The 3-2-1 Column: The portal closed, what is the aftermath?

The transfer portal is something that has taken on a life of its own in college sports in recent years. It has been the driving story for both college basketball and football in recent weeks, but earlier this week, it closed for now.

We take a look at the fallout from this most recent portal season and look ahead for both Jeff Capel’s and Pat Narduzzi’s respective program. All of that, and more in this week’s 3-2-1 Column.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

The newly departed

It felt like Pitt got through the thick of the transfer portal madness in the immediate aftermath of the 2023 season. The Panthers saw 11 players enter the portal back in the December and most of those departures have since found new homes. There was also a sizable effort of retention to prevent key players from following suit.

While the portal entries were rolling along and the in-house negations were happening, so were the additions for Pat Narduzzi’s program. Pitt secured commitments from 12 players out of the transfer portal ahead of spring football. If you factor in 21 high school commitments who signed in the 2024 class, there was a lot of moving and shaking from the roster after a 3-9 season, which was to be expected.

It was known even back in December that would not be the end of it either. Pitt had overbooked its roster, so to speak. The Panthers were projected to over the 85-man roster by the start of next year, so following spring ball and before the remaining freshman could enroll, there were going to be some expected departures and that entire process ended this week with the portal closing. All told, Pitt had eight more transfer portal entries since spring ball ended:

QB Christian Veilleux

WR Israel Polk

TE Cole Mitchell

OL Dorien Ford

DE Antonio Camon

DE Dayon Hayes

LB Solomon DeShields

CB Jahvante Royal

Obviously, the big ones have been known for some time. Hayes landed at Colorado, while DeShields ended up at Texas A&M. Veilleux announced his commitment to Georgia State earlier this week. Since those initial big dominos fell, a few more players buried on the depth chart left also. Ford, Mitchell, Camon, and Royal had been around the program for multiple seasons and rarely saw playing time. Polk appeared like a young receiver who would eventually break into the rotation, but he too, opted to hit the transfer portal.

If you combine the eight recent transfers, plus the ones from the earlier cycle, Pitt had 19 players hit the portal overall off of last year’s roster. Some losses were bigger than others, and after finally taking inventory of all that Pitt lost, the Panthers had seven players with significant game experience from last season leave the program and that is never ideal.

Pitt did not retain all the guys they were probably hoping to this offseason. There is little denying that guys like Hayes, Samuel Okunlola, and DeAndre Jules would help the defensive line and DeShields may have been the team’s top linebacker as well.

It is part of the game now, but also in some cases, the roster need to reset a little and get some turnover to happen for the program to try to put last year’s 3-9 season to rest.

I’ll admit, that is a lot of information to process. There are just so many moving parts in a college football offseason these days, but that is also what the NCAA signed up for by passing all these regulations. It’s all well and good to them, I guess, but this is also a lot to keep track of for the casual fan. No other major sport has people talking in terms of 30+ additions and subtractions from a team’s roster each offseason. But here we are making that a regular occurrence in college football.

Pitt has three drafts picks

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and after the dust settled, Pitt had three players drafted over the weekend. Matt Goncalves went in the third round to the Colts, followed by Bub Means to the Saints in the fifth, then MJ Devonshire capping it off by being selected in the seventh round by the Raiders.

They were all invited to the NFL Combine, signaling they were on the league’s radar ahead of this weekend, and it ultimately held true by getting pick. I suspected Means would have gone a little higher than he did, but I also didn’t think Goncalves would sneak into the third round either, but they all bring some ability and upside to the NFL.

Pitt has had some luck with those ‘hidden gems’ you often hear about through the years. A guy like SirVocea Dennis comes to mind in that regard, but Goncalves’ story does come close. He was barely recruited out of Long Island, an area that hardly gets any Division-1 recruiting attention, but sure enough, former Pitt assistant coach Tim Salem offered Goncalves a scholarship back in June of 2018. It was his only power-five offer, but he eventually went on to start 24 games from 2020-2023.

