Pitt transfers 'Poppi' Williams, Tamon Lynum hope to make good in their new neighborhood

When Rachel Sims was a young mother in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., she liked how her little boy’s big eyes seemed to pop out of his head.

“Pop eyes,” said Pitt junior wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr., who was that little boy.

Thus, the nickname that Rachel bestowed upon her son, “Poppi.”

Those eyes got big again Thursday when Poppi Williams was asked if he’s grateful for the NCAA’s immediate transfer rule that has allowed him to transfer from San Diego State and play immediately for Pitt.

“More than grateful,” he said. “God is good. He always finds a way to come through. He has given me that chance to show everyone what I can do. I just have to pay him back.”

Williams is one of 15 players who were spread across the nation last year — from Corvallis, Ore., to Cullowhee, N.C. — and now have a chance to make an impact for Pitt.

Another of those 15 is senior cornerback Tamon Lynum, who brought with him from Nebraska two seasons of eligibility and a degree in education and human development. Lynum, Williams and most of those other 13 players need to step up and help Pitt recover from its 3-9 record of 2023.

Williams is back where he believes he belongs: side-by-side with offensive coordinator Kade Bell in his hurry-up scheme.

“I was getting into the portal because of the coaching change (Brady Hoke retired at San Diego State), and I saw Kade Bell got the job here,” Williams said. “It was a no-brainer.”

Williams has been with Bell through three seasons: the spring of 2021 at Division II Tusculum and ‘21 and ‘22 at Western Carolina. Total receptions at the three schools: 133 for 1,811 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The NCAA’s previous transfer rule forced him to sit out last season at San Diego State because it was his second transfer. After he saw Bell get hired at Pitt and he started taking recruiting calls from former Western Carolina teammates Censere Lee and Desmond Reid, who already had committed, it was only a matter of time before he joined the team.

Williams said Bell always had “faith in me.”

“I was a buck-20 (120 pounds) coming out of high school,” Williams said.

He said he gained weight to 165 on his 5-foot-10 frame by setting his alarm for 3 a.m., getting up and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the same method former Pitt offensive tackle Brian O’Neill employed nearly a decade ago to transition from tight end.

“He believed in me. I believed in him,” Williams said of Bell. “That’s what made the process easier in the portal.”

Williams knows Bell’s offense, so he has been able to help Pitt’s holdover wide receivers while competing with them for playing time.

“Kade is very creative. He’s always making changes,” Williams said. “So it’s very different but very similar. He wants to give his best guys the ball, motion everybody. Quarterbacks trust you to be in a certain spot. You just have to be there.”

Lynum (6-foot-2, 190) is likewise grateful for the transfer portal. It helped him land at a school that offers another style of pass coverage that could serve him well in the future.

At Nebraska, he played off (giving the pass catcher some cushion) while Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi prefers press man.

“On an island,” Lynum said. “Two different techniques I had to learn. I can do both now. I’m out there flying around. I love it.

“I’m a real physical corner. I came here with a chip on my shoulder. I knew I wasn’t going to be a starter (immediately). I knew I had to work my way up. Nothing was going to be given to me.”

Lynum was set back in the spring when he hurt his left thumb, an injury that required surgery. But he has caught Narduzzi’s eye this summer.

“He’s what we call a thumper. He’s going to hit you,” the coach said.

There is a crowd at cornerback trying to win the jobs held down in recent seasons by M.J. Devonshire, A.J. Woods and Marquis Williams. Lynum, Ryland Gandy, Tamarion Crumpley and Jaremiah Anglin Jr. are among contenders for playing time.

“There are seven or eight of us vying for a spot. I love the competition,” Lynum said.

Where does he stand in the quest for playing time?

“No. 1, I would say. I’m always going to put myself at the top,” he said. “We’re all trying to push each other to get better.”

Lynum said he chose Pitt over Cincinnati and Florida because of the opportunity it presented, plus the relationships he built with Narduzzi, defensive coordinator Randy Bates and cornerbacks coach Archie Collins. He said he had a long talk with Narduzzi before he committed, referencing football, school and life.

“I didn’t just want to go somewhere where they just wanted to fill a spot.”