Pitt has suffered its first major transfer portal hit of the offseason.
Samuel Okunlola, a rising sophomore out of Brockton, Mass., officially entered the transfer portal Monday afternoon, 247Sports reported. It’s a tough blow for the Panthers as Okunlola was expected to be a key piece in next season’s defense.
Okunlola made his first of the season in the penultimate game against Boston College, growing into a key edge rusher across from Dayon Hayes, and he led Pitt with five sacks this season.
He finished the 2023 season with 18 tackles (nine solo), six tackles for loss, five sacks and a forced fumble and recovery.
The Pitt defensive line has been hit hard by the transfer portal, to go along with a handful of sixth-year seniors exhausting their eligibility, but the loss of Okunlola stands out far above the rest. He was one of the few bright spots across the roster in 2023.
Pitt will now be forced to rely upon Hayes, Nahki Johnson and Jimmy Scott on the edge, with a transfer portal addition or two certainly on the way.
For all your college football transfer portal needs, check out the Portal Report and their Transfer Portal Tracker.
2023-24 College Football Transfer Portal Database
College football is forever gone …
It’s now a semi pro wasteland.
Probably headed to Miami with his brother. Like Jane said – College football and basketball is done as we used to know it. The NCAA gas no control over this environment.
That’s not good for business.
After what you just saw on the field, can you blame him?
Giving up the opportunity to work with Partridge who just keeps putting DL guys in the NFL? STUPID!!! And the guy has a great first name to boot!
You don’t think Miami puts guys in the league? He’s a good coach but there are many out there. Factor his brother, NIL and the beach and I can’t believe he even got to pitt
Perhaps you should go there too, and leave your keyboard behind.
He’ll be eating some pancakges with his brother by the end of January and getting coached up by Jason Taylor NFL HoF.
Maybe he left because of Narduzzi and a chance to win.
WOW this loss is huge!
Good thing we gave all those snaps to Nate Temple!!
Within the next few years all of the ncaa top talent will be consolidated into about a dozen teams who can pay the most. NIL + transfer portal = great news for the SEC!
Just like MLB!
I think its the opposite. Instead of the sec hoarding all the talent, now these kids can leave for greener pastures elsewhere and earn themselves more than they would from being a 2nd stringer on a team from the sec
Anyone else feel that Miami has one of the most obnoxious fanbases in college football… been mediocre for the past twenty years but still act like they are elite. Definitely not a fan of that program.
They are fair weather like PITT fans, they lose 2 games and their stadium is empty too.
The guy was the next Calija Kancey. Super stud. What a devastating loss. I could handle the portal transfers that preceded Okunlola (except for maybe Kamara) but this one is devastating. Narduzzi refusing to make glaringly obvious changes early when all was heading south, and his inability to hire a quality OC, has rendered Pitt FB to being mediocre, at best, for years to come. Heather also massively screwed up with the ridiculous Narduzzi contract extension locking him in through to 2030. What an absolute disastrous outcomes for one of the highest paid coaches in the ACC. Where’s the accountability… Read more »
I understand wanting to play on the same team as your brother, but I think Narduzzi’s comments after the Notre Dame game made this choice much easier
The NCAA permitted indentured servitude for a century. It took the federal government to break this hold on student athletes. Now they enter the marketplace like every other person. Pitt can’t compete for marque players that was driven home with Jordan Addison. Think Tony Dorsett or any star would have stayed 4 years in this environment? Deal with it.
I never knew that indentured servants were given the opportunity to earn a college degree.
I never made $13M in my professional career. That’s the number Jordan Addison earned last year at USC. $100,000 for 4 years versus $13M sounds like endentured servitude to me.
Graduate students who are RA/TA get $20k for 20-hours a week beyond tuition/boarding. And student-athletes generating revenue in exess of Professors’ grant money get $4k for 60-hours a week. And you somehow don’t think that is not servitude.
It’s nice that some here are happy with the current NIL setup, meanwhile the NCAA, college presidents and athletic directors continue to lobby congress about enacting some form of federal legislation to rein in what they believe to be an out of control and unsustainable form of compensation.
out of control and unsustainable form of compensation.
$76M to Jumbo Fisher