Mycah Pittman set a tone early in the spring, fighting for catches in traffic and laying out for passes — and often hauling them in. A group that often lacked a difference-making player as well as consistent pass catchers in 2021 has been transformed. Pittman, an Oregon transfer, brought talent and a professional mindset to the football field, but he also raised the competition level and pushed Florida State’s receivers to work harder.

Pittman talked with the Osceola this week about his football family — dad, Michael, won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 years ago and brother Michael Jr. is a receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He also shared thoughts on his work ethic, quarterback Jordan Travis and longtime friend Johnny Wilson, a high school teammate who transferred from Arizona State to join the Seminoles.

What’s your earliest football memory, whether it was watching or hanging out with your dad or playing the sport?

Pittman: I would say probably my earliest football memory wasn't the most welcoming early football memory. I was in eighth grade. I hit a nice growth spurt. We had scrimmages against a bunch of other kids. My dad was my offensive coordinator at the time. Played running back. I was talking a lot of trash, telling my Dad, ‘Hey, I'm going to rush for 200 yards.’ And the first play I go out there and get a concussion. So my dad let me here it, told me this is what God wanted, because I was talking all this trash and I needed to be humbled. Ever since then, I've been always looking at football as a ‘put your head down and grind’ and don't talk about what you're going to do. Just go out and do it and get it handled that way.

So was it a combination of those experiences as well as your dad and brother that shaped your work ethic?

Pittman: I developed work ethic not only from my brother and father but just myself. If you want to improve your game, you got to put in the work at the end of the day. These guys nowadays are making plays that are spectacular and keeping up with that is something that involves work ethic, and being able to make those spectacular catches by working on the jugs (machine) all the time and stuff like that. So me and my brother used to play on the same team in high school, we used to catch like 80 mile-an-hour jugs, which is stupid. I look back at it now, we were just being stupid. And we ended up suffering conflicts sometimes with our fingers. But at the time, we're high school kids trying to get some extra work. At that time it was fun working with my brother and ever since then I was just always a jugs machine guy.

Fans and media don’t see that work ethic in the offseason. What’s a workout or practice look like?

Pittman: I get up a little bit earlier and I go and catch jugs by myself with one of the equipment guys, so around 200 straight or 150 straight and then I'll just catch it at different angles and stuff like that. And it’s before practice, just to warm up my hands. That’s a routine for me. I wouldn't even call it work ethic at this point. It’s what I do. I'll stay after sometimes and run routes for J-Trav, getting the timing down. Going to watch film with the quarterbacks. I just view that as a normal thing. Something that I should be doing. At the end of the day, people can call it work ethic or pride. In my mind and my brain and how I was raised, that's what I should be doing.

Are you your toughest critic?

Pittman: Oh, yeah, I'm my toughest critic. People can come to me and say, ‘Good game.’ And if I know I had a game that I didn't live up to, I'm not even going to give them a response. Because you obviously weren't watching me hard enough.

Is it as simple as I could have caught that pass or —

Pittman: I guess maybe an overthrown ball that I could have maybe not have thrown too many moves and got open a little bit quicker for my quarterback. I'm hard on myself about that stuff. Even all the little things. That's how I was always raised.

You made the decision to come to FSU over the winter. Can you reflect on it and what you have to look forward to here in the fall?

Pittman: It's a lot to look forward to. I'm super excited. I was in an offense that before they just kind of called plays. They didn’t put their playmakers in position to make plays and use their strengths. And this offense is more of what the guy's strengths are and how they're going to utilize (players). If they know I'm a good run-after-catch type of guy they’re going to try and get the ball in my hand early and let me go make plays early. And so that's how I was always brought up even in high school. My head coach, he knew my strengths and he used them to their full potential. So just things like that I wasn't accustomed to out at Oregon. So now developing that in Coach (Mike) Norvell’s offense is awesome.

As a 5-foot-11 receiver in a sport that is embracing taller receivers, do you play with a chip on your shoulder?

Pittman: I do play with a chip on my shoulder no matter what. At the end of the day, I know I have big shoes to fill with my brother, my dad. At the end of the day, I'm my own man. And I know what I'm capable of doing. My brother, my father, they know what I'm capable of doing. … It's just the fact of getting the opportunity and being able to display that, being able to go out there and have fun because at the end of the day this is a blessing to be in my position. A lot of kids, a lot of athletes that are my age would love to be in my position and love to have the opportunity that I have this year with Florida State.

Where have you seen growth in the receiver room in the spring and preseason? How has the competition fueled the group to play its best?

Pittman: I've seen a lot of guys trying to compete, have fun and grow. A lot of guys are just literally competing and it's great to see a lot of guys grow and expand their game from the other guys. Because at the end of the day, competition is competition. But being a great teammate is something that has to be mandatory, I feel like. It's been awesome. I've been loving it. Keyshawn Helton, big shout out to him because I think he's probably the greatest teammate I've ever been around. At the end of the day, the reality is, me and Keyshawn are competing but he's still a great teammate, great guy and a person I love being around. All the guys. Malik (McClain), Tron (Kentron Poitier), Johnny (Wilson). It's great to be part of the group that I'm in. And I'm blessed to be part of this group. In reality, there's a lot of haters in rooms and stuff but I get none of that. Our guys support each other. And when everyone makes a play, everyone's excited for each other. And so that's something that you enjoy being around. Positive energy.

Jordan Travis exudes positive energy. How have you connected with him as a quarterback and leader?

Pittman: I've been connecting with him really well. It's been really amazing. He's my boy. He cracks jokes all the time. And sometimes he cracks too many jokes. But just hanging out with him off the field and it's just been really easy to communicate on the field because that’s my boy. At the end of the day, when he makes a play with someone else, I get so happy because not only is he my teammate but he's my actual friend off the field. And that play he made with one of my teammates, it's basically like one of my brothers. I want to see him (Travis) succeed. And I want to see him go out there and be the player he is and dominate every single play.

Johnny Wilson is a good friend of yours that you have known for years. How have you seen him gain comfort and confidence throughout this offseason?

Pittman: Yeah, that's my guy. I'm super proud of him. He's been having a great camp and I'm praying for his health and making sure he has a healthy season because that man is very dangerous. Johnny is just figuring out his potential. He's a guy that is building confidence throughout camp and I love seeing him make plays. It's awesome. I've known him since eighth grade. I love that guy, man. And I'm just super proud of him and seeing the amount of growth he's made and the strides he's made during fall camp. I can't be more happy for him.

What would a successful season look to you individually? And then what would a successful season look like from a team standpoint?

Pittman: Individually, I would say being able to get drafted in the first round and go and have that little, I guess you could say bragging rights over my brother (Michael Pittman Jr. was a second-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2020). And so obviously I have really, really high expectations because at the end of the day it’s not easy to get drafted and that's the reality of it. You got to be a playmaker. You got to be special in your own way. I'm hoping to display that this year with this offense. For overall team success I want to win every single game. And that's not unrealistic to say at all with the talent we have and the new guys we have that are making plays coming in to handle business. It's been awesome. I feel like this team has a lot of bonding. And these guys have each other's back. And that's what's amazing about it.

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