Former Pitt wide receiver Michael Smith confirms to Pittsburgh Sports Now that he has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will attempt to complete his collegiate career after taking a permanent medical exemption before the 2020 season.
Smith suffered a lower back injury in the offseason and was unable to completely recover from that injury before the start of the season, head coach Pat Narduzzi said in September.
A native of Vero Beach, Florida, Smith played sparingly in his three seasons with the Panthers. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2017, played in five games in 2018 and four games in 2019, mostly as a gunner on Pitt’s special teams units. He had one tackle in each season.
The 6-foot-1 Smith came to Pitt as a consensus three-star prospect in the Class of 2017, picking the Panthers over offers from UConn, Georgia Tech, Indiana, UMass and Notre Dame.
But he was never able to advance on Pitt’s depth chart during his first two seasons and was passed up for playing time by younger players such as Shocky Jacques-Louis and Jared Wayne in 2019.
After taking a permanent injury exemption, Smith was not eligible to return to the Panthers roster, but he can continue his career elsewhere. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
