Pitt football entered another offseason as one of the teams that looks like it is negatively affected by the transfer portal.
It seems they have lost more talent than they added, and moves to land other players seem to have dried up as the portal has closed for entries. The team added some key pieces at kicker and tight end, but departures like senior offensive lineman Lyndon Cooper and junior wide receiver Kenny Johnson to other Power 4 programs raise concerns.
The biggest loss from an outside perspective is junior linebacker Rasheem Biles, who was in line for the top linebacker spot and likely the top defensive player on the team. Biles will spend next season at Texas, likely as a starter.
In my opinion, however, Biles is not a big loss in the least bit. Biles is certainly a talented player, and his performance in the Military Bowl with nearly 15 tackles showed that. It certainly hurts that Biles is set to produce for a different Power 4 program, but the replacements will likely fill in the gaps just fine.
The reality of the portal is that your favorite football team will lose some of your favorite players and some of your best players each offseason. Therefore, my personal philosophy when it comes to the portal is not to overstress about specific players leaving. It’s much wiser to focus on who is coming in to replace the player leaving than the leaving players themselves.
In the case of Biles, Pitt has little to worry about. At his exact position of “Money” linebacker, the team boasts senior transfer Alex Sanford Jr., who is looking to improve on a good season at Purdue and will likely start as a weakside linebacker.
Two younger Panthers proved intriguing this past season, as well. Rising senior linebacker Braylan Lovelace had a strong season as Pitt’s top middle linebacker, including a 100-yard pick six against Georgia Tech.
Redshirt first-year linebacker Cameron Lindsay is likely to start on the strong-side “Star” linebacker position after a consistent 2025 campaign that saw him gain more playing time as the season went on. Joining him is redshirt junior Jayden Bonsu, an appealing transfer from the 2025 offseason who suffered a season-ending preseason injury back in August and will likely rotate with Lindsay as needed.
In a similar boat to Bonsu is redshirt first year Jeremiah Marcelin, who also had a season-ending injury during the preseason. He will line up behind Lovelace at the middle linebacker position and is likely to see a lot of action early on in the season.
Other positions will not have the same level of talent stepping up to fill in for departures. Pitt will struggle to make up for the void left by Johnson, who — along with senior Poppi Williams — will not be on the team next season. The wide receiver room of Blue Hicks, Bryce Yates and Censere Lee is not as enticing, and a transfer from Western Carolina FCS, sophomore transfer Malik Knight, is not as exciting as the depth at linebacker.
Pitt is well equipped to fill the void left by Biles’ transfer, and a new linebackers coach in Joe Bowen should provide continuous support to the newest crop of the “Sharks.”
With that in mind, and with Pitt’s relatively weak schedule next season, fans can have a cautiously optimistic outlook. While the offense has some questions, the defense is likely able to pick up right where it left off last season.
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