Pitt added a versatile offensive weapon to the 2022 roster on Friday when Karter Johnson announced that he’ll be joining the Panthers.

A native of Ohio, Johnson has taken a roundabout path to Pitt since graduating from Pickerington Central in the class of 2019. He was a four-star prospect in high school, the No. 12 recruit in the state of Ohio for his class and the No. 21 defensive tackle in the class of 2019, and he signed with TCU over offers from Boston College, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia and others.

But by the fall of 2019, he wasn’t happy with his role at TCU, and he left the team for the transfer portal. That route didn’t produce the opportunities he was hoping for, so Johnson decided to attend Butler Community College in Kansas.

In the meantime, Johnson worked to drop weight, eventually trimming nearly 70 pounds off his frame in order to make a transition to offense. When he got to Butler, he weighed less than 240 pounds, and he lined up at tight end.

Over the last two seasons, Johnson caught 22 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 13.3 yards per catch.

Earlier this spring, he committed to Coastal Carolina, but interest from Pitt appears to have swayed him to the ACC, and he’s an interesting offensive talent for new coordinator Frank Cignetti. He can play tight end, which is likely to be his listed position, but he can also move around, possibly lining up at fullback, H-back or receiver to look for matchups.