Pitt had three transfers on campus for visits this weekend:
Nebraska cornerback Tamon Lynum, Oregon State tight end Jake Overman and UConn long-snapper Nilay Upadhyayula (or Upa, for short)
Of the three, Lynum probably fills the biggest need. Pitt is losing at least two starting cornerbacks from this season, and we’re still assuming M.J. Devonshire will leave for the NFL, so that creates a pretty big opening at corner. The staff has recruited well at cornerback over the years so they should have some solid options to step in, but it’s not hard to imagine they want at least one veteran to step in.
Lynum has played a decent amount over the last four seasons at Nebraska. He was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020, but he’s a physical 6’2” corner who seems like an ideal fit for Pitt’s defensive scheme.
Plus, he will be a redshirt senior in 2024 with the option to return for another year as a super senior in 2025, if he’s so inclined.
Based on what I’m hearing, I expect Lynum to transfer to Pitt. That would be the Panthers’ first addition from the transfer portal this offseason, and it would fill a clear need.
I don’t think tight end is quite as big of a need, but clearly the staff is interested in bringing one in since they had Overman on campus this weekend. He didn’t catch a lot of passes at Oregon State - one reception as a true freshman in 2020 and seven catches for 51 yards as a junior - but he played quite a bit before opting out of the 2023 season and entering the transfer portal after four games.
Overman was overshadowed by Beavers standout Jack Velling, who caught eight touchdown passes this past season, but he’s a solid, experienced tight end who has two years of eligibility left.
He didn’t commit to Pitt on his visit, but the Panthers did impress Overman this weekend.
“I thought the opportunity to play in a city like Pittsburgh is something you can’t get anywhere else,” Overman told me. “Coach Narduzzi has done a great job building a culture that is hard to find nowadays in college football and that really stood out to my family and me.”
Overman said he’s looking at taking another visit or two and considering options in the Mountain West, SEC and Big Ten.
Upadhyayula is a new name for the board, but he makes sense as a possible addition after the departure of Byron Floyd. He was a long-snapper prospect out of IMG Academy in the 2020 class (all three transfers who visited were in that class, so they’ve all got a year left). Upadhyayula moved into the starting long-snapping job at UConn this season and played in all 12 games before entering the portal.
Floyd was on scholarship at Pitt; I would assume the Panthers are targeting Upadhyayula as a scholarship player as well since they need a starter at long-snapper for 2024 (and potentially 2025). We’ll see what happens there.
I expect more transfers to visit next weekend - or possibly even this week, depending on when other schools have finals week - but that’s where things stand after the first weekend of visits.
Nebraska cornerback Tamon Lynum, Oregon State tight end Jake Overman and UConn long-snapper Nilay Upadhyayula (or Upa, for short)
Of the three, Lynum probably fills the biggest need. Pitt is losing at least two starting cornerbacks from this season, and we’re still assuming M.J. Devonshire will leave for the NFL, so that creates a pretty big opening at corner. The staff has recruited well at cornerback over the years so they should have some solid options to step in, but it’s not hard to imagine they want at least one veteran to step in.
Lynum has played a decent amount over the last four seasons at Nebraska. He was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020, but he’s a physical 6’2” corner who seems like an ideal fit for Pitt’s defensive scheme.
Plus, he will be a redshirt senior in 2024 with the option to return for another year as a super senior in 2025, if he’s so inclined.
Based on what I’m hearing, I expect Lynum to transfer to Pitt. That would be the Panthers’ first addition from the transfer portal this offseason, and it would fill a clear need.
I don’t think tight end is quite as big of a need, but clearly the staff is interested in bringing one in since they had Overman on campus this weekend. He didn’t catch a lot of passes at Oregon State - one reception as a true freshman in 2020 and seven catches for 51 yards as a junior - but he played quite a bit before opting out of the 2023 season and entering the transfer portal after four games.
Overman was overshadowed by Beavers standout Jack Velling, who caught eight touchdown passes this past season, but he’s a solid, experienced tight end who has two years of eligibility left.
He didn’t commit to Pitt on his visit, but the Panthers did impress Overman this weekend.
“I thought the opportunity to play in a city like Pittsburgh is something you can’t get anywhere else,” Overman told me. “Coach Narduzzi has done a great job building a culture that is hard to find nowadays in college football and that really stood out to my family and me.”
Overman said he’s looking at taking another visit or two and considering options in the Mountain West, SEC and Big Ten.
Upadhyayula is a new name for the board, but he makes sense as a possible addition after the departure of Byron Floyd. He was a long-snapper prospect out of IMG Academy in the 2020 class (all three transfers who visited were in that class, so they’ve all got a year left). Upadhyayula moved into the starting long-snapping job at UConn this season and played in all 12 games before entering the portal.
Floyd was on scholarship at Pitt; I would assume the Panthers are targeting Upadhyayula as a scholarship player as well since they need a starter at long-snapper for 2024 (and potentially 2025). We’ll see what happens there.
I expect more transfers to visit next weekend - or possibly even this week, depending on when other schools have finals week - but that’s where things stand after the first weekend of visits.
