In today’s college football climate, players and coaches come and go quickly, moving to new situations quite often. It can be viewed as a negative because it’s making college football harder and harder to follow and is really shaking up the NFL draft scene.
But for former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Jerrod “Bub” Means (6006, 222), it was nothing but a positive.
His journey to the 99th Edition of the East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas was anything but normal. Means, a native of Lovejoy, Ga., started his college career as a cornerback at the University of Tennessee as a former three-star recruit. While at Tennessee, Means appeared in just four games before ultimately deciding to make the first move of his college career — which ended up being a rather significant one.
Not only did Means transfer from Tennessee to Louisiana Tech, he changed positions, too, flipping to the offensive side of the football for the 2020 season.
Means spent two seasons at Louisiana Tech, appearing in one game in 2020 and then 11 games in 2021, starting two. That season, Means recorded 22 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in yards per reception with 19.6. That put him back on the map for Power 5 programs, ultimately leading to his second move. This one landed him in the Steel City with the Pittsburgh Panthers under head coach Pat Narduzzi.
That move ultimately ended up being the best one for him as Means put together two strong seasons with the Panthers. In 2022, Means played in all 13 games with seven starts, finishing with 27 receptions for 401 yards (14.9 avg.) and two touchdowns. Then, he broke out in a major way in 2023. Means, as Pitt’s No. 1 receiver, hauled in 41 receptions for 721 yards (17.6 avg.) and six touchdowns, playing in all 12 games with 10 starts.
With his size and speed, Means now finds himself firmly on the NFL draft radar. All that moving around and even changing positions has him prepared for the jump to the next level.
“Yeah, it’s nothing new,” Means told Steelers Depot at the East-West Shrine Bowl regarding the changes and the adversity they created. “I’ve been through four coordinators in college, three different schools, three different cities, three different cultures, you know what I’m saying?
“It just helped me become like more well-rounded and it just showed me that I can adjust to anything.”
Being that well-rounded player and adjusting to anything helped him during his time at Pittsburgh.
There, Means played for two different offensive coordinators and with a number of quarterbacks, including Kedon Slovis, Phil Jurkovec, Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell. That can be frustrating for receivers but Means took it in stride and simply focused on what he could control, which was his preparation and attention to details.
“It would only be difficult if I told you we didn’t prepare for that. I was prepared. I worked out with all [kinds] of people. Like, it wasn’t something fresh and new,” Means said regarding the revolving door at quarterback his last season for the Panthers. “I was ready for whoever. I just learned to prepare. It didn’t matter who was that quarterback to me. I was just ready to make plays that were given. And I prepared myself.”
That area of his game, preparation, became a strong suit for him in 2023. After starting his college career as a cornerback that change to receiver was largely seamless. Having knowledge from playing cornerback now helps him attack defenders as a receiver.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to play defense even though I hated it. I kind of learned a little,” Means said regarding his time as a cornerback. “When I got to college, everybody was an athlete, right? Now, don’t get me wrong: I could be better than some people, but that wasn’t gonna take me as far as I wanted to. And then playing defense and then switching to offense, I’m like, ‘Well, I know a little bit about defense now, so okay, I’m gonna try to try to do certain things on offense.’
“But I was just an athlete, so I had to basically build from like ground zero to become a polished receiver. And so I think that’s what I did at Louisiana Tech a little bit. Like, I just kind of grinded. I wasn’t a well-polished receiver, but I just grinded to become a receiver.”
That effort at Louisiana Tech making the change from cornerback to wide receiver gave him the groundwork to really take off. And take off he did at Pitt.
In his two seasons at Pitt, Means averaged 16.5 yards per catch, finishing his Panthers’ career with 68 receptions for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown against Virginia Tech in a big game last season.
He profiles as more of a deep-ball threat with his 4.4 speed — though he is adamant he can run 4.3 at the NFL Combine. With his size, speed and production in college, Means is on the cusp of carving out a role in the NFL. He’s still adding wrinkles to his game as a receiver, but a strong foundation is there.
That’s a credit to the change and adversity he’s had to deal with on and off the field at the collegiate level. He’s ready for anything.
