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Michael Pittman Jr.

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Michael Pittman Jr.
refer to caption
Pittman with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020
No. 11 – Indianapolis Colts
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1997-10-05) October 5, 1997 (age 27)
Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:Oaks Christian (Westlake Village)
College:USC (2016–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 2 / pick: 34
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024
Receptions:364
Receiving yards:3,998
Receiving touchdowns:17
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Michael Pittman Jr. (born October 5, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he was named a consensus second-team All-American as a senior, and was selected by the Colts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

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Pittman grew up in Southern California and attended Valencia High School as a freshman, and Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, for his sophomore, junior, and senior year. As a senior, He caught 81 passes for 1,990 yards and 24 touchdowns and was named first-team All-America by Parade and Max Preps and participated in the All-American Bowl.[1] In the final game of his high school career, Pittman caught 16 passes for 354 yards and five touchdowns.[2] Rated a four star recruit, Pittman initially committed to play college football for the UCLA Bruins. He re-opened his recruitment in the summer of 2015 and ultimately committed to play at the University of Southern California over Oregon.[3]

College career

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Pittman at USC

Pittman enrolled at USC in the spring of 2016 after graduating from Oaks Christian a semester early. As a true freshman, he caught 6 passes for 82 yards on offense while returning two punts for 63 yards, four kickoffs for 31 yards, blocking punt and forcing a fumble on special teams. In his sophomore season, he had 23 receptions for 404 yards and two touchdowns with a punt returned for a touchdown and a blocked punt on special teams.[4] Pittman was named the Pac-12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 12 after returning a punt 72 yards for a touchdown against UCLA and was named first-team All-Conference as a special teamer.[5]

As junior, Pittman was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference after posting 41 receptions for 758 yards with six touchdowns. Following the end of the season, Pittman considered forgoing his final season of eligibility to enter the 2019 NFL draft but opted to return for his senior year after receiving a third-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board.[6] Pittman caught 10 passes for 232 yards (5th-most in a game in USC history) and a touchdown in a 30–23 win over tenth-ranked Utah on September 20, 2019.[7] Pittman finished the season with 101 receptions for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named first-team All-Pac-12 and a consensus second-team All-America selection.[8] He was also a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award and won the Pop Warner Award, given to the college senior with the biggest impact on and off the field.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m) 		223 lb
(101 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.52 s 1.61 s 2.68 s 4.14 s 6.96 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 13 reps 29
All values from NFL Combine[10][11]

2020 season

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Pittman was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round with the 34th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[12] Pittman made his professional debut on September 13, 2020, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, catching two passes for ten yards in the 27–20 loss.[13] He was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2020, due to compartment syndrome in his calf.[14] He was activated on October 31.[15] In Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens, he caught 4 passes for 56 yard in a 24–10 loss to the Ravens. He had his first 100-yard game with seven receptions for 101 yards in the 34–17 victory against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10 on Thursday Night Football. He was the first Colts' rookie to have 100 receiving yards in a game since Donte Moncrief in 2014.[16] In Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers, Pittman caught 3 passes for 66 yards and his first career touchdown reception on a 45 yard pass play in a 34–31 victory.[17][18] Pittman finished his rookie season with 40 catches for 503 yards.[19]

2021 season

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Pittman playing for the Colts in 2022.

In a Week 2 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, Pittman had a career game, hauling in 8 passes for 123 yards.[20] Pittman scored his second career touchdown in a 31–25 loss to the Ravens, finishing with 6 receptions for 89 yards.[21] Continuing to carve out a big role in the Colts' offense, Pittman hit 100 receiving yards for the third time in his career in a Week 7 Sunday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. He caught 4 passes for 105 yards, including a touchdown catch that sealed the Colts' 30-18 win.[22][23] In the following week's overtime loss against the Titans, Pittman recorded 10 receptions on 15 targets for 86 yards, also scoring 2 touchdowns within a minute. His targets, receptions, and touchdowns were all career-highs.[24] In a Week 14 win against the New England Patriots, Pittman was ejected in the third quarter for his involvement in a fight with Patriots safety Kyle Dugger.[25] On December 23, 2021, Pittman was named a 2022 Pro Bowl alternate.[26] In the Colts' Week 17 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittman broke 1,000 receiving yards on the season and became the sixth Colts' pass catcher since 2000 to do so.[27]

2023 season

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In Week 1, Pittman caught eight passes for 97 yards and one touchdown, during a 31–21 loss to the Jaguars.[28] In a Week 13 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Pittman hauled in his 314th career reception, breaking the Colts franchise record for the most catches in the first four years of a player's career.[29] One week later, he tied former Colts receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison for the most consecutive games with at least eight receptions in Colts history.[30] In the Week 15 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittman was taken out of the game due to a concussion after taking a hit from safety Damontae Kazee, which led to Kazee being ejected from the game and a 15-yard roughness penalty being enacted on Pittsburgh.[31] He finished the season as the Colts leading receiver with 109 catches for 1,152 yards and four touchdowns. He was fifth in the league in catches and 14th in receiving yards.