An injury early on this past season cut his career short and ended it on a sour note, but it didn't diminish what he built himself into as a prospect. Goncalves greatly outplayed any realistic expectation back when he committed six years ago. He went from zero power-five offers and to the highest drafted linemen recruited under the Pat Narduzzi regime.

Means was a late find in the transfer portal who committed to Pitt roughly two years ago after a stint at Louisiana Tech. The former three-star recruit began his career at Tennessee, and it was a little bit of a long road before he got to the point of being drafted to the NFL.

Means was added to the Pitt wide receivers room just days before Jordan Addison left for USC. He went from a complimentary piece on offense to one of the team’s top wide receivers right away. Means struggled with consistency in 2022, and played both of his seasons at Pitt with suspect quarterback play. Through the limited production, there was always the understanding that his athleticism may carry him to the NFL anyway.

Means did piece together a strong second half of the 2023 season, earned a combine invite, and then tested very well. The reputation of being a ‘freak’ athlete proceeded him and was enough to get him taken in the fifth round. It will be interesting to see if he catches on in the league, but he has every physical tool you would expect pout of a professional wide receiver.

Means became the first player from Pitt who was recruited out the transfer portal to be drafted to the NFL. The second player from this new portal era to be drafted happened two rounds later when Devonshire was selected by the Raiders.

Devonshire’s selection brought along some unique storylines. He’s now the sixth player from legendary Aliquippa High School to star at Pitt and get drafted into the NFL. His selection also continued Pitt’s personal streak of having a defensive back drafted for a fifth consecutive year.

Devonshire’s NFL future may actually hinge a little on the guys who became before him. Of the eight Pitt DBs who have played under Narduzzi and gone on to be drafted, six have started games in the NFL. He comes from a defense that challenges defensive backs, which in turn, should theoretically prepare him for the next level. Devonshire has good speed and playmaking abilities, but also joins a position that is pretty highly competitive across the league, making it especially tough to catch on and remain.

All eyes on Theiro

The transfer portal also controls the pulse of college basketball and this particular story has captivated the Pitt basketball bubble in recent weeks. Adou Theiro is one of the more talented and intriguing forwards still available out of the transfer portal, and he is a player Pitt is heavily pursuing.

Theiro, of course, is not short on other powerful suitors.

He named a top five a few weeks back consisting of Pitt, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina. When the final grouping looks like that, the alarms should be ringing for everyone involved that this particular recruitment will have some twists and turns, and guess what…the Theiro sweepstakes has had that, and then some.

The layers in this particular recruitment are ones that have preexisting history from all angles, and some new wrinkles have been added in recent days.

Obviously to set the stage, Theiro is a 6-foot-8 forward who played the past two seasons for Kentucky under coach John Calipari, who is one of the biggest names in college basketball. Calipari is a former Pitt assistant coach from way back and also is a native to the Pittsburgh area. Now at Arkansas, Calipari is looking to make an impression in his first year, as his new school expects him to assemble a championship level roster immediately and they are giving him the resources to make that happen.

Not to mention, Theiro's dad, Almamy, also played for Calipari way back when he was the head coach at Memphis. There is a lot of history between each side, so there is no surprise Arkansas is a player here. Kentucky was the first major program to offer Theiro, who was a little bit of a late bloomer as prospect, which is also a factor to consider when thinking of the connection between Theiro and Calipari.

So what does any of that have to do with Pitt?

Well, because a few days ago Theiro paid a visit to Oakland, and the whispers and rumors around his recruitment seemed to center around a return to play for his hometown team, or potentially heading down to Chapel Hill to play for North Carolina. There was direct optimism for Theiro to commit to Pitt, or at the very least that the Panthers were in a good spot.

It all begs the question, is the Arkansas push something new? Did the surprise Calipari visit change something? Or was that in the works for some time and he always planned to visit Fayetteville?

Those are questions that still remain unanswered for now.

The buzz in this recruitment around Arkansas is palpable as it stands today, while that same enthusiasm about Pitt from earlier in the week has seemingly already receded. In the end, I think the Panthers’ best hope is for Theiro to actually take a visit to North Carolina and not rush to a decision this week.

