Pitt Transfer Center Ruled Out Indefinitely

PITTSBURGH - The Pitt Panthers will now enter the 2025-26 basketball season without one of its key transfer portal pickups.

Iowa State transfer center Dishon Jackson will be out indefinitely with an undisclosed medical condition, the program announced today.

“I’ve appreciated the concern and outreach recently,” Jackson wrote in a statement. “I’ve been dealing with a medical issue for years and because of my family and support system, I've always managed to get through it and come out on the other end of it better. While I’m currently away from my team and basketball family, I am focused on getting back to full health. I am grateful for the support from my coaches, teammates and everyone who’s been with me through this.”

Jackson - a 6-foot-11, 275-pound center from Oakland, Calif. - was expected to be a key front court piece for the Panthers this season. He was added with the expectation that he could provide a much-needed presence on the interior - something the Panthers have lacked in recent seasons.

Jackson is coming off a season at Iowa State in which he averaged 8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, starting 33 of 35 contests.

He started his collegiate career at Washington State in 2020 and spent three seasons with the Cougars, but he did miss the entire 2022-23 season due to a health-related issue.

According to an article by Jack Lido of KCRG.com, Jackson was born with a genetic variation in his heart. Jackson said in the article that he had to get a defibrillator implanted in his body - a device that applies an electrical shock to the heart to get it out of a potentially fatal heart rhythm and back into a normal rhythm.

He transferred to Charlotte for the 2023-24 season, averaging 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in a strong return to the court, and parlayed that into another high-major opportunity.

It remains unclear exactly what Jackson is dealing with this time around, but it appears likely that it has to due with the previous issue.

Pitt will now be forced to rely more heavily on Cam Corhen on the inside, with some combination of Amdy Ndiaye and Papa Amadou Kante. Kieran Mullen is the only other true center on the roster, but the Panthers already announced he will be redshirting this season.

If Jackson is unable to return to the court this season, it will be a huge blow to the back court, especially when it comes to head coach Jeff Capel's plan to add physicality and grit to this season's team.