Three Positions Pitt Needs to Hit in Transfer Portal
PITTSBURGH -- Transfer portal season has arrived and new candidates to change schools appear seemingly every minute. The Pitt Panthers have already made a splash in the portal on its first day open, swapping starting quarterback Kedon Slovis for Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec.
Now the Panthers have to find candidates to fill some of the more obvious holes around Jurkovec and make sure his integration to the team is as smooth as possible.
Offensive Line
Marcus Minor, Carter Warren, Matt Goncalves, Jake Kradel, Owen Drexel, Gabe Houy and Blake Zubovic will all be moving on at the conclusion of this season - whether it be to the NFL or to the next stages of their lives. The Panthers love their young depth, but this is a lot of experience to be losing.
Those seven combined to make 54 starts and play in 61 games this season and at this level of football, experience is a better indicator of success along the line than recruiting pedigree. Despite some key injuries, the Panthers' chemistry along the offensive line held steady and it paved the way for Israel Abanikanda to complete one of the best rushing seasons in Pitt history.
The loss of such continuity cannot be understated and while the Panthers did a nice job of rotating in the next generation of linemen to this year's rotations, they still have some holes to fill. An experienced graduate transfer guard and maybe some younger depth is just what the doctor ordered.
Wide Receiver
There are two ways Pitt will need to approach the wideouts in the portal. The first is contingent upon what Jared Wayne decides to do with his last year of eligibility - stick with Pitt, transfer or forgo it all together for a shot at the NFL. He would become one of the best available receivers in the portal if he chooses that route. But maybe the addition of Phil Jurkovec is enough to lure Wayne back for one last ride. Or maybe Wayne will get good feedback from NFL scouts and get his professional career started as soon as possible.
If Wayne opts not to play in Pittsburgh next year, the Panthers will be in the market for a new No. 1 wideout. With a new quarterback coming to town, this is a position that needs to be addressed to make his landing in Pittsburgh as smooth as possible.
Linebacker
This is a position of desperate need for the Panthers as they turn to the portal this winter. Productive graduate transfer Tylar Wiltz walked on senior day and is sure to depart while SirVocea Dennis - whose emotional impact on this team mattered just as much as his play on the field - is a candidate for the NFL Draft.
He and fellow starter Shayne Simon both have eligibility remaining but haven't said what their plans are for next year. The Panthers like Bangally Kamara - a starter at outside linebacker - and Solomon DeShields - Dennis' understudy in the middle, but that type of situation hasn't stopped Pitt from reaching into the portal for depth before and I don't think this year will be any different.
Pitt's had a lot of success with transfer portal linebackers under Narduzzi. Kylan Johnson from Florida and John Petrishen from Penn State, in addition to Simon and Wiltz, have been important contributors to really good defenses over the years, so it's reasonable to expect that they'll have little trouble finding guys to plug and play immediately.
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