Pitt landed a commitment Saturday from transfer Cole Gonzales, a quarterback who’s already very familiar with the Panthers’ offensive coordinator.

A 6-foot, 198-pound senior, Gonzales comes to Pitt after a semester at Oklahoma where he transferred in December. Before his stint with the Sooners, Gonzales passed for 6,682 yards and 51 touchdowns in three seasons at Western Carolina.

Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell was the Catamounts’ OC from 2021-23.

Gonzales’ sophomore season was his best at Western Carolina. He passed for 2,803 yards and 28 touchdowns to eight interceptions and was named the 2023 SoCon Offensive Player of the Year in media voting.

Bell’s coaching bio notes that Western Carolina led all FCS teams in total offense that season with an average of 504.1 yards per game. The Catamounts also ranked third in passing offense (321.1 ypg) and fourth in scoring (37.5 ppg).

He earned first-team SoCon honors again this past season after passing for 2,543 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a freshman, Gonzales passed for 1,336 yards and 11 touchdowns.

As a sophomore and junior, Gonzales was among the 30 finalists receiving votes for the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player in FCS.

The Gainesville, Fla. native is the son of Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales.