Pitt hopes Kade Bell package comes with Western Carolina playmakers Desmond Reid, Censere Lee

Aware that football may be thicker than blood — at least, when a school is attempting to dig out of a 3-9 hole — Western Carolina coach Kerwin Bell was OK with his son, Kade, leaving his staff to coordinate the offense at Pitt.

But did he need to try to take the Catamounts’ two most productive players with him?

“I know,” Kerwin Bell said, laughing. “That’s the rough part about it. They are dynamic players.”

Running back Desmond Reid and wide receiver Censere Lee, sophomores who led Western Carolina in rushing and pass catching this season, have entered the transfer portal and are visiting Pitt’s campus this weekend while pondering an upgrade to their careers from the FCS to the ACC.

Both are smallish, but productive, players who fit the style of offense Kade Bell will bring to Pitt.

Reid (5-foot-8, 170 pounds) rushed for 1,723 yards (6.9 per carry) and 17 touchdowns over the past two seasons, even after missing a total of four games. He also could help in the passing game after totaling 42 receptions for 495 yards and a touchdown in 2022 and 2023. Lee (5-11, 170) caught 82 passes for 1,426 yards and 14 touchdowns in the same time frame.

There is room for both players on a Pitt roster that lost its top pass catcher when Bub Means declared for the NFL draft. Reid could complement running back Rodney Hammond, a rising senior who rushed for 547 yards (4.6) in 2023.

Pitt also has running back depth in Derrick Davis, Montravius Lloyd and, potentially, Central York High School senior Juelz Goff, a verbal commit who is scheduled to sign a Pitt letter of intent Wednesday.

The Panthers lost two running backs since the end of the season, opening up roster space. New Jersey high school four-star prospect Yasin Willis flipped his verbal commitment from Pitt to Syracuse and T.J. Harvison, who redshirted in 2023, entered the portal.

Reid and Lee are both Florida natives — Miami Gardens and Clearwater, respectively — and that highlights another attractive aspect of Kade Bell’s resume. “Cade has a lot of relationships in Florida,” Kerwin Bell said.

“It’s tough. I wanted to keep those guys,” he said. “They both feel like they can play at that next level and I think they can.

“I’m still praying we’ll get them back.”

#ShrineBowlBound ✅

CB M.J. Devonshire (@Mjdevonshirejr) from @Pitt_FB has officially accepted his invitation to play in the 2024 East-West @ShrineBowl!#H2P | #ShrineBowlWhosNext???? pic.twitter.com/vka2AXCitt

— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) December 13, 2023

Coach Pat Narduzzi is in the process of reshaping his roster after losing Means and offensive tackle Matt Goncalves and all three regular cornerbacks — M.J. Devonshire, A.J. Woods and Marquise Williams — to the NFL Draft. Devonshire was recently invited to the East-West Shrine Game.

Other key portal losses include defensive tackle Deandre Jules, who has transferred to South Carolina, defensive end Sam Okunlola and linebacker Bangally Kamara. Senior defensive tackles Tyler Bentley, David Green and Devin Danielson also moved on after their eligibility expired at the end of the season.

Pitt has received verbal commitments from former Nebraska cornerback Tamon Lynum and Nilay Upadhyayula, a long snapper who is transferring from UConn.

Defensive end David Ojiegbe, one of four four-star defensive ends who signed with Clemson last year, will visit Pitt’s campus this weekend after entering the portal, according to Rivals.com. Ojegbe (6-3, 240) will be a redshirt freshman next season.