Inside The Panthers

Former Pitt OT Accepts Shrine Bowl Invite

Former Pitt Panthers tackle Matt Goncalves is taking the next step on the road to an NFL career.

Stephen Thompson

Former Pitt OT Accepts Shrine Bowl Invite
Former Pitt OT Accepts Shrine Bowl Invite /
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PITTSBURGH -- A former Pitt Panthers offensive tackle is taking the next step on his road to a career in professional football. 

Matt Goncalves, who climbed his way from the bottom of the depth chart to become the Panthers' best offensive tackle before suffering a devastating season-ending injury early in 2023, has accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, one of the premier pre-NFL Draft scouting events available to pro prospects.  

Goncalves was Pitt's lone representative on the Preseason All-ACC First-Team but made it just three games into his final season as a Panther before suffering a season-ending injury. He stuck with the team through the end of the season to help an offensive line unit riddled with injuries survive and improve during a difficult season.

Goncalves leaves Pitt after making 24 total starts at tackle, the vast majority of which came over the last two seasons, when he helped push the Panthers to an ACC Championship and 20 wins from 2021 to 2022. He also earned third-team All-ACC honors after the 2022 campaign.

The Panthers will bring back both the starting tackles who helped fill the void Goncalves left behind after his injury - Branson Taylor and Ryan Baer, who both announced this week that they would be back with Pitt in 2024. 

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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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