Former Pitt LB Transfers to Virginia Tech

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers saw one of their young players on the defense leave the program, but stay in the ACC for their next school.

Pitt sophomore linebacker Jordan Bass, who entered the transfer portal on Dec. 20, announced on Twitter that he is going back to his home state and playing for ACC foe Virginia Tech. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

BACK HOME!🦃❤️ pic.twitter.com/YjUZvQoyko
— Jordan Bass (@jaycincoo_) January 7, 2025

Bass came out of Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va. as the top rated recruit in the Class of 2023 for the Panthers.

247Sports rated Bass as the No. 5 recruit in Virginia, No. 14 linebacker and No. 176 recruit in the country and On3 ranked him as the top recruit in the state, No. 4 linebacker and No. 48 in the country, with both recruiting sites rating him as a four-star.

He played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2023 and earned one start at the Star or Outside linebacker spot against Wake Forest in Week 8, a 21-17 loss on Oct. 21. He made 11 tackles (six solo) and two tackles for loss that season.

Bass played in nine games this season, making 14 tackles (nine solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hits and one pass breakup. He played a total of 172 snaps, including 115 on defense and 57 on offense.

His best game came against Syracuse, playing a season-high 32 snaps, making five tackles (four solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and tipped a pass that led to an interception.

Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi announced that Bass suffered a season-ending injury in the loss to Virginia in Week 11 at home and needed surgery. He also dealt with an injury in spring camp, which hampered him coming into this season.

Bass fell behind fellow sophomores on the depth chart in Braylan Lovelace and Rasheem Biles, who both started at Money linebacker in 2024 and he is likely looking for more playing time somewhere else.

He was also the backup at Star linebacker, behind starter in redshirt sophomore Kyle Louis, who earned All-American honors this season and also has two years left of eligibility.

Bass is the only lineback that left the Panthers for the transfer portal this offseason, but one of 11 players on defense.

This features six defensive linemen in redshirt juniors in Chief Borders, Elliot Donald and Nakhi Johnson, who landed at Tulsa, redshirt sophomore/walk-on defensive end Thomas Aden, who landed at Kent State, redshirt freshman David Ojiegbe and freshman Sincere Edwards, who transferred to UCF

It also includes four defensive backs, including redshirt juniors in Tamarion Crumpley and Noah Biglow, who landed at Louisiana Tech, redshirt sophomore Ryland Gandy, who went to Indiana, plus redshirt freshman Jaremiah Anglin Jr.

Bass is also one of 22 players from the Panthers who have left for the transfer portal, with 11 players on offense also doing so.

This includes quaterbacks in redshirt freshman Ty Dieffenbach, who landed at Cal Poly and redshirt juniors in Nate Yarnell, who went to Texas State, and Jake Frantl, who went to Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater,

It also features running backs in senior Rodney Hammond Jr. and redshirt freshman Montravius Lloyd, wide receivers in redshirt senior Jake McConnachie, redshirt junior Daejon Reynolds and redshirt freshmen in Lamar Seymore and walk-on Devin Whitlock, plus redshirt junior offensive linemen in Terrence Moore, who landed at Toledo, and walk-on Matt Metrosky.

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