Pitt's first weekend of transfer visits is upon us. Here's a rundown of some of Pitt's top targets, what this weekend will look like and more.
- The top priority from the very start has been rebuilding the offensive line. I get the sense that Pitt believes it has a franchise quarterback in Eli Holstein (and I don’t entirely disagree), but as we saw this season, things get rough when the offensive line starts breaking down - even for a franchise quarterback.
The sense I get is that Pitt is intent on not going into next season with the same situation on the offensive line as the one that the team entered 2024 with. The coaches want experienced veterans for the starting lineup and some quality backups to fill in the depth. The starters are of the utmost importance, but the depth is important, too, since we saw what one injury did to Pitt’s offensive line - and, by extension, the offense - this past season.
The goal, from what I’m told is to get tackles. The staff largely feels good about Ryan Baer, Lyndon Cooper and B.J. Williams, but they need two more linemen to fill out the lineup. If that has to be a guard and a tackle, they’ll take it, but if they can get two tackles and potentially move Baer inside to guard, that’s an option on the table as well.
Either way, they want linemen, first and foremost, from the portal this offseason. To that end, we’ve seen a pretty heavy emphasis on offensive linemen in the portal, and the first weekend will have a couple coming to campus.
- Here’s a look at the top offensive line targets for the staff so far (in no particular order):
Derek Simmons - Offensive tackle, Western Carolina
Yep, another Western Carolina transfer target. Simmons actually transferred to WCU after starting his career at Abilene Christian. After joining the Catamounts (and sitting out a year due to the old transfer rules), Simmons started 16 games over the last two seasons. That was a start for every game he played, as he missed some due to injury. But when he started, Simmons lined up at tackle, which is where he would be most needed at Pitt.
Simmons is expected to visit this weekend, and he’s apparently also planning a visit to Oklahoma this weekend, too.
Rahtrel Perry - Offensive tackle, Central Connecticut State
Perry was the starting left tackle for Central Connecticut State this year and allowed four sacks on 430 pass-block snaps according to Pro Football Focus. I’ve talked to some people who think Perry might be the best of the offensive tackles Pitt is looking at, and I think the Panthers are high on his list. He’s also visiting Syracuse this weekend and is also looking at Maryland, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Washington, Virginia and Houston.
Will Jados - Offensive tackle, Miami (Oh.)
Jados has started the last 27 games at left tackle over the last two seasons and started 11 of the Redhawks’ 13 games in 2022. In 1,173 pass-block snaps over that span, he allowed nine sacks, per PFF. In addition to his offer from Pitt, Jados has offers from Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Wake Forest. He’s another big tackle - listed at 6’8” and 307 pounds - and would be another nice fit blocking on the edge.
Kendall Stanley - Offensive tackle, Charlotte
Stanley started every game for Charlotte this season and allowed two sacks total with around one pressure per game. Since he went into the portal, Stanley has gotten offers from Virginia Tech, Oregon State, Kansas, Memphis, BYU, Miami (Fla.) and Pitt. We're still working to see what we can find about Stanley; we'll add more as we get it.
Alex Wollschlaeger - Offensive tackle, Bowling Green
Wollschlaeger has started 37 games at right tackle over the last three seasons with seven sacks allowed, according to PFF. He’s a 6’7” 305-pound senior with one year of eligibility remaining, and he went into the portal after earning first-team All-MAC honors in 2024. Since he announced his transfer, Wollschlaeger has received offers from Kentucky, Northwestern, Pitt, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Nebraska, Arkansas, N.C. State Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Florida State. That’s an impressive list, to be sure, and Wollschlaeger told us he is starting his visits with a trip to Indiana today and Kentucky on Saturday. Pitt is in consideration for a visit, too, but as of Friday morning, he had not decided whether he would see the Panthers in person.
For now - and things can (and probably will) change - it seems like these five offensive line targets have emerged at the top of Pitt’s board. There are a few common themes here: chief among them being that all five are offensive tackles and all five have a lot of starting experience. It’s clear what the staff is going for: experienced, talented offensive tackles who can step in and play right away.
- The other top priority has been at receiver. With Konata Mumpfield graduating from a group that felt a little thin to begin with, the staff is hoping to add to the ranks from the portal. Here are some targets who have emerged so far - and where the Panthers stand.
