Wide receiver Michael Pittman initially was caught off guard. It's the final week of the regular season, and possibly the entire season for USC, so Tuesday marked one of the final times he'll be available to the media. Pittman was surprised to be asked about his plans for 2019 and the possibility of turning pro.
"I don't know why everybody thinks that I'm on my way out," he laughed.
I told him because he's having a big season.
"Not that big," he rebutted. "I appreciate that everybody thinks that I'm playing that well, but I still have a lot more left [to do] here."
The draft-eligible junior has arguably been USC's best player over the past two months. On Tuesday, he said he is far from finished playing for the Trojans.
"I feel like I could raise my stock so much higher than what it is now," he said. "I want to be a captain here. I want to get my name on the board with the [All-Americans]. I just want to solidify myself in this school so people can remember my name and when they think of USC they think Michael Pittman, Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, JuJu, those guys.”
As the son of a longtime NFL veteran, Pittman's level-headed approach to the draft process is expected.
"I don't want to go and be a late-round guy," he said. "If I get a good eval, that might make me look at it. But if I had to make a decision right now, it'd be easy."
Pittman made it clear that he needs to work on his game and his body before playing at the next level.
"After I get the evals back, I'll see what they want," he said. "But for me, just the separation, working on my conditioning, upper body strength. I feel like I have a long way to go on my diet. I got to work on my diet and my core strong. Little stuff that make a big difference. ... You got to be at tip-top shape."
He also reiterated how important it would be to him to be a team captain next season.
"It was a goal for me when I first got here. Guys like Cam [Smith] and Sam [Darnold], guys that are really leading the team, and the face of the team, I feel like I wanted to be that and I wanted to be them," Pittman said. "I feel like I have a chance to be, if I come back next year."
"I don't know why everybody thinks that I'm on my way out," he laughed.
I told him because he's having a big season.
"Not that big," he rebutted. "I appreciate that everybody thinks that I'm playing that well, but I still have a lot more left [to do] here."
The draft-eligible junior has arguably been USC's best player over the past two months. On Tuesday, he said he is far from finished playing for the Trojans.
"I feel like I could raise my stock so much higher than what it is now," he said. "I want to be a captain here. I want to get my name on the board with the [All-Americans]. I just want to solidify myself in this school so people can remember my name and when they think of USC they think Michael Pittman, Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, JuJu, those guys.”
As the son of a longtime NFL veteran, Pittman's level-headed approach to the draft process is expected.
"I don't want to go and be a late-round guy," he said. "If I get a good eval, that might make me look at it. But if I had to make a decision right now, it'd be easy."
Pittman made it clear that he needs to work on his game and his body before playing at the next level.
"After I get the evals back, I'll see what they want," he said. "But for me, just the separation, working on my conditioning, upper body strength. I feel like I have a long way to go on my diet. I got to work on my diet and my core strong. Little stuff that make a big difference. ... You got to be at tip-top shape."
He also reiterated how important it would be to him to be a team captain next season.
"It was a goal for me when I first got here. Guys like Cam [Smith] and Sam [Darnold], guys that are really leading the team, and the face of the team, I feel like I wanted to be that and I wanted to be them," Pittman said. "I feel like I have a chance to be, if I come back next year."
