The 3-2-1 Column: The portal giveth, and also taketh away

It may be the offseason for the two biggest college sports, but that did not make this past week light on news for the University of Pittsburgh. The football team under Pat Narduzzi wrapped up spring ball last weekend, but it has not been a quiet aftermath, with four players hitting the transfer portal, including a pair of starters.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Pitt basketball team under Jeff Capel landed a pair of key players out of the transfer portal. The roster is starting to materialize for next season and we look at who Pitt added and where the teams goes next.

All of that and more, in this week’s 3-2-1 Column.

Three Things we Know

Pitt basketball lands two big pieces from the portal

We can start with the good news first. The Pitt Panthers are coming off of a 22-win season, but of course, the team was left out of the NCAA Tournament. It was a disappointing end to the campaign, but there is no doubt the team caught some momentum late in the year, and it has carried over into the offseason.

It appears that Pitt has been able to retain most of its best players, aside from Bub Carrington leaving for the NBA. That was step one, and of course adding some talent out of the portal was second on the to-do list. Earlier this week, Jeff Capel took a couple of big step in bolstering his roster for next year.

Pitt played host to a pair of official visitors out of the transfer portal immediately following the dead period, and was able to lock down a commitment from both before either could take another visit. It was quick work by Capel and his staff to identify, recruit, and land Cam Corhen of Florida State and Damian Dunn from Houston.

Corhen comes to Pitt as a 6-foot-10 forward with two years of eligibility to play. He has appeared in 60 games over the past two seasons with the Seminoles, including 33 starting assignments. Corhen is a veteran ACC big man who is familiar with the league and should be able to hit the ground running and provide an easy plug and play replacement for the departed Federiko Federiko.

Corhen will likely slide into the starting center role and do one thing immediately and that is provide an inside scoring presence. The Texas native averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this past season with Florida State, but had to share minutes with a crowded front court. At Pitt, Corhen should have a chance to flourish and step into a bigger role.

Over his final seven regular season games, Corhen certainly caught fire and showed his potential, averaging 13 points per game with six double-figure scoring performances. That stretch also included a 25-point outburst against Pitt on March 5th.

Federiko only had two double-digit scoring games this past season, so essentially Pitt is trading in a 6’10” presence with ACC experience for another, only Corhen brings a much better offensive game to the table. On the surface, it looks like a net positive for the Panthers.

The second addition for the Panthers this week occurred on Tuesday, when Damian Dunn announced his decision. Dunn is an older, veteran guard and should have the right mindset to blend in with Pitt’s established returning players.

The 6-foot-5 Dunn is coming to Pitt after a one-year stint at Houston. Prior to that, he played his first four years of college hoops at Temple. While with the Owls, Dunn proved to be an effective scorer, as he had three consecutive seasons of averaging 13+ points per game. He was twice an all-conference pick in the AAC as well.

His role lessened at Houston, mainly because the Cougars were a very good, and deep team. He contributed this season in a bench role, and was fifth on the team in scoring at 6.4 points per game, but should see an uptick in his averages, as he will be asked to do more at Pitt.

Dunn is not known as an outside shooter, but can knock them down with volume. The newest Panther can provide some playmaking on offense and rebounds fairly well for a guard and should be an asset as a defender with his length.

Those two additions, assuming Pitt does not lose anyone further off the team, makes for 11 scholarship players for next season. It also means Capel has two extra roster spots to fill prior to the start of next season. Pitt can certainly enhance its roster further, but it feels Corhen and Dunn are two additions who fill needs, and also have some ability, and that’s a good starting point.

Pitt football loses two big pieces to the transfer portal

The Pitt football team wrapped up spring ball last weekend with the playing of the Blue-Gold game. It was known that once that was completed, there would be some roster attrition in the days that followed. Pitt was projected to be over the 85-man scholarship once the remainder of the 2024 class enrolled in June, so after spring ball, it was assumed a few guys buried on the depth chart would hit the portal.

We have seen a few instances of that already with quarterback Christian Veilleux and defensive end Antonio Camon both entering the portal this week. Neither player was expected to see much action this year, and those were the types of departures the Pitt coaches were probably anticipating.

Pitt had two other portal entries this week and those ones were not part of the plan. It started with Dayon Hayes, Pitt’s projected top defensive end for this season, when he entered his name into the portal on Monday. A second hit came when one of Pitt’s top linebackers, Solomon DeShields, followed suit the very next day.