On Monday, it felt like Pitt’s best chance was for a quick decision out of Theiro, but bnow on Friday, the better outlook would be for him to take his time.

Pitt probably isn’t going to outbid Arkansas and North Carolina in many recruitments, but there is still a strong NIL offer out there, plus the allure of playing close to home, and a different vision for what he could be as a player. These transfer portal recruitments are starting to feel more and more like the NBA free agency pitches, which I guess they are now.

The whole thing took a somewhat (or not really) controversial turn this week with Calipari’s visit to his hometown. There was a dinner in Pittsburgh with some friends. The Arkansas coach posted a picture of said dinner, and it was not well received from Pitt fans by who else was in the picture, as most of the individuals seated at the able are aligned as Pitt fans and significant donors.

Whatever you may think of the picture from an optics standpoint is one thing, but I don’t know if it’s something that has altered the recruitment here, either. I don’t think it’s a big deal overall, it didn’t look right, but also was probably a harmless dinner.

In the end, this is a recruitment involving a coveted player out of the transfer portal with some heavy hitters in the mix. These recruitments are never easy, and they often turn into roller coasters somewhere along the way, and this one certainly has. The ride can change course at any time.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

Where should Pitt be improved the most?

The biggest question mark surrounding the Pitt basketball program at the moment is of course the status of Adou Thiero, which we covered already. Of course, the ideal outcome is for the Panthers to bring the athletic forward into the fold before the start of next season, which is easier said than done at the moment.

Theiro would instantly provide another plus athlete inside. He did a lot of goof work for Kentucky in a power forward type role this past season where he was not asked to score a lot for the Wildcats. The belief around him is that there are more areas to his game that can be unlocked. Theiro was a high school point guard who hit a growth spurt late, so many are intrigued about what he could become, maybe more so than what he did this past season.

While the transfer portal has since closed, there are numerous uncommitted players still available. More prominent names entered earlier this week, so th point being is that three are other options beyond Thiero, and Pitt will likely make a move on someone if and when that time comes.

It’s hard to say anything definitive about Pitt’s team next year without a known complete roster, but there are some takeaways we can gather because a good chunk of it is settled. I still think the Panthers will still add somebody else before next year, but who that may be is still undecided.

But let’s just say, Pitt’s roster today is what it will be in November…did the Panthers improve and restock the roster?

It would be hard to deny the departures of Bub Carrington and Blake Hinson won’t impact the team greatly, but at the same time each team and season is different. Those two combined to average over 32 points per game, but there are more ways than one to replace their production and also opportunities to improve the team in other areas.

One of the biggest areas of improvement should be post scoring. It is something the team hasn’t had for two years. New transfer Cam Corhen produced better offensive numbers than Federiko Federiko averaging roughly the same amount of minutes playing in the exact same league. It wasn’t thought Federiko couldn’t finish a dunk or anything like that, it was more that he was not even a threat to score and opposing teams knew it.

Over Federiko’s final ten games at Pitt, be only attempted more than three shots in only three games. He scored four points on four field goal attempts in 34 minutes in Pitt’s two ACC Tournament games.

Conversely, Corhen’s final ten games this past season included seven double-digit scoring performances. I’m not sure if Corhen will turn into an all-conference player, but having the threat to score inside will alter how this team plays in a positive manner.

The other area I think should be a plus is guard depth. Losing Carrington is tough, but what Pitt will have next year are four guards who can contribute. Incoming freshman Brandin Cummings is a bit unknown, but he looks capable enough to be in the rotation as a baseline. The return of Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe and the portal addition of Damian Dunn should give the Panthers four options to play on the perimeter, where last year’s team only had three.

I think the added lineup flexibility is going to be a major plus, and also the luxury of having depth and being able to rotate. The Panthers simply had no room for error or injury last season on the perimeter, and it should be an added benefit to create more lineup combinations next season.

I wonder if the team defense will be better, and again, seeing the final roster will help put better evidence towards testing that theory. I do think Pitt has found pieces that will improve certain areas that were lacking. The team still has its question marks, to be sure, but as this offseason remains unfinished, it does seem Capel is slowly checking off some boxes.

