The Pitt special teams unit has been up and down over the last two seasons, largely at punter where three different punters have tried their luck, but the one constant has been the long snapper. Up until now.
Byron Floyd, a fourth-year junior from Mentor, Ohio, has served as the Pitt long snapper in each of the last two seasons — providing a steady level of success. But the Panthers will need to look elsewhere as Floyd announced Friday that he will be entering the transfer portal.
“I am forever grateful for all of my teammates, coaches, strength coaches, and Pitt support staff for treating me like family since the day I arrived in Pittsburgh. I especially want to thank coach Narduzzi and coach Powell for giving me the opportunity to play at the highest collegiate level. I want to thank UPMC and the local media members especially the Loyal Sons and Rendine Consulting for their support of my Snapper49 initiative,” Floyd wrote on Twitter.
“Thank you to all who supported me, we made a difference together. To my teammates, I wouldn’t of wanted to go to battle these last 4 years with anyone but you. After much thought and consideration I am entering the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility left.”
Floyd arrived in Pittsburgh as a walk-on in the class of 2020, and he did not play much in 2020 or 2021 as he sat behind All-American Cal Adomitis, but he’s each of the last 25 games over the last two seasons for Pitt.
He served as a dependable member of the special teams unit, earning Pro Football Focus mid-season All-American honors this season.
“So, if you’re thinking this Heisman race is just going to be down to Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams, count Byron Floyd in that as well because he has been the best long snapper in the college football,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote in October.
He was also active in the community, announcing his Snapper49 fundraiser to raise $49,000 for the Children’s Hospital earlier this year — which he mentioned in his farewell to Pitt on social media.
Third-year sophomore James Fineran is the only other long snapper on the roster, but Pitt has already been active in scouring the transfer portal for a potential replacement. So, I’d expect a portal addition to compete for the job in 2024.
If this is the future of D1, than perhaps I’ll stick to the NFL to watch real pros, and catch some D3 games in the name of real college athletics.
Pro football is even lamer than college. Celebrations after every play, paid millions for below meiocrity.
Are you kidding? The NFL has tamed the celebrating and the classless behavior much more than college. College players openly disrespect each other and celebrate like they won the super bowl. Taunting and posing every friggin play. I have turned alot of games off because I hate watching it.
When your losing your punt snapper, your hitting rock bottom.
Long snapper….not exactly like losing a star QB or RB is it. Rock bottom is losing to Ohio State & Michigan every year while beating Rutgers, Indiana & Maryland.
They went after Pitts long snapper. What is the world coming to? next they be coming after the water boy…. Stop the madness.
Did the water boy have a Heisman year?
You might want to check our roster, we have Caleb Williams ourselves.
Long snappers now? Really? This NIL crap and transfer portal are garbage.
I think it’s a great thing these current players have. Transfer ability. Coaches bounce all the time. Often after promising a group of kids he will coach them for their career. Then, they bail. And NIL? Not sure why anyone would complain. It’s how it should be. There’s so many millions in college football I’m happy to see the actual laborers get a little. Coaches leave teams, schools leave conferences but young men should stay anchored and broke? Makes no sense. If Nate Yarnell left I would wish him well. H2P!
So he went from a starting scholarship player on a power 5 team to a Group of 5 team. Yep, how it should be, maybe bouncing around isn’t always the right decision!