Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football LB Shayne Simon Talks Transfer, New Home

Former Notre Dame linebacker Shayne Simon is arguably Pitt football's most important transfer portal pick-up of this offseason.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Football LB Shayne Simon Talks Transfer, New Home
Pitt Football LB Shayne Simon Talks Transfer, New Home /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' linebacking corps was decimated by the losses of four key rotation players. They needed immediate depth and help - something that they couldn't get from a high school recruit. So they turned to the transfer market, grabbing Notre Dame graduate Shayne Simon. 

Simon was aware of how much the Panthers had lost - it was, after all, one of the reasons why he found Pitt such an attractive transfer destination. But there are returners also expected to contribute in major ways. Simon said that actually made him more confident that this was the right place.

"I knew they were an older group last year," Simon said. "But given some of the veteran guys we have here now, I thought this would be a nice combination of a team that was really established but has some open spots."

Simon has the kind of high-level experience that Pitt was looking for. He made 32 appearances for the Irish, eight of them were starts and each of those came in 2020. That year, Notre Dame made it to the College Football Playoff. Now, Simon is being tasked with replacing veteran leadership and aiming for those same heights he reached with the Irish. 

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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:

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