Michael Pittman was asked after USC's win at Cal on Saturday about topping 1,000 receiving yards for the season, and once he was finished answering Trojans coach Clay Helton followed with a message of his own that seemed intended for beyond just the assembled group of local reporters.
"I'll say this, that's another 150-yard game for the kid, and I hope that the nation starts looking at him as one of the top kids in the country. He deserves to be looked at for some national awards, the year he's having. He's one of the elite kids that are out there," Helton said.
Those who have followed Pittman the last two seasons have long known that. His 2018 season didn't fully fall into place for a variety of reasons -- USC's collective offensive stumbles, his shoulder injury, etc. -- but the expectations were always sky-high for this senior season.
And he's largely exceeded them.
As a result, Pittman did receive some due national recognition Monday when he was named one of 12 semifinalists for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award honoring the top wide receiver in college football.
As Helton noted, that announcement comes on the heels of Pittman's fourth game this season with at least 145 receiving yards -- he caught 11 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in that 41-17 win at Cal.
He's now up to 82 catches for 1,118 yards and 9 touchdowns for the season, ranking 15th nationally with 101.6 receiving yards per game and tied for fifth with 7.5 catches per contest. All while often being the overt focal point for the opposing defense.
"He's got to be up there," USC wide receivers coach Keary Colbert said about the national awards. "He's been having a tremendous year. He's been working his tail off day in and day out, taking care of his body and doing all the little things -- competing at a high level. I'm excited to see how it plays out. At the end of the day I think he's more concerned about winning and this team -- I think that's why he was voted captain -- but I think at the end of the day I think he'll be in that conversation."
With the regular-season finale Saturday against UCLA and then a bowl game still remaining, Pittman should fully move past Deontay Burnett's 2017 season (86 catches for 1,114 yards and 9 touchdowns) and maybe -- maybe -- challenge JuJu Smith-Schuster's 2015 campaign (89-1,454-10) and Nelson Agholor's 2014 (104-1,313-12) for the best Trojans receiving season of the last seven years.
Marqise Lee's 118-1,721-14 line in 2012 remains the best statistical season for a wideout in program history. Pittman's 82 catches is presently the 10th-best single-season total and his 1,118 yards ranks 12th. It's conceivable he could move as high as third in both categories with two more big games to pass Agholor's 104 catches and Smith-Schuster's 1,454 yards.
Colbert, meanwhile, was asked about Pittman's place among the great USC wide receivers of all time, and his perspective is significant considering he's on that list with two of the 20 best receiving seasons in program history (69-1,013-9 in 2003 and 71-1,029-5 in 2002).
"No doubt. After the year he's had this year, he has to be in those conversations and that's really what it's about. You just go out there and play. You leave those conversations for other people," Colbert said. "… I think people are going to remember this season that he's having and they're going to remember him for a long time."
As for Pittman, his monster stat line Saturday wasn't even his best of the season. He had more catches the previous week at Arizona State (13-146-0) and more yards against Utah (10-232-1) while also put up big numbers at Colorado (7-156-2).
His own comments on topping 1,000 yards were less impassioned than his coaches.
"That's a big deal, I guess. I'm just thankful that I have that opportunity," he said.
Overall, Pittman now has 152 career receptions for 2,362 yards and 17 touchdowns, putting him 14th on the Trojans' all-time lists in both catches and yards with room to rise.
Meanwhile, Pittman has one more opportunity to play before the home fans in the Coliseum this Saturday against UCLA. As he talked after the game at Cal this past weekend, he wasn't ready to put that all in perspective just yet.
"I haven't really thought about it. It's just happening so fast, and I'm just so blessed to be part of this team and part of this brotherhood that I can't see it ending," Pittman said. "So I don't really want to think about it yet."
