Two months ago, Lucas Krull had a decision to make.

He had just finished his redshirt junior season at the University of Florida and his two-year career with the Gators produced minimal results: nine receptions for 108 yards in 25 games played as Kyle Pitts was the focus of the offense at the tight end position.

So Krull had to decide: should he stay in Gainesville for one more season or look for a better opportunity elsewhere?

On Dec. 1, he made the decision to transfer, and as soon as the paperwork went in, he got a call.

“They were the first team to call and offer me. So they were on me; right when my name hit the portal, they called me instantly.”

Of course, Krull is talking about Pitt. The Panthers’ early interest turned into an official visit a week later, and that experience went well enough to convince Krull to move to Pittsburgh for his final year of college.

“There was a plethora of schools, and at the end of the day, I had my idea of what I wanted and what I needed, so I had my list to check boxes through and Pitt checked them all off,” Krull said. “They graduated two seniors from this position, they need help at this postion and they use this position a lot, especially in this offense with Coach (Mark) Whipple. It’s a great foundation, a great team to be a part of. I can’t wait to get out there and get started with them.”

The Panthers certainly have a personnel vacancy at tight end entering the 2020 position. Nakia Griffin-Stewart and Will Gragg were the leaders at the position in 2019, but both finished their eligibility, leaving Grant Carrigan and Kyi Wright as the only returning scholarship players there. So the need for another experienced player was clear, but Pitt’s offense needs more than experience at tight end. The Panthers also need skill as well; after all, the position was only minimally productive in Mark Whipple’s first year calling the offense.

After 13 games, Griffin-Stewart and Gragg combined to catch 38 passes; that worked out to 19 receptions for each of the redshirt seniors, which put them behind receivers Maurice Ffrench, Taysir Mack and Shocky Jacques-Louis as well as running back A.J. Davis, who caught 23.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi pointed out on Wednesday that 2019 was a more productive year for the tight ends than 2018 had been, and that’s true: Gragg saw just eight targets two years ago, and that number led the position. But 2018’s complete lack of impact from the tight ends only makes 2019’s production look good by comparison.

Still, the lack of emphasis on the tight ends didn’t dissuade Krull from wanting to play in Whipple’s offense. In fact, when he looked at what the Panthers do, he saw an opportunity.

“If you look at it, they targeted the tight ends quite a bit; it’s just, you have to be able to make those plays and do what you can when you get the ball in your hands,” Krull said. “Just something I know I can bring to this team is getting the ball in space, I can do a lot of things with it, so that’s something I bring to the table - that ball skill. I think that’s something that’s going to give trust to the quarterbacks to use the tight ends.”

Krull has been on campus at Pitt for a month, and in that time he has already developed a relationship with Pitt’s quarterback. Kenny Pickett hosted Krull for his official visit in December, and the friendship has only grown since then.

“Kenny’s a great guy,” Krull said. He’s one of my close friends here now. I’m hanging out with him a lot and getting to know him and everyone else on the team. It’s been great.

“[The official visit] was great. His friend group is just like the one I had at Florida, so it clicked really easily. They’re just great guys. You come in, they’re not selfish, they want to get you involved in everything and they treat you like you’ve been here before, so you come on this visit and they make you feel at home. That was something that I noticed, too: the guys here, there’s a lot of unselfish guys here that want everyone to continue to get better and push each other.”

Now Krull is looking forward to giving Pitt’s offense something it hasn’t had since 2016: a legitimate passing threat at tight end.

“That’s why I’m here. That’s the plan.”