It may not be the College Football Playoff or the first day of the season, but Monday is perhaps the biggest day of the college football year.
The transfer portal is officially open.
While hundreds of players have already announced their intentions to enter the portal (and some graduate transfers who were able to enter immediately), with the portal open, the real movement is about to begin.
The portal is open until Saturday, Dec. 28, with a player needing to inform his school of their intention to enter the portal by the deadline day.
Pitt will be active in the portal. Pittsburgh Sports Now wrote about potential transfer portal needs last week, and with some of the early portal declarations, that’s changed already. The Panthers will likely look at the offensive and defensive lines, wide receiver, running back and likely a backup quarterback.
Pitt has had 10 players announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal already, starting with Nahki Johnson on Thanksgiving, and there will be a whole lot more over the next few weeks. And that’s okay — it’s expected.
- R-Sr. DT Nahki Johnson
- R-Sr. OL Terrence Moore
- R-Sr. CB Noah Biglow
- R-Sr. RB Rodney Hammond Jr.
- R-So. RB Montravius Lloyd
- R-So. CB Jaremiah Anglin Jr.
- R-Sr. WR Daejon Reynolds
- R-So. WR Lamar Seymore
- R-Sr. QB Nate Yarnell
- R-Sr. DT Elliot Donald
There’s always the potential for a surprise portal entrance (Pitt had the first surprise portal entrance, after all), and there is a chance one of the Pitt stars could receive an offer too great to refuse and decide to look elsewhere. But it’s certainly not guaranteed, and the majority of losses won’t be backbreaking.
It’s certainly a stressful time for the Pitt coaching staff, as they’ve had to negotiate with stars and find ways to bring them back into the fold. But that’s just the reality of college football now.
Pitt is working closely with Alliance 412, the university’s preferred NIL collective, and there will be plenty of additions, too. There are already three portal visitors on the docket this month — Charlotte kicker Stephen Rusnak, Western Carolina offensive lineman Derek Simmons and Northwest Missouri State tight end Zach Atkins.
That number will grow as Pitt identifies and extends offers to targets, and it will start today.
