Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football Hosts Utah State Transfer

Pitt Panthers football hosted a Utah State transfer on a visit.

Dominic Campbell

Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet on the sidelines against the Louisville Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet on the sidelines against the Louisville Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are hosting a number of transfer recruits this weekend, including one that would benefit the defensive line if he committed.

Blaine Spires, a defensive end from Utah State who entered the transfer portal on Dec. 13, is currently on a visit to Pitt, per his Instagram page.

Spires came out of East High School in Youngstown, Ohio and helped his team to an 8-4 record as a senior in 2018. He also Second Team Division IV All-Northeast Inland District honors for his play.

247Sports rated him as a two-star recruit, the No. 229 defensive tackle and No. 129 in Ohio. He committed to play for Bowling Green in the Class of 2019.

He redshirted in the 2019 season and then played in all five games of the 2020 season, making 11 tackles (six solo) and 2.0 tackles for loss. He made a season-high five tackles in the 62-24 loss to Kent State on Nov. 10.

Spires started the 11 games he played in as an edge rusher for Bowling Green in 2021. He made 35 tackles (18 solo), five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two quarterback hits and one pass breakup.

He then played in all 12 games with six starts as a redshirt junior in 2022 for the Falcons. He made 20 tackles (10 solo), three tackles for loss, one sack and four quarterback hits.

Spires would then transfer to Utah State for the 2023 season for his fifth season of college football. He played in 12 games, starting three contests, making 27 tackles (13 solo), career-highs of 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks, three fumble recoveries, plus one forced fumble.

He used his extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic, but played in just four games in 2024, before suffering a season-ending injury. He made eight tackles (four solo), with three tackles for a loss and one sack.

Spires has one more year of eligibility, which would mark his seventh season of college football.

He has received numerous scholarship offers since entering the transfer portal, including Sun Belt schools in Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, South Alabama and Southern Miss, American Athletic schools in Tulsa, UAB and UTSA, plus Kent State, Nevada and UNLV.

Pitt offered Spires on Dec. 21 and will want to add him to their roster, especially with a defensive line unit that needs depth.

Six defensive linemen left Pitt for the transfer portal, including redshirt juniors in Chief Borders,Elliot Donald and Nakhi Johnson, who landed at Tulsa, redshirt freshman David Ojiegbe and freshmanSincere Edwards, who transferred to UCF.

Rising redshirt junior Jimmy Scott is the only defensive end with meaningful snaps returning for the Panthers next season, with redshirt senior Nate Matlack graduating.

Pitt has landed three transfer commitments so far, which include rising sixth year wide receiverDeuce Spann from Florida State, rising redshirt senior offensive lineman Kendall Stanley from Charlotte and rising junior placekicker James London from Murray State.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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