The Panthers figured both DeShields and Hayes prominently into their plans for the defensive side of the ball next season. Given Pitt’s lack of depth at defensive end, Hayes was the only player back with significant game experience and was expected to carry the position. DeShields started 11 games last season and played pretty well in the second half of the season. He figured to be one of Pitt’s three starting linebackers and simply be a talented anchor for the defense overall.

In the both cases, it has become fairly obvious that outside influences played a serious part in their departures, with NIL being the primary factor. Both players hit the portal recently and it did not take long at all for some serious visits to other prominent programs materialize. DeShields is expected to check out Texas A&M and Hayes has plans to go see Colorado and USC.

I do not think either player magically found out about the interest from these particular schools AFTER they hit the portal. As we know, there is nothing to stop college football programs from poaching one another, even if it is technically still is against the rules. The idea of waiting to recruit someone until they are in portal is not necessarily a requirement these days, if anything, it means you are late to the party.

The year-to-year free agency that has developed is now part of college’s football fabric and there is really no immediate end to it on the horizon. This is just the way things are now and you have to be prepared to lose players after the season or after spring ball now, and really, no program is above it.

These loses sting Pitt in particular, but other schools across the country were probably a bit blindsided by some departures of their own over the past week. Prominent players are on the move by the hour and it can be a lot to ask the casual fan to track or even care about the crazier this whole thing gets.

For Pitt’s perspective, these losses have a two-fold effect on the program. In the short term, it remains to be seen how Pitt’s offense under first-year coordinator Kade Bell will take off this season, but the Panthers were hoping a veteran presence on defense would help carry the team in the early going. Pitt losing two of its best defensive players in April really messes with how the team approaches the season.

The longer term outcome, I’m afraid, is much worse for Pitt football and fellow programs in its stratosphere.

Both DeShields and Hayes publicly agreed to NIL deals with Pitt’s NIL collective, Alliance 412, back in December. It is now clear that those agreements meant next to nothing, but rather just reaffirmed that anyone can leave at any time without warning, which is a sobering reality.

A lot of people have described what is happening in college football these days as the ‘wild west’ and they are not far off in that assessment. Truthfully, anything goes right now, and Pitt really felt the wrong end of it over the past couple of days. Of course, Pitt still needs a few more players to transfer to meet the 85-man limit before next season, so it can work in both directions. It should make for an interesting two weeks until the portal officially closes.

Nate Yarnell is QB1

The recent roster news has overshadowed what was the end of spring football. The Blue-Gold game happened last Saturday at Acrsiure Stadium, and like many of its predecessors, it was a snooze fest. The one team beat the other 17-10, there were three total touchdowns, a lot of key players barely played.

It was a typical spring game.

I hate to judge much on what I see in spring games, because the rosters are so far jumbled. There is never a good takeaway when you see a third team linemen blocking for the first team quarterback who is throwing to a walk-on wide receiver. The spring game is more of a fan event than a real, meaningful scrimmage, and I think mostly everyone understands that by now.

Having said that, one of the bigger things to draw from that game and spring football overall, is that Nate Yarnell sort of confirmed he will be the team’s starting quarterback for this upcoming season. He was good all spring, but also performed well in the game itself going 12-of-16 for 108 yards and a touchdown, while working primarily with backups and did not have most of his weapons at his disposal.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi did not name him the starting quarterback for next season, but did at least confirm Yarnell will be the No. 1 option when training camp starts up in August. The redshirt junior started the final two games of 2023, entered the offseason as the No. 1 guy, and has done nothing to lose that status after spring ball has been completed.

Christian Veilleux, who was ahead of Yarnell last season, fell down the depth chart in spring football and did very little to challenge him over the past month. Veilleux transferred earlier this week as he ended the spring as the team's No. 3 quarterback. The primary player now chasing Yarnell is now Eli Holstein, a redshirt freshman transfer from Alabama.

Holstein is probably going to be Pitt’s starting quarterback at some point in his career, but I do not see him unseating Yarnell prior to the start of the 2024 season. Yarnell probably did not get a fair shake last season, but he has been given every opportunity this time around, and has embraced all the challenges that comes with being QB1.

Again, you don’t ever want to put too much stock in the spring game, but he did look comfortable running this style of offense and it showed up last Saturday. As a high school player in Texas, Yarnell certainly ran more shotgun spread concepts, and had to be trained to play under center playing for more pro-style offensive coordinators once he got to Pitt.

I think Bell’s quick one-read concepts in the passing game should fit Yarnell’s game well. He takes pretty good care of the football and understands all he has to do is spread the ball into the hands of his weapons, like Kenny Johnson, Konata Mumpfield, and Gavin Bartholomew. It is a pretty straightforward system, but of course it comes down to execution.

