With injuries behind him, Mycah Pittman ready to break out in 2021

For so many reasons, this season already feels different for Mycah Pittman. 

There aren’t many players in college football who were better equipped to take advantage of the NCAA’s relaxed name, image and likeness regulations; Pittman and his girlfriend, Oregon basketball player Maddie Scherr, have nearly 60,000 subscribers for their YouTube channel and are now able to monetize that following. 

Between that, a Twitch channel with more than 10,000 followers that presents equal opportunity for profit, and his business collaborations with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, it’s been a busy couple of months off the field for the sophomore Oregon receiver.

But the biggest — and most substantial — difference between this preseason camp and past years is a physical one. At long last, after a frustrating couple of seasons during which he’s been stuck on the sidelines at times, Pittman is healthy and feels like 2021 is the year he can finally put his full talents on display.

“I feel like I’m a veteran now,” Pittman said Wednesday. “I’ve been taking care of my body very particularly. Been getting a lot of mobility in and it feels great.

“It feels like the first day of camp. I’ve just been honing in and really taking care of my body.”

Pittman arrived at Oregon with no shortage of hype behind him. A former 4-star recruit and consensus top-150 prospect, Pittman’s father, Michael Pittman Sr., was an NFL running back for 11 seasons. His brother, Michael Pittman Jr., was a star receiver at USC and now plays for the Indianapolis Colts. 

Mycah has every intention of following in the footsteps of his brother and father. He knows that 2021 could be a make-or-break year for him. 

“I was still kind of mentally fatigued during the COVID year after everything that happened my freshman year,” Pittman said in reference to the arm and collarbone injuries that sidelined him in 2019. “I feel like all that’s past me. I’m ready to go and feel great.”

That is thanks, in large part, to the emphasis he has placed on mobility and recovery work. He’s worked closely with Oregon’s coaching staff to ensure that he’s game ready earlier in the season and stays that way for the duration of Oregon’s schedule. 

“I feel like a million bucks,” Pittman said. “I’ve been busting my butt every single day and feel like I could go out and play a full football game right now.”

During camp, he’s been taking advantage of the cold tubs and hot tubs at Oregon’s facilities to help recover after workouts. 

Much of the credit, he says, goes to Oregon sports science coordinator Ben McKay and director of performance and sports science Jordan Troester, who helped him formulate a plan to better withstand the physical toll of a full college football season. 

Just as pivotal to Pittman’s success this season could be the time that he spent working with Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown in the offseason. 

Last year, after Brown had transferred in from Boston College, the two had to work to build chemistry on the fly. With the restrictions caused by the pandemic, it was nearly impossible to achieve the type of cohesion that a quarterback and receiver would prefer to have. 

“Connections with a quarterback, it has to be built,” Pittman said. “It’s not just going to happen overnight.”

Brown and Pittman are both early risers and can typically be found in the film room at 6:30 a.m. each day, working to fine-tune routes and discussing how they can take advantage of specific defensive looks. 

Pittman called Brown “a gunslinger” and compared his arm strength to that of Justin Herbet. 

Another factor that Pittman said has been pivotal to his evolution is the arrival of wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon. In particular, McClendon has helped Pittman improve the way he watches film and understands defenses. 

The physical work that Pittman put in during the offseason could help him settle in as the type of consistent, reliable target that Oregon fans have long hoped he would become. But the studying and film work that McClendon has required of him could enable him to become much, much more. 

“I look at defenses and I’m playing with them now,” Pittman said. “Because I know what they’re throwing at me every single time… Now, it’s like playing backyard football.”