Former Pitt Guard Dior Johnson Back in Transfer Portal

PITTSBURGH — A former Pitt Panthers guard is back in the transfer portal, as they'll look for a new team ahead of next season.

Joe Tipton of On3 reported that UCF redshirt sophomore guard Dior Johnson has entered the transfer portal after one season with the program.

NEWS: UCF guard Dior Johnson is entering the transfer portal, source told @On3sports.

The 6-3 sophomore and one-time 5⭐️ recruit scored 13 points on Villanova in The Crown and had 11 points & four assists on No. 19-ranked Wisconsin in only 13 minutes of action.

Last season,… pic.twitter.com/TgAtjRd5Cv
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 11, 2025

Johnson came out of high school as one of the most highly touted recruits in the nation out of Southern California Academy in Corona, Calif. 247Sports, On3 and Rivals all rated him as a four-star

He had a history of not sticking with a school, as he played for nine different high schools in five states. He also committed to Syracuse in February 2020 and decommitted that November, committed to Oregon in June 2021 and then decommitted in June 2022.

Pitt would eventually land him as a commitment for their Class of 2022 just three days following his decommitment from Oregon.

Police arrested Johnson in October 2022, prior to the start of the season. He faced charges of one felony count of aggravated assault, one felony count of strangulation, one misdemeanor count of unlawful restraint, one misdemeanor count of simple assault and one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment.

The judge would drop four of the charges false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, witness intimidation and aggravated assault, but held one charge of simple assault (misdemeanor) and one charge of strangulation (felony).

Johnson plead guilty to the two lesser charges and the judge lessened the strangulation charge to a misdemeanor. He would receive a year of probation as his punishment.

Pitt suspended Johnson following the incident, but brought him back in December 2022. He redshirted the rest of the 2022-23 season and participated with the team during practices.

Johnson looked to feature as a part of the Panthers this past season, joining the team on their trip to Spain and playing in the games during it. Instead, he left prior to the beginning of the season and chose to find another team to play for.

He went the junior college route, playing for Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas. He averaged 29.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field, 42% from 3-point range and 83% from the free throw line this past season.

Johnson would transfer to UCF in July 2024 and played with the program for just one campaign. He played in 35 games off the bench, averaging 8.5 minutes, 2.9 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.9% from the field, 30.9% from 3-point range and 90.0% from the foul line.

He will have two years of eligibility wherever he chooses to go.

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