Ryland Gandy was the No. 1 cornerback at Pitt this season, in line for more of the same next season, but he will be spending the remainder of his college career somewhere else.
Gandy — a 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback from Buford, Ga. — entered the transfer portal earlier this week, after three seasons with the program, and he’s been in high demand since.
According to an article by Pete Nakos of On3, Gandy is currently on a visit to Indiana and is scheduling visits to Michigan, North Carolina and Ole Miss.
Pitt did a good job keeping its core players locked in for the 2025 season, but Gandy was one of the ones who got away. And while he had a good thing going in Pittsburgh, opportunity knocked elsewhere.
It was a tough break for Pitt nonetheless, losing a starter with the potential for more who was developed in the facility.
Gandy initially committed to Pitt as a top three-star recruit in the class of 2022, choosing the Panthers over Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
He earned praise all throughout his early years with the program, serving as a special teams ace before stepping out as the No. 1 corner this season.
He recorded 40 tackles (23 solo), a tackle for loss and a pass breakup this season. According to PFF, he played 766 defensive snaps (the most among Pitt cornerbacks) and limited opposing quarterbacks to just a 51.9% completion percentage.
He finished his Pitt career with 47 tackles (28 solo), a tackle for loss and two pass breakups.
Pitt is set to return Rashad Battle and Tamon Lynum next season, and Shadarian Harrison is in line for a major increase in playing time, but the unit is suddenly very thin. The coaching staff will very likely add a cornerback or two from the portal.
