Pitt WR Jordan Addison Officially Enters Transfer Portal
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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver and 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison has officially entered the transfer portal. Addison appeared in the portal on Tuesday afternoon after speculation swirled for days that he would seek to leave the Pitt program.
John Garcia of Sports Illustrated first reported that he had officially entered the portal on Monday and Pete Thamel of ESPN confirmed the rumor on Tuesday. The deadline for him to inform Pitt of his intent to transfer was Sunday night, but he had until Tuesday to officially file the paperwork needed to enter the portal.
Addison has yet to announce where he will play next season and a return to Pitt is possible, according to Thamel.
Andrew Filliponni of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh was the first to report Addison’s intent to transfer and follow-up reports from Thamel named USC as a potential landing site. Thamel also reported that USC boosters have offered the star receiver a multi-million dollar Name, Image and Likeness deal.
Chris Peak of Pantherlair.com reported that Addison was in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Addison’s relationship with USC quarterback Caleb Williams, another transfer and a native of Washington D.C. that played in the same high school conference as Addison, was also cited by Thamel as a reason why Addison was interested in playing for the Trojans. But on Monday John Garcia reported that Pitt was now competing with Alabama and Texas, in addition to USC, for the star receiver's services.
Thamel reported that Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi called USC head coach to voice his displeasure with how Trojan coaches contacted Addison before he was in the transfer portal. Pitt officials believe that Riley and his staff tampered by recruiting Addison before he officially entered the portal.
Addison amassed 100 receptions, nearly 1600 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns — the most in America — during his dominant 2021 campaign. He earned consensus All-American status as the leading pass-catcher for the ACC Champion Pitt Panthers. He won the Biletnikoff Award for best receiver in the country over fellow finalists, Alabama’s Jameson Williams and Purdue’s David Bell.
For the Panthers, the sting of Addison’s transfer is softened by the addition of Konata Mumpfield, a freshman All-American at Akron last year, and the return of veterans Jared Wayne, Jaylen Bradley and Jaden Bradley.
Addison’s decision to transfer has sparked a national debate over what has become known as college football’s new normal — free agency that more closely resembles that of professional leagues. A combination of relaxed transfer rules and Name, Image and Likeness regulations have allowed players from all over the country to enter the transfer portal and seek out new places to play that can also offer them lucrative endorsement deals.
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