Redshirt sophomore receiver Ruben Flowers III announced his intention to transfer from Pitt on Monday.
Flowers, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver from Lima, Ohio saw his first action at Pitt as a redshirt freshman in 2017. He played in seven games and did not record any statistics.
Flowers had failed to emerge from a deep group of wide receivers this spring, despite the absence of many regulars.
With Aaron Mathews injured, Shocky Jacques-Louis, Dontavius Butler-Jenkins and Tre Tipton still recovering from surgery and Rafael Araujo-Lopes dealing with a minor injury, there were plenty of opportunities this spring at wide receiver.
But Flowers seemingly struggled to gain more opportunities than redshirt freshmen Darian Street, Michael Smith and Indiana transfer Taysir Mack. Flowers led all receivers with five catches for 58 yards in the Blue-Gold game in April, but also had a couple of drops.
Flowers is the third player to leave Pitt since the end of spring practice, joining tackle Tony Pilato and linebacker Jalen Williams. Tight end Chris Clark stepped away from the team during the spring. His status for the fall is still unclear.
Quarterbacks Ben DiNucci and Thomas MacVittie, defensive lineman Kam Carter and Kaezon Pugh, linebacker Henry Miller and cornerback Malik Henderson transferred earlier this offseason. Running back Chawntez Moss was dismissed from the team. Three players — Quadree Henderson, Brian O’Neill and Jordan Whitehead — left Pitt a year early to enter the NFL Draft.
Including Clark, Pitt is currently two under the 85-scholarship limit for the fall.
Flowers will have to sit out a year if he transfers to another FBS school. He’ll have two seasons of eligibility remaining after that, or three seasons if he transfers down a level.
