Mycah Pittman growing into role at FSU

Mycah Pittman makes a touchdown catch, one of two he had against Wake Forest. Photo by KEN FIELDS

By NICK CARLISLE Writer/The Osceola

Mycah Pittman has been waiting his entire college career for opportunities like these. And for a team in which he can be productive as well as a position group he can help lead.

“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of,” Pittman said after Florida State’s 31-21 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday. “I say that because I see the potential in these guys and I don’t think these guys understand how talented they are.”

The same could be said about Pittman, as the Oregon transfer has been a sure-handed receiver but flown under the radar in an offense that has produced a breakout game for a different player every week. With Johnny Wilson getting a bulk of the attention as Florida State’s breakout star in the passing game, Pittman has quietly established himself as a reliable piece for Florida State’s passing attack.

Prior to the game against Wake Forest, Pittman had 141 receiving yards on 12 catches and he added five catches for 85 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season. It was the first time Pittman had scored a touchdown since 2019. Just five games into the season, he is already one yard away from tying the most receiving yards he has had in his best season at Oregon (227 yards in 2019).

“I thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity to make plays,” Pittman said. “At the end of the day if Coach Norvell doesn’t call my number I don’t get to make those plays. Them giving me the opportunity is really reassuring, especially in a big-time game like that.”

That seems crazy to say about a player that has an NFL pedigree but as is a common theme with a lot of players on this Florida State roster. It hasn’t been easy for the junior. After his freshman season at Oregon was derailed by an injury, he was never able to find consistent footing in an Oregon offense that seemed to leave him behind.

“(Before) I was in an offense that just kind of called plays,” Pittman said in an interview with the Osceola earlier this year. “They didn’t put their playmakers in position to make plays and use their strengths. This offense is more of what the guys’ strengths are and how they’re going to utilize players.”

Unfortunately for Pittman, his first standout performance at Florida State has come amidst a disappointing loss at home. But looking past that, it was great to finally see him getting some recognition in a role that has not been utilized well by the Seminoles the past few years.

While the Florida State passing attack has been subpar across the board in recent years, the role of slot receiver has suffered the most and has largely gone unfilled. The limited options that FSU has tried in the slot have mostly been unproductive. This can be seen primarily in the Seminoles’ inefficiency on third down in previous seasons.

The Seminoles so far this season are up nearly 15% on third-down conversion percentage, converting 48.4 percent of the time on third down in comparison to 35.6 percent in 2020 and 34 percent in 2021. This is the highest it’s been since 2016 when Florida State converted 43 percent of the time.

Pittman is not the sole reason why that success has increased, but he certainly is a big contributor. He might not be the big, flashy receiver but the 5-foot-11 Pittman brings undeniable reliability to a wide receiving room that simply could not get open in previous years.

“I know what I’m capable of doing, I have all the confidence in the world in myself. At the end of the day I displayed what I can do for this football team. It’s not just a one man show, it’s my teammates helping me out to make those plays and Coach Norvell scheming it up for me.”

And that’s ultimately why Pittman chose Florida State over multiple other offers during the offseason. The promise of what the offense can be and how he fits into the scheme. It’s always hard to look at the positives when it’s overshadowed by a losing effort, but Pittman’s standout game shows a lot about how far this offense has come and just how playmaker-friendly it can be. It’s no wonder there is a different breakout receiver every game.

Pittman finally has a place where his talents and strengths can be used effectively, and Florida State no longer has to rely upon its tall receivers to make plays down the field when it has a guy like Pittman who can get you the gritty yards and explosive plays from the slot.

“I just hope that I can continue to build off this week and they give another opportunity next week to make plays for this football team and we come out with a ‘W’,” Pittman said.

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