the day, so being able to move against an offensive tackle, it’s going to be hard for them to block. Being fast and twitchy, all the skills you got to learn. It’s still kind of the same movements. Trying to get past the DBs is kind of the same as an offensive lineman, it’s just a 300-pound guy versus a 180 guy – just being more physical,” he said.
Pitt commit @jujuandersonn coming off the edge pic.twitter.com/jJFxiK24yB
— BrianDohn247 (@BrianDohn247) September 21, 2024
While Anderson looks to put on muscle in the weight room, he’s also trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible.
“Being open minded and trying to follow the guys that have done this before. Taking what they’re giving me and asking questions like, ‘Hey, why’d you do this, what’re you looking at here,’ and using that to grow. That’s a true advantage for me. We got guys that are juniors, seniors, sixth years, first years, so being able to take their wisdom that they can give to me, I just ask a lot of questions and be very open minded,” Anderson said.
As Anderson and Cook complete their first weeks as a Pitt Panther, they have quickly adapted to the defensive line unit off the field.
“I can already feel the brotherhood,” Anderson said. “Nate Temple and [Isaiah Neal] are some of the guys that bring the energy up every single day. You can’t be sad around them. You always want to smile when you’re with them. It’s been cool with them.”

