Pitt Football Opponent Star DL Out Indefinitely

The Pitt Panthers will likely not face off against one of their best opposing defensive linemen, who is out indefinitely.

Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Dontay Corleone (2) and the Cincinnati Bearcats walk off the field at the conclusion of a college football game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will face off against a number of great teams and talented players throughout the 2024 football season, but one top player may not feature against them.

The Cincinnati Bearcats announced that redshirt junior defensive lineman Dontay Corleone is out indefinitely after suffering a non-football injury.

Corleone spoke to Cincinnati athletic trainers that he had chest discomfort and a hard time breathing properly. He then went to the doctors, who found blood clots in his lungs and treated him for it.

He spent one night at University of Cincinnati Medical Center and received his discharge the following day, June 14. He has spent the past two weeks recovering at home.

Pitt faces Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry on the road at Nippert Stadium on September 7, a little more than two months away. It is unknown whether he will make it back in time for the Week 2 matchup.

Corleone is an incredibly important player for the Bearcats and is coming off a solid 2023 season. The 6-foot-1, 320-pound defensive tackle made 39 tackles (22 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass defended and one forced fumble last campaign.

He also had three tackles (one solo), one tackle for loss and one sack in Cincinnati's win against Pitt at Acrisure Stadium in Week 2. He earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors for his play last season.

Corleone starred as a redshirt freshman in 2022, as he accrued 44 tackles (19 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

He earned a number of honors for his play that season, including AP and PFF Third Team All-American, PFF Highest Rated Defensive Player, plus AFCA and College Football News Freshman Team All-American.

If Corleone isn't good to go early on in the season, Cincinnati will not have one of best players against a rival. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN or ESPN2.

This game between the Panthers and the Bearcats is the last edition of the River City Rivalry for the forseeable future.

The two teams faced off eight times from 2005-12 in the Big East, with Pitt winning the first three matchups, but Cincinnati taking the most important ones in 2008 and 2009, which helped them win back-to-back Big East regular season titles.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi also served as defensive coordinator for Cincinnati for three seasons from 2004-06.

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