When Rachel Sims was a young mother in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she loved the way her little boy’s big eyes seemed to pop out of his head.

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

Hence the nickname “Poppi”, which Rachel gave her son.

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

“More than grateful,” he said. “God is good. He always finds a way to help. He gave me the chance to show everyone what I can do. I just have to pay him back.”

Williams is one of 15 players who were scattered across the nation last year – from Corvallis, Oregon, to Cullowhee, North Carolina – and now have a chance to make an impact at Pitt.

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

Williams is back where he believes he belongs: side by side with offensive coordinator Kade Bell in his quick attack plan.

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

Williams was at Bell for three seasons: at Division II Tusculum in the spring of 2021 and at Western Carolina in 2021 and 2022. Total pass catches at the three schools: 133 for 1,811 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Due to the NCAA’s previous transfer rule, he had to sit out last season at San Diego State as it was his second transfer. After seeing Bell get recruited at Pitt and starting fielding recruiting calls from former Western Carolina teammates Censere Lee and Desmond Reid, who had already committed, it was only a matter of time before he joined the team.

Williams said Bell always had “confidence in me.”

“When I left high school, I weighed 120 pounds,” Williams said.

He said he gained 165 pounds at 5-foot-10 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 used to transition from tight end to tight end nearly a decade ago.

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

Williams knows Bell’s offense and was able to help Pitt’s wide receivers while competing with them for playing time.

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

Lynum (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) is also grateful for the transfer portal. It helped him land at a school that offers a different style of pass coverage that could serve him well in the future.

At Nebraska, he was in the “off” position (to give the pass receiver some room), while Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi preferred the “press man” position.

“On an island,” Lynum said. “I had to learn two different techniques. Now I can do both. I fly around out there. I love it.”

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

Lynum suffered a setback in the spring when he injured his left thumb, an injury that required surgery, but this summer he caught Narduzzi’s attention.

“He’s what we call a slugger. He’ll beat you,” the coach said.

The cornerback position is full of players trying to fill the positions held by MJ Devonshire, AJ Woods and Marquis Williams in recent seasons. Lynum, Ryland Gandy, Tamarion Crumpley and Jaremiah Anglin Jr. are among those in contention for playing time.

“Seven or eight of us are vying for one spot. I love the competition,” Lynum said.

How does he fare in the fight for playing time?

“No. 1, I would say. I will always put myself at the top,” he said. “We all try to push each other to be better.”

Lynum said he chose Pitt over Cincinnati and Florida because of the opportunities it offered and because he had developed relationships with Narduzzi, defensive coordinator Randy Bates and cornerbacks coach Archie Collins. He said he spoke at length with Narduzzi before making his decision, mentioning football, school and life.

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