Pitt RB Juelz Goff Enters Transfer Portal, Shaking Up Panthers’ Backfield Depth
Pitt’s running back room is undergoing a shakeup, and redshirt freshman Juelz Goff is the latest domino to fall. The Pennsylvania native has officially entered the transfer portal, making him the fourth Panther from the 2025 roster to do so in recent days, joining Jesse Anderson, Jackson Brown, and Zion Fowler-El.
Goff’s departure comes after a season where he saw the field in all 12 regular-season games, contributing both on the ground and through the air. He totaled 270 rushing yards on 69 carries, finding the end zone five times.
As a pass-catcher, Goff added 93 yards on 12 receptions. His most productive outing came in a dominant win over Boston College, where he carried the ball 17 times for 59 yards and a touchdown - one of just two games he started this season.
The opportunity for Goff to step into a larger role emerged early in the year when preseason All-American Desmond Reid was in and out of the lineup due to injury. For a while, Goff looked like he might seize that moment.
But over the back half of the season, true freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner took over the spotlight. Turner started three of the final four games and led the team in both rushing yards (652) and rushing touchdowns (7), establishing himself as the Panthers’ lead back heading into the future.
Goff’s journey to this point is one that began with plenty of promise. A standout at Central York High School, he rewrote the school’s record books with 3,761 career rushing yards.
His senior season was especially impressive - 1,623 yards and 31 touchdowns earned him first-team all-state honors. Rated a three-star recruit in the 2024 class, Goff chose Pitt over offers from Boston College, Duke, and Rutgers.
His college career got off to a slow start due to a wrist injury that sidelined him for most of his true freshman year. But he returned for the final three games of that season, including the bowl game against Toledo, where he touched the ball 10 times for 62 yards - enough to earn him some buzz heading into 2025.
This season, Goff served as a steady depth piece in Pitt’s backfield. While he didn’t break out as a star, he was a reliable option and would’ve likely continued in a similar role had he stayed for the 2026 campaign. Instead, he’ll look for a fresh start elsewhere, with three years of eligibility remaining.
His departure has immediate implications for Pitt’s upcoming appearance in the Go Bowling Military Bowl against East Carolina. With Reid expected to miss the game, Turner becomes the clear lead back. Behind him, the Panthers will likely lean on veteran walk-ons Justin Cook and Caleb Williams, along with true freshman Synkwan Smith, who’s now healthy after missing the early part of the season.
Looking ahead to 2026, Turner is expected to return as the starter, but the depth chart behind him is wide open. Smith and Jaylin Brown will both be redshirt freshmen, and Pitt is bringing in four-star recruit Damon Ferguson, their highest-rated signee in the class. It’s a talented but inexperienced group, and the coaching staff may look to the transfer portal themselves to add a veteran presence.
For Goff, the move represents a new chapter and a chance to find a bigger role in another backfield. For Pitt, it’s another piece in a growing offseason puzzle as the Panthers try to retool their roster and build around a backfield led by Turner and a crop of young, unproven talent.