Pitt Freshman Center Enters the Transfer Portal

The Pitt Panthers lose another player to the transfer portal.

Clemson guard Butta Johnson (4)attempts a shot near University of Pittsburgh center Kieran Mullen (12) during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C Saturday, January 31, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pitt Panthers center Kieran Mullen will enter the transfer portal when it opens April 7, according to Dushawn London of 247Sports.

The 7-foot freshman from Canada was orginally supposed to redshirt, but injuries to the other bigs on the team left head coach Jeff Capel little choice but to use Mullen. Though he played very limited minutes, Mullen appeared in 20 games for the Panthers. He averaged 0.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per game for the Panthers.

Capel usually stuck with senior Cam Corhen as the main center for Pitt. When Mullen did come in, he would usually stick to his small role and not put up many shot attempts.

Mullen is the fouth Panther intending to enter the transfer portal this season. GuardBrandin Cummings, forward Roman Siulepa and forward/center Papa Kante have all made their intentions public.

Freshman Omari Witherspoon and sophomore Nojus Indrusaitis are the two remaining players with eligibility who got a decent amount of playing time to not enter the portal, yet. Both players had slow starts but strong endings to the season, something that can't be said about the players who have entered the portal.

Effects on the Roster

If both Kante and Mullen were to leave for another team, this leaves the Panthers with no centers on the roster. Dishon Jackson should qualify for a medical redshirt if he were to apply, but it's questionable if he'll be able to play next season with his health issues.

Corhen, who the Panthers counted on at the center spot all season, is a senior and is out of eligibility.

This makes it all the more necessary for Pitt to take the transfer portal seriously. The program has a great freshman class coming in, but they're going to need a contributing center from day one to support them. Mullen could've been a good starting center in the future, but it's harder to come by home-grown talent in the current college sports landscape.

Mar 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Pittsburgh Panthers huddle before the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Possible Landing Spots

Mullen didn't get a lot of chances to show his true promise. His 7-foot frame will definitely be enticing to other programs, but it's not likely a Power 4 team will want him as a starting center.

It wouldn't be surprsing to see him go the same route of the Diaz Graham brothers, who each went to schools in less quality conferences after transfering from Pitt.

Mullen was a three-star from the Class of 2025, ranked by 247Sports.

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