Jordan Bass arrived at Pitt with big expectations, and while he was able to see some action early in his career, he wasn’t able to take a step forward in a loaded linebacking corps.
Bass — a 6-foot-4, 215-pound rising junior from Hampton, Va. — entered the transfer portal on Friday, he announced on social media. It’s the end of what was supposed to be a promising Pitt career.
Bass had season-ending surgery last month, and while the injury was unspecified, he should be ready to go at his next location.
Bass was the top-ranked recruit in Pitt’s class of 2023, arriving as a consensus four-star recruit out of Phoebus High in Virginia, and there was an expectation that — despite a late arrival — he’d be able to make an immediate impact. He played in 10 games during his true freshman season, earning his first start in a loss to Wake Forest.
He played in nine games this season before suffering an injury, recording 115 snaps — down from 116 snaps last season. He recorded 14 tackles (nine solo), four tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
He finishes his Pitt career with 25 tackles (15 solo), six tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
It’s tough to loss a player of Bass’s talent level, but there isn’t a path for immediate playing time in the linebacking corps. He should be able to utilize the transfer portal as it was intended and find a situation where he will see more playing time.
Pitt, on the other hand, is set to return just about all of its linebackers. There will be some new faces at Mike linebacker, but Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace are all set to return. And there’s a big group of young linebackers pushing for more playing time.
Pitt will once again be led by its linebacking corps next season.
