New WR Kha’leal Sterling felt loved by Pitt from day 1

Kha’leal Sterling immediately felt the affection from Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell. And when Pitt wide receivers coach JJ Laster came into the picture, the bond between Sterling and Pitt only grew stronger. He’s felt the affection every day since Bell offered in December.

When Sterling – a 5-foot-10, 175-pound three-star wide receiver from Miami Central in Miami, Florida – arrived in Pittsburgh with his mother last Thursday, he had a pretty good idea how his official visit would end. He just wanted to confirm those suspicions.

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For Sterling, of course, those suspicions were largely confirmed when he joined the Panthers before returning to Miami.

“I think the relationships with the coaches, JJ and Kade, the head coach and the recruiters were the most important thing. The most important thing was the people that were going to coach me,” Sterling told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “So, the people that were going to coach me when I got there. The people that I communicated with the most from other schools, I talked to a lot of recruiters that were not going to be the people that were going to coach me when I got to college. So that played a big part in it.”

Sterling built a strong bond with Bell and Laster, and those relationships with not only Bell and Laster but the entire staff were certainly important. But he also saw the offensive fit.

“Kade’s offense is all about moving fast, he just wants to play fast,” Sterling said. “He wants me to go on my breaks and come back out and play with the ball in my hands. So I love the feel of the offense coming.”

Bell has transformed Pittsburgh’s offensive system since arriving in December (in fact, one of his first offers went to Sterling), and Sterling fits all the billing requirements for a wide receiver. He’s not the biggest wide receiver, especially at 5’10” and 175 pounds, but with the football in his hands, he’s a rocket.

Sterling transferred to nationally ranked Miami Central before his junior season and immediately became a big-play threat, catching 26 passes for 609 yards (23.4 yards per pass) and seven touchdowns.

Bell has big plans for Sterling in the future of the Pitt offense. That much is certain.

“He just wants me to be a guy like Tyreek Hill or Zay Flowers on offense,” Sterling said. “He’s always preached that to me. He wants me to run quick routes, run crisp routes, get in and out on breaks, catch the ball in open space, outsmart the first man, YAC, and just make a lot of plays with the ball in my hands.”

Sterling spent a lot of time with Desmond Reid and Lamar Seymore (his official host) during his visit and was able to not only get a better idea of ​​the fit but also network with a few guys from Florida.

“We’ve all been around since we were little, so they were trying to convince me to come there anyway. And knowing how I play, they knew what I had to offer. So they just helped the coaches with that,” Sterling said.

It was a perfect storm that brought Sterling to Pittsburgh – the coaches, the offensive scheme and his future teammates. And with his commitment cleared and him choosing Pitt despite offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Bowling Green, FAU, FIU, Indiana, Liberty, Oregon, Pitt, SMU, Temple, Tulane, UAB and West Virginia, he is happy to be under contract with the Panthers.

“It means a lot to me, especially considering where I came from, how I grew up and things like that, it’s very important to me,” Sterling said. “I’m going to give them everything I have and right now I know I’m committed to that, but I’m just focused on my last season so they can see what’s coming up in January 2025 if they enroll early.”

If there’s one thing Sterling wants Pitt fans to know about his game and personality, it’s speed.

“Throw it to the number they give me, throw it to him and he’ll make the play,” Sterling said. “Maybe they’ll name me after Joystick because that’s how Kade will use me. So you could get that name out of me.”

Sterling is one of the few offensive players with the flexibility to play running back, wide receiver or a mix of both, along with 3-star wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes (Olney, Maryland), 3-star wide receiver Tony Kinsler (Port Orange, Florida), 3-star wide receiver Bryce Yates (Chesterfield, Virginia), 3-star running back Ja’Kyrian Turner (Bushnell, Florida) and 3-star athlete Synkwan Smith (Roswell, Georgia).