2/19/2024 football Edit

Pitt reportedly set to hire JJ Laster as WR coach

Jim Hammett • Panther-lair

Staff

The Pitt football coaching staff has filled its last vacancy. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Pitt is set to name JJ Laster as the team’s new wide receivers coach. Laster replaces the recently departed Tiquan Underwood, who took a job with the New England Patriots last week.

Laster comes to Pitt from Old Dominion, though it was a short stay in Norfolk. He was named the wide receivers coach at Old Dominion back on January 10th, but a little over a month later will be taking the same position at Pitt.

Prior to his brief stint with Old Dominion, Laster worked on the offensive staff at Western Carolina with new Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Together, Bell and Laster helped produce one of the best offenses in the country at the FCS level. Western Carolina led the country in total yards last season and was fourth in scoring.

The Western Carolina to Pitt takeover has been real this offseason. The Panthers also hired offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau from Bell’s staff with the Catamounts. Pitt also landed three WCU transfers: running back Desmon Reid and wide receivers CJ Lee and Raphael Williams.

Lee was the team’s top wide receiver in 2023, while Williams led the team in receptions and yards back in 2022 while working under Laster. The trio will look to bring that same type of success in Pittsburgh.

The Panthers also return some of their own talented playmakers at receiver that Laster will now be able to work with once he gets to town. Konata Mumpfield led Pitt with 44 receptions a year ago, Kenny Johnson appears to be a budding star as he enters his sophomore season, and Daejon Reynolds is back after playing a key role for Pitt in the 2022 season.

Laster also worked at Gardner-Webb in the 2019 season. He was an accomplished player back in his day at Jacksonville, where he was an all-conference running back for the Dolphins in 2010. He is a native of Florida and should be able to bring some recruiting ties from his home state to the Panthers’ coaching staff.