2024 season

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On March 5, 2024, the Colts placed the franchise tag on Pittman.[32] On March 11, he signed a three-year, $71.5 million contract extension with $46 million guaranteed.[33]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2020 IND 13 8 40 503 12.6 45 1 3 26 8.7 21 0 0 0
2021 IND 17 17 88 1,082 12.3 57 6 5 44 8.8 25 0 1 0
2022 IND 16 16 99 925 9.3 28 4 3 30 10.0 19 0 2 0
2023 IND 16 15 109 1,152 10.6 75 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1
2024 IND 12 10 46 550 12.0 33 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 74 66 382 4,212 11.0 75 17 11 100 9.1 25 0 5 1

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2020 IND 1 1 5 90 18 32 0 1 11 11.0 11 0 1 0
Career 1 1 5 90 18 32 0 1 11 11.0 11 0 1 0

Personal life

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Pittman is the son of former NFL running back and Super Bowl champion Michael Pittman and Kristin Randall. Pittman Sr. played on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2002 championship roster.[34] His younger brother, Mycah Pittman, plays wide receiver for the University of Utah.[35] Pittman also runs a YouTube channel with his wife, Kianna Pittman, called "Michael and Kianna". He produces two series on YouTube: "Gameday Vlogs" and "Path to the Draft".[36] He and his wife have two children together, a daughter and a son.[37] Pittman is a Christian.[38]

References

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  1. ^ Labar, Sean (November 4, 2016). "Father Knows Best: USC Wide Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Leans On Dad's NFL Experience". HeroSports.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Barnes, Evan (December 7, 2015). "Oaks Christian's Michael Pittman named to Army All-American Bowl". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Shaw, Hank (July 4, 2015). "Michael Pittman Commits to USC Over Oregon". ReignOfTroy.com. FanSided. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ball hog: USC's Michael Pittman Jr. is eating up receiving yards and scoring touchdowns". Los Angeles Times. October 25, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Carter, Ivan (November 20, 2017). "Michael Pittman Jr. named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Trevino, Chris (January 24, 2019). "USC's Pittman Jr. earned third-round NFL Draft grade". Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Furlong, Josh (September 20, 2019). "USC's Pittman, Fink lead Trojans past No. 10 Utah in 30–23 upset win". KSL.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  8. ^ Trevino, Chris (December 17, 2019). "USC Football: WR Pittman named second-team AP All American". Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  9. ^ de Artola, Alicia (December 3, 2019). "USC WR Michael Pittman wins Pop Warner Award as nation's top senior". ReignofTroy.com. FanSided. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Michael Pittman Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Michael Pittman Jr., Southern California, WR, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Walker, Andrew (April 24, 2020). "2020 NFL Draft: Colts Select Wide Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. With 34th-Overall Pick". Colts.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  13. ^ Trevino, Chris (September 13, 2020). "Trojan rookies Michael Pittman, Austin Jackson make NFL debut". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Colts Activate TE Trey Burton From IR; Elevate WR Marcus Johnson To Active Roster; Place WR Michael Pittman Jr. On IR". Colts.com. October 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "Colts Activate WR Michael Pittman Jr. From IR; Waive WR Daurice Fountain". Colts.com. October 31, 2020.
  16. ^ Kravitz, Bob (November 13, 2020). "Kravitz: Colts are sitting pretty in Week 10 Dopey Report Card". The Athletic. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts - November 22nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Wells, Mike (November 22, 2020). "Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. breaks free on crossing route for first TD catch". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  19. ^ "Michael Pittman 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  20. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts – September 19th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  21. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens – October 11th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  22. ^ Carannante, Thomas (October 25, 2021). "Colts: Michael Pittman's unreal touchdown catch seals win on Sunday Night Football". horseshoeheroes.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  23. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers – October 24th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  24. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts – October 31st, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  25. ^ Sullivan, Tyler (December 19, 2021). "Kyle Dugger, Michael Pittman ejected for fighting during Saturday night's Colts win over Patriots". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  26. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (December 23, 2021). "Six Colts Players Named 2022 Pro Bowl Alternates". colts.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  27. ^ Hicks, Zach (January 5, 2022). "Diving Deeper Into Michael Pittman Jr's 1,000 Yard Season". si.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  28. ^ Game recap: Anthony Richardson era begins with Colts loss to Jaguars
  29. ^ Patra, kevin (December 5, 2023). "Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. passes Marvin Harrison in franchise record books". nfl.com. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  30. ^ Chappell, Mike (December 13, 2023). "Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. taking consistency to rare level; 'It just flows, I guess'". fox59.com. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  31. ^ "Damontae Kazee ejected; Michael Pittman Jr., Zack Moss, Minkah Fitzpatrick injured". NBC Sports. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  32. ^ "Colts place non-exclusive franchise tag on WR Michael Pittman Jr". Colts.com. March 5, 2024.
  33. ^ Moore, Andrew (March 11, 2024). "Colts Re-Sign Michael Pittman Jr. to Long-Term Extension". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  34. ^ Zucker, Joseph (July 4, 2015). "Michael Pittman to USC: Trojans Land 4-Star ATH Prospect". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  35. ^ Hilbert, Evan (July 23, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: Mycah Pittman, 4-star wide receiver in class of 2019, picks Oregon". USATodayHSS.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  36. ^ Ackerman, Nathan (November 21, 2019). "Heart of Cardinal and Gold: From YouTube to the end zone, Michael Pittman Jr. always keeps it positive". Daily Trojan. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  37. ^ Chappell, Mike (March 14, 2024). "Colts' Michael Pittman Jr.: 'Knew the whole time this was going to happen'". Fox 59. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  38. ^ "Fight On". Athletes For God. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
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