Noah Jennings - Wide receiver, Charleston Southern
Jennings is a 6’1” 185-pound receiver who caught 46 passes for 475 yard and three touchdowns this season after earning freshman All-America honors (second team) from Phil Steele last year. He went into the portal on Dec. 8 and has since picked up offers from Pitt, Georgia Southern, East Carolina and Washington State. The Panthers will get a look at him in-person when he visits this weekend (he was on his way to Pitt as of this afternoon), and he’s also looking to visit East Carolina and Cincinnati in the next week.
Javon Tracy - Wide receiver, Miami (Oh.)
Tracy caught 57 passes for 818 yards and seven touchdowns this past season - he threw a touchdown pass, too - and he was named first-team All-MAC for that performance. A 6’” 200-pound receiver, Tracy will be on campus early next week when he visits Pitt on Tuesday. He told us he’ll be visiting Minnesota this weekend, Georgia Tech on Monday, Baylor on Tuesday, Pitt on Wednesday and Utah on Thursday. That’s a lot of travel, but that’s what he’s got planned.
Reggie Virgil - Wide receiver, Miami (Oh.)
Tracy’s teammate at Miami, Virgil was a second-team All-MAC selection after posting 816 yards and nine touchdowns on 41 catches. Virgil is bigger than Tracy - he’s listed at 6’4” and 190 pounds - and could provide some needed size in Pitt’s receiver room. The Panthers aren’t the only interested team, of course; more than 20 Power-4 teams have offered him, and he already visited Michigan State before heading to Texas Tech today. It’s going to be a battle - a high-priced one, most likely - for Virgil, so we’ll see if Pitt can get him on campus.
- There’s one other name I’ll touch on here.
Anthony Colandrea - Quarterback, Virginia
I dismissed this initially, but I think there might be more here than I suspected. I knew Pitt had been in contact with Colandrea, but I didn’t think there was much to it and I didn’t expect it to go anywhere, mostly because Pitt has a starting quarterback for 2025, and I can’t see Colandrea going to a school where he would almost certainly be the backup.
But the more I’ve dug into it, the more I think there is some legitimate interest. Again, I think the interest is only in acquiring him as a backup, so I can’t really see it from his angle. But it’s something to keep an eye on.
- So right now, we’re looking at three visits for Pitt this weekend: receiver Noah Jennings and offensive linemen Derek Simmons and Rhatrel Perry. We’ll see what comes of those visits and if anyone else comes to town (which I think will be the case).
- The top priority from the very start has been rebuilding the offensive line. I get the sense that Pitt believes it has a franchise quarterback in Eli Holstein (and I don’t entirely disagree), but as we saw this season, things get rough when the offensive line starts breaking down - even for a franchise quarterback.
The sense I get is that Pitt is intent on not going into next season with the same situation on the offensive line as the one that the team entered 2024 with. The coaches want experienced veterans for the starting lineup and some quality backups to fill in the depth. The starters are of the utmost importance, but the depth is important, too, since we saw what one injury did to Pitt’s offensive line - and, by extension, the offense - this past season.
The goal, from what I’m told is to get tackles. The staff largely feels good about Ryan Baer, Lyndon Cooper and B.J. Williams, but they need two more linemen to fill out the lineup. If that has to be a guard and a tackle, they’ll take it, but if they can get two tackles and potentially move Baer inside to guard, that’s an option on the table as well.
Either way, they want linemen, first and foremost, from the portal this offseason. To that end, we’ve seen a pretty heavy emphasis on offensive linemen in the portal, and the first weekend will have a couple coming to campus.
- Here’s a look at the top offensive line targets for the staff so far (in no particular order):
Derek Simmons - Offensive tackle, Western Carolina
Yep, another Western Carolina transfer target. Simmons actually transferred to WCU after starting his career at Abilene Christian. After joining the Catamounts (and sitting out a year due to the old transfer rules), Simmons started 16 games over the last two seasons. That was a start for every game he played, as he missed some due to injury. But when he started, Simmons lined up at tackle, which is where he would be most needed at Pitt.
Simmons is expected to visit this weekend, and he’s apparently also planning a visit to Oklahoma this weekend, too.
Rahtrel Perry - Offensive tackle, Central Connecticut State
Perry was the starting left tackle for Central Connecticut State this year and allowed four sacks on 430 pass-block snaps according to Pro Football Focus. I’ve talked to some people who think Perry might be the best of the offensive tackles Pitt is looking at, and I think the Panthers are high on his list. He’s also visiting Syracuse this weekend and is also looking at Maryland, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Washington, Virginia and Houston.
Will Jados - Offensive tackle, Miami (Oh.)
