Pitt Football Offers Slippery Rock Transfer

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers have offered Slippery Rock defensive back transfer Kanye Thompson, he announced on X.

Thompson, a McKeesport, Pa native, has already received offers since entering his name into the transfer portal on Nov. 18. He has heard from Bowling Green, Missouri State, Marshall, Syracuse, Charlotte, Ball State and two offers from Tulsa — one for football and one for track and field, according to his X profile.

At Slippery Rock

Thompson, a redshirt junior, stands at 6-foot, 168 pounds. He made 85 total tackles (53 solo, 32 assists), 6.5 for a loss, 13 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three sacks and a blocked kick in 24 games across two active seasons.

In his now final year at Slippery Rock, Thompson had career-highs across the board with 60 tackles (38 solo, 22 assists), 10 breakups, three sacks and four forced fumbles.

Slippery Rock, an NCAA Division II school just north of Pittsburgh in Butler County, finished this season at 6-4 after a 12-2 season that saw three NCAA playoff wins until a 48-38 loss to No. 2 Ferris State in the semi-finals. The Bulldogs would go on and win the NCAA Division II national title, over Valdosta State, with now Ole Miss starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss leading the way.

Thompson was also a track star at Slippery Rock. He ran a 10.13 100-meter dash and was an eight-time All-Region selection, a six-time PSAC champion, and an All-American.

Pitt's Transfer Portal Activity

The NCAA Transfer Portal doesn't officially open until Jan. 2, 2026, but Pitt has already started to target some players who have already entered.

The Panthers extended an offer to former Virginia Tech defensive back Dante Lovett in September after he left the Hokies when former head coach Brent Pry was fired. Lovett, a junior from Hyattsville, Md., also used his redshirt to maintain two years of eligibility heading into the 2026 season.

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on from the sidelines against the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

According to On3's transfer portal tracker, 61 players have already entered the portal this season, with two verbally committed to schools. Those players, however, cannot officially sign and enroll at those schools until the transfer portal officially opens. If this year's portal class is anything similar to 2024's, expect roughly another 4,100 players to enter before it closes on Jan. 16.

The Panthers will also likely be involved in transfer portal recruiting. Pat Narduzzi and Co. added 15 transfers in last year's cycle, with many of whom became important pieces on this year's team, like Kendall Stanley, Jeff Persi, Kavir Bains-Marquez, Caturus "Blue" Hicks and Justin Holmes.

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