Last fall, Jordan Addison became the first freshman to lead Pitt in receiving since Tyler Boyd in 2013. And yet, his debut season was only “pretty good” by his standards.
“I don’t think it was great,” Addison said Thursday, speaking to the media for the first time since September. “I still have a lot to improve on.”
That may be true. Every college player has something to work on, especially a 19-year-old who got his first glimpse of Power Five ball eight months ago. But Addison is probably being a little hard on himself as he looks to build on his breakout campaign.
Addison emerged this time last year in spring camp as an early enrollee. Pitt had only three spring practices before COVID-19 shut the whole thing down, but it was apparent at that point that Addison — a four-star recruit with offers from Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia and more — could take over for Maurice Ffrench and start in the slot.
What followed was 66 catches, 660 yards, four touchdowns and freshman All-American honors. Addison was the ACC Rookie of the Year runner-up, losing out to Kyren Williams, Notre Dame’s redshirt freshman tailback. But what Addison accomplished was arguably more impressive, acclimating so smoothly in his first season and leading an offense that threw the ball more times per game than 113 other Division I-A teams.
Pitt’s 38.6 attempts per game ranked second in the ACC only to Clemson, which had Trevor Lawrence slinging it to Amari Rodgers, Cornell Powell and company. At Pitt, it was Addison, Addison and more Addison.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Addison collected 89 targets, sixth-most in the ACC and 12th among Power Five playmakers. The next closest on Pitt’s roster was DJ Turner with 67 targets — and 20 of them came when Addison missed a win over Virginia Tech.
Taysir Mack was third on the team with 50 targets, a dip from his 63 catches in 2019. Both Addison and Pat Narduzzi complimented Mack this week, with the latter saying he’s had an “outstanding spring.” If Mack can return to form in 2021 after dealing with nagging issues last year, it would be a real boost to Pitt’s passing game.
Shocky Jacques-Louis and Jared Wayne, who have combined for 88 catches and 1,262 yards the last two seasons, are options, as well as underclassmen Jaylon Barden, Myles Alston and Jaden Bradley. A healthy Lucas Krull at tight end should open up the passing game even more for Kenny Pickett, too.
But Addison remains Pickett’s No. 1 target, and he has the aspirations to match it.
Addison said he wants to record a 1,000-yard season this fall. The last time that happened at Pitt was Boyd’s 1,261-yard campaign in 2014, a year before Narduzzi’s tenure started. Addison also wants to score more than the four touchdowns he logged in 2020 while cutting down on his 10 drops.
“Going into my second season, I think I need to work on learning the whole offense,” Addison added. “My first year, I feel like I just knew what I was doing. Now I want to know what everybody’s doing so I know the spacing and the timing and where the ball’s going to be and things like that.”
With that could come more reps at outside receiver, though Addison said he still prefers working out of the slot. He enjoys getting out in space, running shallow crosses and matching up with linebackers and safeties.
Addison could also utilize his speed elsewhere on the field. The Maryland native said he’s been working at kick and punt returner during camp along with Barden, Alston and running back Vincent Davis. Addison returned kicks against Louisville last year, taking two kickoffs a combined 39 yards and running a punt back 21 yards. So there’s potential for Pitt to get him even more involved.
But Addison is largely focusing on how he can improve under new wide receivers coach Brennan Marion.
“Nobody ever rose to low expectations” #H2P #HumbleBeast @Espn_Jordan https://t.co/BxJZ8Yb2gc
— Coach Marion (@BrennanMarion4) April 1, 2021
Addison said it was “a shock” when Chris Beatty left the Panthers in January to become the Los Angeles Chargers’ receivers coach. Beatty recruited Addison hard and was a primary reason why the receiver chose Pitt over other programs. But Addison has taken a liking to Marion, saying the entire room “clicked” with the former Howard and William & Mary offensive coordinator from Day 1.
“Working with coach Marion has been fun,” Addison said. “He knew how to control the receiver room. He gets us fired up everyday to come in here and work. It’s just a good environment to be in.”
Perhaps that environment, coupled with his own ambition, propels Addison to achieve bigger and better this fall — to go, in his mind, from pretty good to great.
John McGonigal: jmcgonigal@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jmcgonigal9
First Published: April 1, 2021, 7:22 p.m.
