Pitt Transfer DTs Describe Portal Recruitment Journeys

PITTSBURGH — Defensive tackle wasn't a position of need for the Pitt Panthers entering the offseason, but that all changed within the span of three days.

Pitt had at least four defensive tackles that could start in 2026, with two just finishing their second season of college football. However, the two youngsters, sophomore Francis Brewu (Notre Dame) and redshirt freshman Jahsear Whittington (Nebraska), entered the transfer portal days apart on Jan. 6 and Jan. 9, respectively.

This left redshirt freshman Ty Yuhas, who has played 12 career snaps of defense, true freshmen Trevor Sommers and Charlie Donehue, with Sommers only playing 17 snaps last season, and incoming freshman Reston Lehman behind starters Nick James and Sean FitzSimmons heading into 2026.

Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Sean FitzSimmons (55) tackles Central Michigan Chippewas running back Trey Cornist (6) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Panthers needed to add some experienced depth and signed Illinois transfer Jeremiah Warren and Tulane transfer Eliyt Nairne on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11, respectively — Just days after Brewu and Whittington entered the portal.

It was a quick turnaround for all parties involved, and on Feb. 4, Warren and Nairne spoke out about their transfer portal recruiting experiences and shared their different reasons for why Pitt was the right destination for them.

"I Needed Pitt Just As Much As They Needed Me"

Similar to Pitt with Aaron Donald and Calijah Kancey, Illinois has had recent star defensive tackles with Jer'Zhan "Johnny" Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. Newton was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft and Randolph went undrafted that same year, but both had impressive careers as Fighting Illini.

Warren played under Newton and Randolph as a freshman, and he said that when he entered the portal, he was looking for another school that was known for developing defensive tackles and felt Pitt was the obvious choice.

"I feel like [Pitt has] a type of defense that allowed d-linemen to show how athletic they are and can do what they're best at," Warren said.

Warren said he didn't get contacted by Pitt until around five or six days after he entered the portal, and he compared the recruiting process to "speed dating." But after visiting campus, he knew Pittsburgh was the place for him.

"Everything is just so quick," he said. "You got to talk, get on a visit, see campus and I feel like as soon as I came here, I needed Pitt just as much as they needed me."

"Again, this is a great school for defensive linemen to be at, so it's just like, why not Pitt?" Warren added.

Family Ties to Pitt

Nairne had a different journey to Pitt. With this being his second time entering the transfer portal — was previously at Liberty before Tulane — Nairne knew what to expect. While Pitt stood out for football reasons, Nairne found his way to Pittsburgh thanks to his family.

Nairne said that his grandmother and his aunt both attended Pitt and that he spoke with his family about the possibility of transferring to Pitt over Christmas break, before he even entered the portal.

"This is a place that we call home," said Nairne, who hails from Charlotte, N.C.

Fortunately for Nairne, who entered the portal on Jan. 8 when Pitt was in need of defensive line help, the Panthers made a move quickly.

"Pitt was definitely one of the first schools that caught my eye, of the schools that had contacted me," Nairne said. "The whole process was really fast, and I also hit the portal late, so within that process, I had to move fast, and I was just thankful to flourish and come here."

Even though his family played a role in his commitment to Pitt, Nairne also saw the potential to develop at Pitt, as Warren did.

"Outside of it being emotional, Pitt was a place that stood out to me because of the way they played," Nairne said. "It's a winning school. The defense is a winning program. It's just, why not Pitt? There's no other way to explain that."

And after making the College Football Playoff last season with Tulane, Nairne said that he feels Pitt can do the same "little things" that the Green Wave did to compete for a national title.

"I feel like this is gonna be the place to compete for a national championship, and around this time next year, we'll have a ring on our fingers," he said.

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