Inside The Panthers

Division II Transfer Plans Pitt Visit

Division II tight end transfer plans visit to Pitt Panthers.

Dominic Campbell

Sep 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet on the sidelines against the New Hampshire Wildcats during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet on the sidelines against the New Hampshire Wildcats during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers still have one game left in the season, but are already making progress on potentially landing a player in the transfer portal.

Zach Atkins, a Division II tight end who played for Northwest Missouri State, entered the transfer portal last week and Pitt offered him on Nov. 20. He recently spoke to Chris Hummer of 247Sports and said that Pitt is one of the schools he is planning on visiting.

Other schools that he is also planning to visit include SEC programs in Arkansas, Ole Miss and South Carolina, as well as Houston before making his decision. He also planned to visit North Carolina, before they decided to fire head coach Mack Brown.

Atkins received numerous offers from schools across the country once he entered the transfer portal.

This includes ACC programs in Cal, Duke and North Carolina, SEC programs in Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss, Houston, plus mid-majors including American programs in Tulsa and USF, Conference-USA programs in Liberty, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico State and Western Kentucky, as well as Old Dominion and Toledo.

He played in nine games this past season for Northwest Missouri State, catching 18 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns. His best game of the season came in a 21-14 loss on the road to Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 7, as he made four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Atkins played in eight games as a freshman in 2023, making 12 catches for 181 yards and one touchdown. His best game that season came in a 52-0 win over Northwestern State on Nov. 4, as he made three catches for 70 yards and one touchdown.

He hails from Olathe, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City, same as current Pitt redshirt senior defensive lineman Nate Matlack.

Atkins would star for Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park, Kan. as a senior in 2021, making 79 catches for 1,055 yards and nine touchdowns.

He earned First Team All-Blue Valley, First Team All-District and First Team All-State honors, was a finalist for the Otis Taylor Award (given to best wide receiver in Kansas City metro) and earned a selection to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Atkins has two years left of eligibility, as he redshirted in 2022. Pitt will look to add an experienced tight end to their roster for next season to bolster the position group and the offensive as a hole under offensive coordinator Kade Bell.

Pitt will lose senior tight end Gavin Bartholmew to graduation after this season. Redshirt senior Jake Overman has an extra year from the COVID-19 season in 2020, and didn't walk at senior day, indicating he will likely come back for his sixth season in 2025.

The Panthers also have tight ends in redshirt junior Jake Renda, freshman Malachi Thomas and incoming freshman Max Hunt out of Plant High School in Tampa, Fla, giving them at least four tight ends heading into 2025, barring any transfers or graduations.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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