Yarnell displayed that he is capable of executing this offense and he took command of the offense as a whole in a leadership role, which is obviously expected out of a starting quarterback. The fourth-year player has never has so much asked of him during his time at Pitt, but I think this spring showed he is up to the task of at least being this team’s top quarterback. Obviously, it all comes down to how well Yarnell plays during the regular season, but an important step to getting there is winning the offseason and he did just that.

Two Questions we have

What happens next for Pitt Hoops?

The Pitt program landed a pair of transfers this week, who will be added to a core of seven returning players and two 2024 recruits. When you add it all up, Pitt has 11 scholarship players set to be on the roster for next year, meaning the Panthers have up to two more spots to fill before the start of the season.

Jeff Capel’s roster looks to have talent, some upside, and a lot of intriguing parts, which should give him some lineup versatility. Pitt lost its two leading scorers from last year in Bub Carrington and Blake Hinson, but the Panthers have definitely brought in some firepower with the opportunity to keep adding.

As it stands now, there are not many names Pitt is directly linked to in the transfer portal. They have ‘reached out’ to several players, but there has not been anything more than that in a lot of those cases. Pitt is in the ‘top six’ for Mt. St. Mary’s guard Dakota Leffew. The Panthers have contacted players like Terrance Williams from Michigan and San Francisco’s Mike Sharavjamts, among others.

Perhaps the most prominent name Pitt has been mentioned with in one form or another is Adou Thiero, a 6’8” forward who player the past two seasons for Kentucky. Thiero is also a native of Pittsburgh and was recruited by his hometown school back when he was a senior in high school.

It remains to be seen if Pitt will make a push for a player like Thiero, as he is not short on options on where to play next season. The Panthers could have a few additional lines in the water that have gone under the radar as well. With over a thousand college basketball players in the portal, sometimes you can keep things quiet, even in this day and age.

I think when looking at the roster and the two spots Capel has at his disposal, there are probably two positions that stick out the most. Pitt initially contacted some bigger, stretch forwards early on, who have since committed elsewhere. That seemed like a priority at the onset of the offseason, but fell to the side a little after locking in on Corhen and Dunn.

The other area that would make sense is just bringing on another outside shooting threat. Pitt has several players on its roster who can make 3-pointers, but perhaps none of them are known as a shooter first, and maybe adding someone under that profile would make sense.

If Pitt can get only one of those things, either a stretch forward or a 3-point specialist, then perhaps Capel would hold the final roster spot just in case something falls into his lap late in the recruiting process. Pitt had the roster space in each of the past two off-seasons to add a four-star recruit from out of nowhere, so it’s nice to have that kind of roster space should a situation like that would arise.

When looking at this team, Pitt has four guards: Dunn, Jaland Lowe, Ishmael Leggett, and 2024 signee Brandin Cummings. The Panthers also have two players who can play on the wing in Zack Austin and Marlon Barnes, plus five players 6-foot-10 or taller in the Diaz Graham twins, Corhen, Papa Amadou Kante, and 2024 recruit Amdy Ndiaye.

The Panthers certainly have a good starting point, but now the question is how will Capel fill in the gaps around the 11 players they have in place.

Who starts for Pitt football in 2024?

I took a real risk of writing this on Thursday evening and waiting for it to be published on Friday morning, because a Pitt player could go into the transfer portal at any time and mess all of this up, but I digress.

The roster movement from this week took away some of the spotlight from spring ball, but looking past that set of news, I do think spring ball helped painted a picture about the 2024 Pitt football team and what it could be. It also revealed who some of the key players are for when the team kicks off against Kent State on August 31st in the season opener.

Here is my post spring ball projected starting offense for next season:

QB: Nate Yarnell

RB: Rodney Hammond

WR: Konata Mumpfield

WR: Kenny Johnson

WR: Daejon Reynolds

TE: Gavin Bartholomew

LT: Branson Taylor

LG: Ryan Jacoby

C: Terrence Moore

RG: BJ Williams

RT: Ryan Baer

I do not think there are many surprises here, and this was probably the same projected depth chart entering the spring as well. The big thing on offense right now is depth. Sure guys like Rodney Hammond and Gavin bartholomew are the guys at running back and tight end respectively, but who is behind them? I think the backup roles at running back and tight end are going to be position battles to watch come August.

Neither of Pitt's wide receiver transfers, CJ Lee and Poppi Williams, played in the spring game, but I'm not expecting either to unseat one of the top three receivers, though they should have some role in this offense.

