Pitt Star Freshman Kicker Transfers to Michigan

The Pitt Panthers' star kicker Trey Butkowski surprised many by announcing he entered the transfer portal on Jan. 7.

Despite being a true freshman, Butkowski was instrumental for Pitt's offense during the season. He finished the season making 20 of 23 field goal attempts and 43 of 44 PATs. He also holds the school record for most consecutive FG makes with 16. His longest field goal made was a 47-yarder against Boston College.

Butkowski averaged 9.4 points per game and was top 20 in field goal percentage. He earned All-ACC Second Team Honors and made the Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Team.

Butkowski missed the games against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech with an illness. When he returned against Miami, he missed a 43-yard field goal attempt, his only FG attempt of the game. In his two game absence, he was replaced by Samuel Carpenter, who hit just one field goal in three attempts. Carpenter has also entered the transfer portal.

Butkowski didn't give a clear reason for transferring, but it could be due to special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski leaving for a coaching job with Auburn. Bronowski recruited Butkowski when the true freshman was a walk on last summer.

Butkowski joins former Pitt long snapper Nico Crawford, who also just transferred from Pitt to Michigan.

Sep 13, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers place kicker Trey Butkowski (93) kicks a field goal during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Finding a Replacement

It was hard to follow in the footsteps of Ben Sauls, an NFL-caliber kicker who just made himself known on the New York Giants, but Butkowski had an impressive freshman season. Now, Pitt has to find another reliable kicker.

As of right now, Pitt doesn't seem to have any kickers on the roster, just punters. That means either there is yet another position Pitt has to target in the transfer portal, or they could try to recruit another elite freshman kicker.

Narduzzi's program does have a good track record of recruiting kickers so far, signing both Sauls and Butkowski as freshman, so hopefully they can hit on three in a row.

A good kicker can make the difference between a win or loss. Pitt's win over Florida State this last season was just by three points in a game where Butkowski knocked down two field goals. For Pitt to pull away in these clutch games, finding another kicker will be critical.

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