Pitt Gains Transfer Portal DB Commitment

The Pitt Panthers have gained another player from the transfer portal. Defensive back Kanye Thompson, who previously played at Slippery Rock, announced on social media that he committed to the Panthers.

chances make champions #H2P pic.twitter.com/pgOb4bxPsS
— Kanye Thompson (@ThompsonKanye) January 8, 2026

Thompson is a native of McKeesport, PA and is a redshirt junior with one year of eligibility left. The Panthers offered him as early as last November.

Thompson named Pitt in the top three schools he was choosing between. The other two were Ohio State and Tennessee. Of the three schools, Pitt seemed to be the only one he actually took a visit to.

Slippery Rock is a Division II school north of Pittsburgh in Butler County. Thompson remains in his home state as he moves up a level.

What Thompson Contributes

Thompson's speed is what stands out about his game. In high school, he was a four year varsity player in track who could run a 100 meter dash in around ten seconds. At 6'0 and 168 pounds, Thompson brought his mix of speed and physicality over to football, where he put up impressive stats in his last two seasons at Slippery Rock.

In 2024, Thompson had 25 total tackles, three pass break-ups and a blocked kick. In 2025, he improved to putting up 60 tackles, 10 passers defended, four forced fumbles and three sacks.

Thompson also uses his speed as a kickoff returner, averaging 18.0 yards per kickoff return and 10.6 yards per punt return over the last two seasons. As Pitt just lost one of their own returners, Thompson's speed will definitely be of use for special teams.

Other Defensive Additions

As Pitt loses key defensive players to the transfer portal, the team is trying to fill in the holes with transfers of their own. Thompson is the first big one that Pitt got, and is an impressive get over the BIG 10 and SEC schools Thompson was looking at.

Pitt has been targetting Auburn transfer cornerback Raion Strader and Texas Tech defensive lineman Braylon Rigsby. Thompson is definitely a standout player in this portal class, but it would also be nice to have players that have experience playing in the highest D1 levels.

Pitt's defense has been a standout of the team for the past few seasons. It's unknown where star linebacker Rasheem Biles will end up, as he just posted a photoshoot of himself in Colorado, but it's likely that Pitt will have to make up for the lost production from him and others.

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