Is Pitt scheduling wrong?

There are certain topics where Pitt fans are united, and others where opinions may vary a little. Chalk non-conference football scheduling as one where there is not a unified voice.

The way college football works is that you set up your non-conference schedule years in advance. The games or series gets announced randomly, everyone argues about it for a day or two, then the topic goes away until the game is actually played years later.

Pitt and UCF announced it will play a two-game slate on Thursday, with a 2026 game in Pittsburgh, and a 2029 game down in Orlando. It was met with mostly negative feedback, as expected, albeit for different reasons. The UCF game will be Pitt’s second power-four non-conference game in each of those years. Pitt travels to Wisconsin in 2026, and the Backyard Brawl resumes in 2029 after a brief three-year hiatus.

Is two power-four non-conference games too many for one season?

That’s one theory, but it’s also not too different than what we have been seeing from Pitt’s schedules recently and really for a lot of teams in the ACC. As long as the ACC maintains an eight-game league schedule, then there are going to be cases where its teams play two marquee non-conference games in a year.

I don't think it’s really all that out of line, because the majority of schools in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC are ultimately going to play 10 other power-four teams one way or another. Obviously, some schools schedule lighter than others to avoid that, but the majority are taking on roughly the same caliber of schedule as Pitt.

In 2026 alone when the series begins, North Carolina plays Notre Dame and TCU, Louisville has Georgia and Kentucky, Georgia Tech gets Colorado and Georgia, and Florida State is taking on the honor of playing Alabama, Florida, and Notre Dame all in the same year.

To me, Pitt’s 2026 pairing of Wisconsin and UCF doesn’t seem like an overly daunting ask. It’s the years where Pitt plays three such games, like in 2018 and this past season, is when I think they are biting off more they can chew. In 2018, Pitt played Penn State, Oklahoma State, and sure enough, UCF. That was one big game too many. Same thing with playing Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and WVU this past year.

Three is too many, but two seems fine.

The other issue at hand, and it’s one I get, is that UCF does not really move the needle from a fan interest standpoint. There is very limited history there. It’s not like it’s drivable and the fan bases will help fill each other’s stadiums. The atmosphere will be based on what the teams look like in those years down the line, and if both teams are having down seasons, then these will be two forgettable games anyway.

The schools have only played three times, the first being back in 2006. Pitt had a cool upset win over UCF back in 2018, but that’s kind of the extent of the history here.

I get everyone’s tastes are different, but from my vantage point, the only games that ever really move the needle for this fanbase are Notre Dame, Penn State, and West Virginia. So if Pitt is going to play two major non-conference games and in the case of 2026, the three big rivals are unavailable, then what games do move the needle?

I’m not suggesting there is a right or wrong answer, but UCF is probably as suitable as an opponent as one can find on a year where WVU is not available to play. Who knows with the way things turn quickly in college sports and maybe that will be a conference game by then anyway.

ONE PREDICTION

The 2024 Pitt football roster is finalized

The transfer portal is closed. Pitt has 85 of its 85 scholarships filled, so I’m starting to sense is what you are seeing is what you are going to get with this Pitt football roster. The Panthers lost eight transfers in the month of April and only added one, Kentucky DB Jeremiah Anglin, and even after all of that, the roster is just about at capacity.

Could Pitt still add another transfer and find a way to squeeze in another scholarship player before next year? Sure, and it still might happen, but I doubt there are going to be many starting caliber players available where Pitt actually needs them. If any further additions happen, they aren’t going to be of the instant impact variety, but as we know this team could probably use some immediate help.

There is likely need for another wide receiver, an extra offensive linemen wouldn’t hurt either, and yea, they could probably afford to add multiple players on the defensive line after losing just about everyone who played off of last year's team. There might be an addition here over the summer, but nothing that is going to affect what this team is going to be in 2024.

Again, take a look at the roster now, because this is what it's going to be for better or worse. The player movement is going to quiet down, recruiting is going to take center stage for the next two months, and we have nothing but time to start dissecting this team up and down the roster until that first game on August 31st. The true offseason is officially here, folks.