The race to determine the Pitt starting running back race became a little bit more clear this afternoon. During Pat Narduzzi’s Thursday press briefing, he announced that Pitt and redshirt freshman Mychaele Salahuddin have “mutually” agreed to part ways. Salahuddin has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

“Mutually Pitt football and Mychaele Salahuddin have decided to part ways,” Narduzzi said. “We wish Mycahele the best of luck wherever he goes. We’ll help him with wherever he wants to go, and really that’s kind of the rest of the backfield question there.”

Narduzzi was asked about which running backs have separated themselves during fall camp. As expected, he said upperclassmen A.J. Davis and Todd Sibley have risen to the top, and also indicated true freshman Vincent Davis is in line to be a factor this season. There’s also V’lique Carter to consider, who will factor in the running and passing game. Salahuddin appeared to have dropped a bit behind those players during camp.

In addition to that, Salahuddin had knee surgery in December. Throughout training camp, Narduzzi and Salahuddin both indicated that he was being brought along slowly as he recovered from that injury.

Salahuddin was a four-star recruit out of Woodson High School in Washington D.C. He committed to Pitt back in February of 2018. He was a four-star recruit and was graded as the fifth-ranked all-purpose back in the country at the time.

During the 2018 season, Salahuddin appeared in three games, which allowed him to keep his redshirt on and gave him freshman eligibility for this season. He rushed the ball four times for 37 yards in those three games. He was expected to appear in the team’s bowl game against Stanford prior to injuring his knee.

With Salahuddin’s departure, Pitt’s running back picture should not change much. Davis and Sibley were expected to see the bulk of the playing time this season, while Carter could add some splash plays. Vincent Davis’ emergence was a bit of surprise, and he too will likely play a considerable amount. Daniel Carter appears likely heading towards a redshirt.

The departure of Salahuddin also creates a scholarship opportunity. Pitt was hovering right around the 85 or 86 mark all summer long, so it could create a chance for a walk-on to go on scholarship.