Pitt has landed a prominent and familiar name out of the transfer portal. Donovan McMillon, a 6'1" and 205-pound sophomore safety from the University of Florida has committed to Pitt on Thursday evening.

McMillon is a Western Pennsylvania native and attended nearby Peters Township High School and was a four-star recruit in the class of 2021. He will be immediately eligible and has two years of eligibility remaining.

The former Florida Gator entered his name in the transfer portal on December 2nd. In the aftermath of that decision, McMillon picked up offers from Kansas State, Miami, Nebraska, Kansas, Boston College, Mississippi State, WVU, Virginia Tech, and Minnesota. McMillon received an offer from Pitt on December 7th and there seemed to be mutual interest instantly, and one week later he has committed to play for his hometown team.

It has been a long road for McMillon to get to Pitt. The Panthers were the first Power-5 program to offer McMillon way back in 2019. As a member of the class of 2021, few prospects ‘blew up’ the way McMillon did. He accumulated over 40 offers throughout the recruiting process, including from prominent schools like Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, and Oregon.

While there was initial interest from McMillon in Pitt, it died down over time and he looked set to leave the area for college. McMillon eliminated Pitt early on in the process following the onslaught of offers and eventually landed with the Florida Gators.

McMillon’s decision to ‘return home’ has been a trend this offseason. He is the second player Pitt has landed from the transfer portal this offseason. Phil Jurkovec, a quarterback from Boston College, is also a Pittsburgh native coming back to play for the Panthers.

McMillon has appeared in 25 games over the last two seasons for the Gators as a special teams player and a reserve defensive back. He has recorded 30 tackles over the last two seasons for Florida and will look to find a bigger role with Pitt in his third collegiate season.

The 6’1” and 205-pound safety should walk into an instant opportunity to make an impact for Pitt next season. Pitt senior safety Erick Hallett and junior Brandon Hill are likely to move on following this year, and he should be able to compete for a starting job right away beginning in spring ball.