Former Pitt Center Commits to Vanderbilt

After entering the transfer portal on Dec. 31, Pitt Panthers starting center Lyndon Cooper has officially committed to Vanderbilt. Cooper was a team captain and reliable starting center in his two years playing for the Panthers.

Vanderbilt will be Cooper's third team in his college career. He started at NC State and played there from 2021-2023 before transferring to Pitt. Now, he's joining the SEC to finish his playing time in college.

Cooper started all 12 games for the Panthers in 2025. He has played in over 2,000 career snaps and was named to the Rimington Trophy Watchlist. PFF gave Cooper a 77.3 pass block grade, which is 7th best among ACC centers.

UNION⚓️⚓️
Let’s Work! @VandyFootball pic.twitter.com/dyDFols34W
— Coop (@LyndonCooper5) January 7, 2026

Vanderbilt was No. 13 in the AP's final rankings of 2025, just missing the College Football Playoff.

Losing O-line Help

Cooper led an offensive line that helped put up 35.1 points per game, which is 18th best in the country. The offensive line wasn't always perfect, as quarterback Mason Heintschel definitely took a fair share of sacks, but they were crucial for whenever the offense was heating up.

Other offensive linemen to enter the transfer portal include Tai Ray, Jackson Brown, and Caleb Holmes. While they are all big losses, Cooper is the most impactful player lost for Pitt's offensive line.

Players Staying and Joining

Starting offensive lineman Keith Gouveia has announced that he is staying for another year at Pitt. Gouveia suffered a season ending injury in just the fourth game of the year against Louisville. The injury gave the left guard another year of eligibility as Gouveia is now entering his sixth year of college football.

Pitt has also been hitting the transfer portal for replacements. The Panthers' first transfer commit of the year was from Netinho Olivieri, a tackle that played at Penn for four years. Olivieri allowed just six sacks over his entire four year career so far. He was named to All-Ivy honors in 2024.

Pitt will have to find a new starting center for next season. While they have a lot of offensive linemen on the roster already, Cooper's veteran play style and leadership will be hard to replace. There's already a lot of roles for Pitt to target in the transfer portal, but finding a center that can stabilize the offensive line is crucial.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Pittsburgh Panthers On SI on Twitter: @InsidePitt