Pitt FB Recruiting
Top Transfer Portal Tight End No Longer Taking Pitt Visit
A Pitt visit this weekend from the top tight end in the transfer portal is off.
Northwest Missouri State tight end Zach Atkins was initially scheduled to visit Pitt this weekend, but he told Pittsburgh Sports Now that visit is off. And he probably won’t be taking a visit to Pittsburgh at all.
The Panthers were one of the first schools to offer him when he announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Nov. 19.
He’s received offers from Arkansas, Cal, Colorado, Duke, Houston, Illinois, Kentucky, Liberty, LSU, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Pitt, South Carolina, Toledo, Tulsa, USF, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
247Sports rated him as the top-ranked tight end in the portal (the 135th-ranked player in the portal) and Rivals rates him as the 211th-ranked recruit in the class.
According to Chris Hummer of 247Sports, Atkins now has visits lined up for Arkansas, South Carolina and Colorado over the next week.
It’s a tough break for the Pitt coaching staff, which made a big initial impression on Atkins.
“Pitt was the first Power Four school to contact me,” Atkins told Pittsburgh Sports Now in November. “Them being the first Power Four school to offer me means a lot in my eyes because they were the first big school to believe in me and believe in what I’ve shown on film.
“They were the first program to tell me that they can really develop me into being a great player at this level, which means a lot to me. They have a really young coaching staff and a young tight ends coach that said a lot of great things to me. I’m really looking forward to developing that relationship with them and seeing what happens.”
Atkins — a 6-foot-5, 245-pound rising junior from Olathe, Kan. — was productive during two seasons at Northwest Missouri State. He hauled in 30 receptions for 360 yards (12 yards per reception) and four touchdowns.
Pitt is set to lose Gavin Bartholomew this offseason, opening a hole in the offense, and Jake Overman, Malachi Thomas and Jake Renda are set to return — with three-star Max Hunt set to sign next week. The coaching staff will likely look to add another tight end from the portal.
