Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (84) celebrates a 4-yard touchdown catch against South Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, Pool)
Imagine a world where one of the best players in college football, according to ESPN writer Marty Smith, is not catching passes. A seemingly far fetched and silly proposition such as this could have easily occurred.
Kyle Pitts hails from Archbishop Wood High School in Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia. The four-star athlete was told by many, even including his high school coach he could play on both sides of the ball. Looming at 6’6 and over 200 pounds, the freakish athlete who hadn’t quite filled out his lanky frame was already showing signs of nightmarish mix-matched coverages.
” My high school coach always tried to tell people I liked defense,” Pitts said. ” But I told Coach Mullen I don’t like defense.” More than anything, Pitts just wanted to play at the tight end position and score points.
Needless to say, it seems Mullen and Pitts came to an understanding about their shared love for offense. So far this season, the two have been successful in achieving the goal of scoring points.
The now tight-end has caught 36 passes for 641 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His 11 touchdown grabs this season places him at No. 4 in the FBS among all pass-catchers and No. 1 among all tight ends.
Accolades Accumulating for Pitts:
The awards keep rolling in for Pitts as he has been nominated as a semifinalist for three National Awards. The 2020 Biletnikoff Award, the Mackey Award and the Maxwell Award.
All three boast prestigious honors and one even overlaps with quarterback Kyle Trask on the Maxwell Semifinalist List. Pitts is listed as the only tight-end on the Maxwell Semifinalist list. The award is presented to the best all-around player in college football.
But, most surprisingly to Pitts was his nomination to the Biletnikoff Award. The honor is named after the former FSU wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff and recognizes the best wide -receiver each year.
” The Biletnikoff kind of surprised me because I always knew it as wide-receiver award and when I did see that I was semi-finalist I was like ok, it was kind of interesting,” he said. ” But knowing that I am in a group among some of the best pass-catchers and the top guys in the nation is a great feeling.”
In the official email from the Biletnikoff Award, it was clarified that the award is given to the season’s most outstanding FBS receiver, regardless of position. Any player who catches a pass is eligible for the award according to Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation. However, since the award began in 1994, only a wide-receiver has been awarded this honor.
In addition, the tight-end has also been named a semi-finalist for the Mackey Award given to the most outstanding tight end in college football.
Now, he is a junior and eligible for the NFL Draft. It is possible that Kyle Pitts will be making his final appearance in the Swamp on Saturday. Just four years before, the tight end had committed to the Gators under a different staff. But, his commitment to Gators never waivered. Pitts said after he met with Mullen for the first time since the transition of coaches he knew Florida was where he was supposed to be and felt that God had placed him here for a reason.
” I never really thought about de-committing,” he said. ” This is the school for me and I always felt that like since I first visited.”
Now, Pitts is rumored to be a first-round draft pick. Given his stature and athletic ability, Pitts could thrive in the NFL.
Regardless of whether #84 takes the field again at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, it is clear he has left his mark in the swamp for many years to come.
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