WATCH: Pitt Newcomers Address Early Start

Pitt Panthers newcomers speak on their short time with the program.

Central Valley Christian football player Jaeden Moore at practice on Aug. 9, 2022 in Visalia. Dsc0470 2 / Vongni Yang / USA TODAY NETWORK

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers added a great number of players this offseason, all of whom hope to contribute to the team for the 2025 season.

This included 14 transfers and 22 freshmen, including 14 of them who entered early as mid-year enrollees, as they try and get a head start on their college football careers.

Pitt landed three transfer defensive linemen in Joey Zelinsky from Eastern Michigan, Blaine Spires from Utah State and Jaeden Moore from Oregon.

Zelinsky is a former high school teammate of former Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew at Blue Mountain in Schuylkill Haven, Pa, which played a big role in him coming to the program. He spent the past four seasons with Eastern Michigan and is eager for his transition to ACC football.

Spires is heading into his seventh season of college football and hails from Youngstown, Ohio, which played a role in him coming to Pitt, as he wanted a school closer to home. He was also former teammates with former Pitt defensive lineman Anthony Johnson at Bowling Green, who also served as a key factor for joining.

Moore spent two seasons at Oregon and hails from California, making this his first school that's he played for that isn't on the west coast. He likes the style of play for the defensive line and is eager to prove his worth in 2025.

Pitt also added a transfer placekicker in James London from FCS program Murray State. London transferred in to play in big games and also spoke to former Pitt kicker, Ben Sauls, on why he should join.

The Panthers also had two freshman defensive linemen speak, who enrolled early. This included JuJu Anderson, who played high school football with First Academy in Orlando, Fla. and also with Blair Academy in Blair, N.J.

It also included Denim Cook, who played for Bishop Hartley in Columbus, Ohio. Cook missed most of his senior season with injury and spoke on how that changed his mindset on football.

Pitt starts the spring practices in March and they will culminate with the Spring Game on April 12 at Acrisure Stadium.

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