Jados has started the last 27 games at left tackle over the last two seasons and started 11 of the Redhawks’ 13 games in 2022. In 1,173 pass-block snaps over that span, he allowed nine sacks, per PFF. In addition to his offer from Pitt, Jados has offers from Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Wake Forest. He’s another big tackle - listed at 6’8” and 307 pounds - and would be another nice fit blocking on the edge.
Kendall Stanley - Offensive tackle, Charlotte
Stanley started every game for Charlotte this season and allowed two sacks total with around one pressure per game. Since he went into the portal, Stanley has gotten offers from Virginia Tech, Oregon State, Kansas, Memphis, BYU, Miami (Fla.) and Pitt. We're still working to see what we can find about Stanley; we'll add more as we get it.
Alex Wollschlaeger - Offensive tackle, Bowling Green
Wollschlaeger has started 37 games at right tackle over the last three seasons with seven sacks allowed, according to PFF. He’s a 6’7” 305-pound senior with one year of eligibility remaining, and he went into the portal after earning first-team All-MAC honors in 2024. Since he announced his transfer, Wollschlaeger has received offers from Kentucky, Northwestern, Pitt, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Nebraska, Arkansas, N.C. State Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Florida State. That’s an impressive list, to be sure, and Wollschlaeger told us he is starting his visits with a trip to Indiana today and Kentucky on Saturday. Pitt is in consideration for a visit, too, but as of Friday morning, he had not decided whether he would see the Panthers in person.
For now - and things can (and probably will) change - it seems like these five offensive line targets have emerged at the top of Pitt’s board. There are a few common themes here: chief among them being that all five are offensive tackles and all five have a lot of starting experience. It’s clear what the staff is going for: experienced, talented offensive tackles who can step in and play right away.
- The other top priority has been at receiver. With Konata Mumpfield graduating from a group that felt a little thin to begin with, the staff is hoping to add to the ranks from the portal. Here are some targets who have emerged so far - and where the Panthers stand.
Noah Jennings - Wide receiver, Charleston Southern
Jennings is a 6’1” 185-pound receiver who caught 46 passes for 475 yard and three touchdowns this season after earning freshman All-America honors (second team) from Phil Steele last year. He went into the portal on Dec. 8 and has since picked up offers from Pitt, Georgia Southern, East Carolina and Washington State. The Panthers will get a look at him in-person when he visits this weekend (he was on his way to Pitt as of this afternoon), and he’s also looking to visit East Carolina and Cincinnati in the next week.
Javon Tracy - Wide receiver, Miami (Oh.)
Tracy caught 57 passes for 818 yards and seven touchdowns this past season - he threw a touchdown pass, too - and he was named first-team All-MAC for that performance. A 6’” 200-pound receiver, Tracy will be on campus early next week when he visits Pitt on Tuesday. He told us he’ll be visiting Minnesota this weekend, Georgia Tech on Monday, Baylor on Tuesday, Pitt on Wednesday and Utah on Thursday. That’s a lot of travel, but that’s what he’s got planned.
Reggie Virgil - Wide receiver, Miami (Oh.)
Tracy’s teammate at Miami, Virgil was a second-team All-MAC selection after posting 816 yards and nine touchdowns on 41 catches. Virgil is bigger than Tracy - he’s listed at 6’4” and 190 pounds - and could provide some needed size in Pitt’s receiver room. The Panthers aren’t the only interested team, of course; more than 20 Power-4 teams have offered him, and he already visited Michigan State before heading to Texas Tech today. It’s going to be a battle - a high-priced one, most likely - for Virgil, so we’ll see if Pitt can get him on campus.
- There’s one other name I’ll touch on here.
Anthony Colandrea - Quarterback, Virginia
I dismissed this initially, but I think there might be more here than I suspected. I knew Pitt had been in contact with Colandrea, but I didn’t think there was much to it and I didn’t expect it to go anywhere, mostly because Pitt has a starting quarterback for 2025, and I can’t see Colandrea going to a school where he would almost certainly be the backup.
But the more I’ve dug into it, the more I think there is some legitimate interest. Again, I think the interest is only in acquiring him as a backup, so I can’t really see it from his angle. But it’s something to keep an eye on.
- So right now, we’re looking at three visits for Pitt this weekend: receiver Noah Jennings and offensive linemen Derek Simmons and Rhatrel Perry. We’ll see what comes of those visits and if anyone else comes to town (which I think will be the case).
