Inside The Panthers

Pat Narduzzi Downplays Pitt's Transfer Portal Losses

The Pitt Panthers are not worried about their 20 transfer portal losses from this offseason.

Stephen Thompson

Oct 29, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi on the sidelines in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi on the sidelines in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' offseason was defined just as much, if not more, by who they lost than who they gained but head coach Pat Narduzzi remains undeterred.

Narduzzi said none of the Panthers' 20 departures for the transfer portal were significant in his mind because he believes Pitt has players capable of stepping up and replacing them.

“There’s a lot of guys that I get excited about,” Narduzzi told ESPN's David Hale and Andrea Adelson ACC PM on Friday. “The first thing is we have a happy locker room, so anybody we did lose through the portal was not a gigantic loss, I can tell you that. Because we got guys behind them that are just as good or better - some guys may get scared when maybe they aren’t the guy and then they gotta leave in the spring.”

The string of offseason attrition began way back in December, when starting defenders Deandre Jules and Bangally Kamara hit the portal. Sam Okunlola, who led the team in sacks last season, followed soon after. The Panthers made it through the winter with just a handful of more losses, mostly of reserve players who figured to be some time away from actually contributing, if they were going to at all at Pitt.

But following spring practices, the real big hits started coming. Defensive end Dayon Hayes, expected to be one of the best players on the team, especially on a young defensive line, made the surprising decision to hit the portal following the spring game and delivered some controversial comments on the state of the program on his way out that he later apologized for. Starting linebacker Solomon DeShields, coming off a breakout 2023 season, entered the transfer portal as well soon after.

Narduzzi and the Pitt coaching staff is eager about the development of young defenders like Cruce Brookins, Sincere Edwards, Kyle Louis, Jesse Edwards, Ryland Gandy, Rasheem Biles, Jordan Bass and others, and they'll all be counted on to contribute in big ways sooner after this offseason's losses.

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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: