Pitt’s transfer portal exodus last offseason sent roughly two dozen players to new programs, and the early returns are already rolling in. Some are piling up starts, some are buried on the depth chart, and a few have already delivered standout performances.
Kenny Johnson turned in the loudest showing of the bunch last Friday. After starting Texas Tech’s first two games, he came off the bench in the Red Raiders’ 28-26 win over Houston and caught four passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Through three games, he leads Texas Tech with 13 receptions for 230 yards and one score.
At quarterback, Cole Gonzales has been busy for Charlotte. He has started all three games for the 0-3 49ers, throwing for 661 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.
In Saturday’s 26-21 loss at Appalachian State, he completed 62.9% of his passes for 211 yards and two interceptions. Elsewhere, Eli Holstein did not play in Virginia’s loss to West Virginia on Saturday night, while David Lynch has started all four games for 0-4 Holy Cross and has thrown for 862 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions.
There’s been a mixed bag for the skill players. Derrick Davis has nine carries for 25 yards and one touchdown across three games for Western Carolina, and he has added four catches for 39 yards.
Juelz Goff has appeared in only one of Boise State’s three games, making his season debut two weeks ago in a 38-20 win over Memphis and rushing three times for 22 yards, including an 18-yard run. Zion Fowler-El has started the last three games for Wagner and leads the team with 18 catches for 151 yards on 30 targets, though he is still waiting for his first touchdown.
A few linemen are settling into full-time roles. Jackson Brown has started all three games at right tackle for UNLV.
Lyndon Cooper has started every game at center for Vanderbilt, including Saturday’s win over N.C. State, where he played before transferring to Pitt.
Tai Ray has started both of Western Kentucky’s games this season, though his usage has fluctuated; he played only six snaps in the Hilltoppers’ Week Two loss at Georgia and came off the bench against Indiana in Week Three. Caleb Holmes logged five snaps at right guard in Jacksonville State’s win over Eastern Kentucky in Week 1, but he did not play in the Gamecocks’ Week 0 loss to North Dakota State or in the two games since.
On defense, several former Panthers are carving out regular roles. Maverick Gracio has come off the bench in all three of Ball State’s games and has five tackles and two pressures.
Francis Brewu has moved into the starting lineup for Notre Dame, starting the Irish’s last two games after coming off the bench in the opener; he has seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and six pressures for the 3-0 Irish. Jahsear Whittington has started all three games for Nebraska at defensive tackle and has posted six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and seven pressures.
Rasheem Biles has also started every game for Texas and picked off his second pass of the season Saturday in the Longhorns’ win over UTSA. He has 11 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two interceptions and three pressures.
Other defenders are still working into the rotation. Davion Pritchard has played as a reserve cornerback in all three of Kent State’s games, totaling 53 defensive snaps and four tackles.
Nico Crawford has been Michigan’s primary long-snapper through three games, while Henry Searcy has handled the same job for Charlotte. Trey Butkowski is 2-for-2 on field goals for Michigan, with makes from 40 and 49 yards.
Sam Carpenter is 2-for-3 on field goals and perfect on PATs for Sam Houston. James London, who left Pitt before the 2025 season after not winning the starting kicker job, is 6-for-7 on field goals for Appalachian State, including a season-long 47-yarder in last Saturday’s win over Charlotte.
Cade Dowd is punting for Central Oklahoma and has averaged 37.2 yards on nine punts.
Among the notable transfers from previous years, Jordan Bass played 14 defensive snaps in Virginia Tech’s season opener but has been limited to special teams in the last two games. Samuel Okunlola has come off the bench in all three of Virginia Tech’s games and has three tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and three pressures. Sincere Edwards has bounced between roles at UCF, working off the bench in the opener, starting the loss at Pitt and then returning to reserve duty against Georgia State on Saturday; he has 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and nine pressures.
Ryland Gandy has become a key corner for Indiana, moving into a top role in the opener against North Texas and starting the last two games. He has nine tackles and a forced fumble, while allowing seven catches on 10 targets for 71 yards.
Israel Polk made his first appearance of the season for Oklahoma State in Saturday’s win over Murray State, and he was targeted once and caught it for 12 yards. Khalil Anderson, who signed with Pitt in the 2021 recruiting class, has been a reserve cornerback for Missouri State in its first three games, playing 38 defensive snaps and making three tackles.
He has also been targeted once and did not allow a reception.