Pitt FB Recruiting
Former Pitt DE Samuel Okunlola Has Received Major Offers in Transfer Portal
Samuel Okunlola received well over 50 offers coming out of high schools, picking Pitt over quite a few powerhouses, and it seems he will once again have plenty of options as he’s back in the recruiting chase.
Okunlola, a rising sophomore defensive end from Brockton, Mass. who entered the transfer portal the day it opened on Monday, has received more than a handful of offers since he became available.
USC, Minnesota, Washington, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Colorado, Michigan State, Cal, Florida State and Missouri have all extended offers.
It’s unsurprising after the way Okunlola broke out in 2023, slowly working his way into the starting lineup and tying for the team lead in sacks with five — adding 18 tackles (nine solo), six tackles for loss and a forced fumble and recovery in 11 games.
Okunlola was expected to be a key piece in the Pitt defense next season, lining up across from Dayon Hayes in what could’ve been a stellar pass-rushing duo. He made his first start in the penultimate game of the season against Boston College, recording a tackle for loss and sack in the process, but obviously, Pitt won’t reap the rewards.
He was the first ‘Oh, wow,’ moment of the offseason for Pitt, hitting the portal with the chance to make more NIL money outside of Pittsburgh, despite the best efforts of Alliance 412, but that’s the nature of the modern age of college football.
He jumped from just 17 snaps as a true freshman to 266 as a second-year freshman, working his way into the No. 3 end on the roster, and there was an expectation that he’d be able to grow exponentially under Charlie Partridge’s watchful eye.
Okunlola, who added just about 30 pounds of muscle in the time between arriving and leaving, is a soft-spoken young man. A quiet, soft-spoken young man who — by all accounts — is entirely focused on football. And he knew he had a long way to go to unlock that massive potential — a get-off praised by NFL Rookie of the Month Calijah Kancey even.
“(Partridge) gets on me about everything,” Okunlola said last month. “I’m not a perfect player. I’ve gotta improve in many ways.”
“That’s what he’s done by punching the clock every day and coming to work every day, and then you add some production to that, some lack of distractions from how he approaches things on a daily, meaning I know what I’m getting when he walks in the door every day, that’s leading to an exciting future from him every day,” Partridge said last month.
It’s a difficult loss for Pitt, one that will be felt next season and likely into the future as he transfers to a new college — with a number of offers still likely on the way.
And he’s not the only starting defensive lineman to enter the portal this season, joining Deandre Jules and Nate Temple. Pitt is already on the hunt for additional defensive ends and tackles to help fill the void.
For all your college football transfer portal needs, check out the Portal Report and their Transfer Portal Tracker.
It’s all about the money. All players are self employed mercenaries out for the highest NIL deal. College football as we knew it is dead. The pageantry of the student athlete is long gone but to be honest in today’s corruption of society and all sports, never existed for only in our minds. Sad and pathetic.🤮💩🤑🤑🤑🤑
He is him.
Someone should try an convince former Clemson recruit and Pirates baseball draftee Bubba Chandler that his 95-99 MPH fastball is not that good. He may want to Weinke over to football and Quarterback. Something JR House should have done as well.
Those are mid major, not major.
We are the Pirates. Our best players will be taken away the moment they show potential.