Inside The Panthers

Former Pitt Transfer Target Back in the Portal

The Pitt Panthers had a transfer target that recently decommitted from a new program and is now back in the portal.

Stephen Thompson

Via @D_diggs23 on Twitter

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers missed out on a transfer target recently, but he chose to reenter the portal, giving them another shot to land his services.

Deamontae Diggs announced just last week that he committed to Cal, but recently, he chose to decommit and go back into the transfer portal. He has two years of eligibility wherever he chooses to go. 

Diggs entered the transfer portal from Youngstown State and Pitt was one of a few schools to offer him. The others that he announced publicly on Twitter were rival West Virginia and Sun Belt schools in Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina and Marshall.

He has local ties to western Pennsylvania, as he played for McKeesport in the WPIAL. He led McKeepsort to the WPIAL 5A Semifinals as a junior in 2018, playing at wide reciever, making 14 catches for 424 yards and seven touchdowns.

He also starred as a basketball player, standing at 6-foot-6, averaging 20.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, respectively, as a junior in 2019, leading the Tigers to the playoffs.

Diggs committed to Youngstown State and put on 50 more pounds from high school, transitioning from wide receiver to defensive end. 

He spent four seasons with the Penguins, redshirting for the 2021 spring season and then playing no games in the fall. He played in all 10 games in 2022, making 15 tackles, five solo, 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one quarterback hit and one pass breakup. 

Diggs continued to fill a reserve role last season, making 11 tackles, five solo, 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, four quarterback hits, two pass breakups and one blocked kick.

Pitt offered two other transfer portal defensive linemen in Keyron Crawford from Arkansas State and Anthony Johnson from Illinois, but they chose to commit to Auburn and Mississippi State, respectively.

The coaching staff is looking to add to their defensive line room, especially at defensive end, with the departures of Samuel Okunlola and Dayon Hayes to Colorado and redshirt freshman Antonio Camon to the transfer portal. 

The defensive ends that Pitt has include Kansas State transfer/fifth year Nate Matlack, redshirt sophomore Jimmy Scott, redshirt freshmen Maverick Gracio and Clemson transfer David Ojiegbe, as well as freshmen Zachary Crothers, Ty Yuhas and Sincere Edwards.

Pitt has landed one transfer following the end of spring practices in Kentucky redshirt freshman defensive back Jaremiah Anglin Jr.

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Published
Stephen Thompson

STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work: