Pitt Coach Blasts Deion Sanders For Portal Use

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Colorado Football Spring Game
BOULDER, COLORADO - APRIL 22: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes watches as his team plays their spring game at Folsom Field on April 22, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Not everyone's a fan of what Coach Prime has been up to.

Deion Sanders has not shied away from the transfer portal. Since taking over as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, more than 70 players have left Boulder while 34 have headed to the Pac-12 school. While there is nothing in the rulebook (yet) to prevent a coach from using the transfer portal like this, it's one of the more drastic and attention-grabbing stories in college football right now.

Meanwhile, the Pitt Panthers have had 11 players enter the portal while adding 7. The biggest addition is former Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec. The Panthers have been coached by Pat Narduzzi since 2015 and have become a respectable mid-major contender. However, it appears that Narduzzi is not a fan of Sanders' recruiting methods.

Narduzzi Says Sanders' Recruiting Makes Coaches Look Bad

EL PASO, TEXAS - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Pat Narduzzi of the Pittsburgh Panthers holds a 2022 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Champions hat after the Panthers defeated the UCLA Bruins 37-35 in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl game at Sun Bowl Stadium on December 30, 2022 in El Paso, Texas. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

“That’s not what the [transfer portal] rule intended to be,” Narduzzi told 247Sports' Brandon Marcello at the recent ACC spring meetings. “It was not to overhaul your roster. We’ll see how it works out, but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country. The reflection is on one guy right now but when you look at it overall -- those kids that have moms and dads and brothers and sisters and goals in life -- I don't know how many of those 70 that left really wanted to leave or they were kicked in the butt to get out."

Narduzzi continued. "I grew up in a profession that you can't tell a guy that he has to leave based on athletic ability," Narduzzi said. "I think he'll be shocked that he probably had some pretty good football players in that room. When I got to Pitt back in 2015, I didn't kick anybody off. Zero. Those are your guys. When you become a head coach you inherit that team and you coach that team. If someone wants to leave, that's great. You don't kick them out. I disagree with that whole process. That's not why I got in the game." However, despite using it himself, Narduzzi has never been a fan of the portal. When Jordan Addison transferred from Pitt to USC in 2022, Narduzzi went as far as to accuse USC head coach Lincoln Riley of tampering.

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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