The offensive line is pretty well defined, though Ryan Jacoby did not participate at all during spring ball. I think he’ll be ‘full-go’ by training camp at least, but that would open the door for guys like Lyndon Cooper or Jason Collier if he is not. Branson Taylor and Terrence Moore did not play in the spring game, but should be ready for the start of training camp.

On the defensive side of the ball, it gets a little more undefined and in light of some recent events, that notion was only enhanced.

DE: Jimmy Scott

DT: Nahki Johnson

DT: Sean FitzSimmons

DE: Nate Matlack

LB: Braylan Lovelace

LB: Brandon George

LB: Kyle Louis

CB: Rashad Battle

CB: Ryland Gandy

S: Javon McIntyre

S: Donovan McMillon

Obviously, the defensive end spot is perhaps the biggest question mark on the whole team at the moment. Kansas State transfer Nate Matlack almost has no choice but to be the team’s top D-End this season. Jimmy Scott showed some promise late in the year, but I’m not sure who else really challenges for the other spot. Bam Brima is a veteran, but has never been a starter. Sincere Edwards is a promising true freshman, but probably not an ideal starter candidate right away. This is something that might not be settled for a while.

That same debate can also pick up on the inside. Nahki Johnson and Sean FitzSimmons could be the top pairing at D-Tackle, but Nick James, Elliot Donald, and Isaiah Neal will probably all get chances to compete during training camp.

The linebacker spot is interesting, because while losing DeShields stings, I think the Panthers have six guys who are capable of being on the field next season anyway. Brandon George and Keye Thompson, two seniors, should man the middle linebacker spot. Promising young players like Braylan Lovelace, Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles, and Jordan Bass are all more than capable of seeing increased roles this season. Not having DeShields is not ideal, of course, but this group may have enough talent to overcome that loss, or at least better than what is going to happen at defensive end.

The secondary is in a different place than last year. In 2023, Pitt has a bunch of veteran corners and unproven safeties, but it is the complete opposite now. Donovan McMillon, Javon McIntyre, and PJ O’Brien, along with promising redshirt freshman Cruce Brookins should have safety in a very strong place for the Panthers this upcoming season.

At corner, I think that is a battle that could continue into fall camp. I have Rashad Battle and Ryland Gandy are out in front for now, but Nebraska transfer Tamon Lynum could still steal one of those jobs, or perhaps a younger guy floating under the radar as well.

One Prediction

Pitt gets four players drafted

The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night with the first round. I do not think any Pitt player will be on draft watch that early, but as it shifts to Friday and Saturday, I expect multiple Panthers to hear their names called about their professional futures. Pitt had three players invited to participate in the NFL Combine earlier this year and I think all three will get drafted next weekend, and I’m expecting one more player to sneak into the draft conversation as well.

Bub Means is one of the more physically impressive wide receivers in this year’s draft class. Means did not have the big breakout season in 2023 for Pitt, but it felt like he struggled because of the team’s quarterback issues. His production picked up in the second half of the year, he crushed it at the combine, and did well at Pitt’s pro day too. He is looking to become the first wide receiver drafted out of Pitt since Tyler Boyd went in the second round back in 2016 and given all the physical tools he posses, it should only be a matter of when, not if, he gets picked.

Matt Goncalves sustained a season-ending injury in the third game of the 2023 season. Goncalves was a preseason All-ACC pick on the offensive line and even though he missed much of the season, he was still on everyone’s draft boards and earned a combine invite. His injury lingered, however, and Pitt’s pro day last month was actually the first time he got to perform in front of NFL scouts throughout the whole pre-Draft process. It was notable that several NFL offensive line coaches made personal visits to Pitt’s pro day to see Goncalves move around, and I think he did enough that day to assure he’ll get drafted somewhere.

The last of the combine invites was MJ Devonshire, a two-year starter at cornerback in Pitt’s defense. The Aliquippa native had a knack for making splash plays and has the speed and playmaking ability to continue to make them at the next level. He tested well over the past few months and has the speed and measurables to play in the NFL.

In addition to those three, I won’t be shocked if AJ Woods gets to hear his name called as well. Woods did not go to the combine, but ran a sub 4.4 40-yard dash at Pitt’s pro day and survived playing in a defense for five seasons that is very demanding on defensive backs.

The Pitt program has had a member of its secondary drafted in each of the past four years, with six totaled being selected during that stretch. Pitt’s defense allows for its players to play on islands, which may cause for some miscues in the moment, but usually hardens the players for the rigors of playing in the NFL. I think that is only be a benefit for guys like Devonshire and Woods as they keep that little streak in tact.