Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football Showing Interest in Hawaii Transfer

The Pitt Panthers are showing interest in a Hawaii transfer.

Dominic Campbell

Oct 5, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors wide receiver Tylan Hines (2) runs with the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs during the first quarter at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors wide receiver Tylan Hines (2) runs with the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs during the first quarter at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images / Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images
In this story:

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are showing interest in a transfer athlete, that would benefit the team in a variety of ways next season.

Tylan Hines, who played for Hawaii, entered the transfer portal in early December and announced that Pitt was one of the schools he heard from. Other schools include Cal, UCLA, Utah State, UTEP, Fresno State, Texas State and Incarnate Word.

Hines hails from Mt. Pleasant, Texas and starred at Plano High School. He rushed for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019, earning 9-6A’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year and then excelled in 2020 as a junior, rushing for 1,082 yards and scored 13 touchdowns and earning all-district first-team honors

He would attend Air Force Prep Academy for his senior season in 2021, where he intially chose to commit to Air Force, but ended up going to Hawaii.

247Sports rated him as a three-star in the Class of 2022, No. 145 at running back and No. 293 recruit in Texas, while Rivals rated him as a two-star.

Hines starred as a freshman in 2022 for Hawaii, rushing 83 times for 634 yards and made nine catches for 82 yards, 9.1 yards per reception. His 7.6 yards per carry ranked second in the nation amongst freshman and he earned an All-Mountain West Honorable Mention.

He played in just four games in 2023, missing the final nine contests with injury, allowing him to redshirt.

Hines played in all 12 games for the Rainbow Warriors this past season, mostly at wide receiver, with four starts. He rushed 39 times for 162 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, and made 23 catches for 186 yards, 8.1 yards per reception, for three touchdowns.

Pitt has star running back Desmond Reid returning for his senior next season, who functions in a similar way to Hines, with traditional running back duties, but also serving as a threat in the passing game.

The Panthers will also have running backs in rising redshirt senior Derrick Davis Jr., rising redshirt junior Che Nwabuko and rising redshirt freshman Juelz Goff.

Pitt added three incoming freshmen running backs in Synkwan Smith out of Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga. about 30 miles north of Atlanta, Ja'Kyrian Turner out of South Sumter High School in Wildwood, Fla. in the central part of the state, west of Orlando, plus Jaylin Brown, who played for Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt

Published
Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Follow Dominic Campbell on Twitter.

Home/Recruiting