Pitt's Jordan Addison gets good news from mother after he is named Biletnikoff semifinalist

When Pat Narduzzi got word Monday that wide receiver Jordan Addison had been named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, the first call he made was to the woman who made it all possible:

Addison’s mom, Keisha Blackman.

“She was screaming on the phone, excited,” he said. “I said, ‘Do you want me to (tell) him, or do you want to call him?’ ”

When Keisha mentioned her son might be too busy to answer her call, Narduzzi found Addison in a meeting with wide receivers coach Brennan Marion.

“Call your mother. Did she call you?” Narduzzi said.

“Yeah, she texted me,” Addison answered.

“Give her a call.”

Finally, the news reached Addison.

“Great player. He’s detailed. He’s smart. He’s got a great quarterback throwing to him,” Narduzzi said. “The last guy (from Pitt) that won that award played a long time in the NFL.”

Addison, who has 60 catches for 1,070 yards, leads the nation with 11 touchdown receptions — the most by a Pitt player since Larry Fitzgerald collected 23 in 2003, the year he was the Biletnikoff winner. Pitt’s Antonio Bryant won the award in 2000. Addison is Pitt’s first semifinalist since Derek Kinder in 2006.

With the games carrying more importance late in the season, Addison took on a larger workload Thursday night, returning punts for 22 and 25 yards to set up Pitt’s first two touchdowns in the victory against North Carolina.

“We knew he was the best punt returner back there,” Narduzzi said. “When you have a guy like Quadree Henderson (Pitt’s All-American returner in 2016) or Jordan back there — guys who have a knack to make somebody miss and have that breakaway speed — it made that unit a little more dangerous.

“We don’t want him to take hits like he did last weekend. That’s why we kept him off there, but he loves it and he’s a competitor.”

Narduzzi said Addison has the right attitude for “football, school, life.”

“Doesn’t call his mother enough. Always gottta kick him in the butt about that.”

He also likes it that Addison doesn’t show up on those lists of students who cut study hall.

“I told his mother, ‘I don’t know what you did (for him) growing up, but you got the master plan on how to raise a son, that’s for sure,’ ” Narduzzi said.

The nine other semifinalists include Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, Purdue’s David Bell, North Carolina’s Josh Downs, USC’s Drake London, Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry, Ohio State’s Chris Olave, Western Kentucky’s Jerreth Sterns, Utah State’s Deven Thompson and Alabama’s Jameson Williams.