Pitt Add DL Transfer From Tulane

Nairne comes to Pitt as a redshirt junior. He stands at 6-foot-1 and 305 pounds.

Nairne was a starter at Liberty after redshirting the year prior. In his first year as a starter, he put up 25 total tackles and a sack. He transferred to Tulane the following year, where he had 13 total tackles.

His numbers at Tulane might be a little less flashy, but Nairne had a part in Tulane's great season, where they made it all the way to the College Football Playoff. Narine also had a recovered fumble in the Playoff game against Ole Miss.

Replenishing Depth

More help on the defensive line is much needed for the Panthers. Defensive tackle Francis Brewu entered the transfer portal earlier this month. Brewu was an All-ACC Honorable Mention and had his best year in 2025.

The team also just recently lost defensive lineman Jahsear Whittington to the transfer portal. Nairne could make for a good replacement, as both he and Whittington had seven solo tackles this recent season.

Pitt recently signed defensive tackle Jeremiah Warren from Illinois. Warren totaled 13 tackles in his two years playing with Illinois and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten player.

Nick James, Sean FitzSimmons and Isaiah Neal are the only D-line starters confirmed to return for the Panthers so far.

Other defensive additions from the portal include linebacker DeMarco Ward from Memphis and defensive backs Raion Strader from Auburn and Kanye Thompson from Slippery Rock.

As the Panthers' star linebacker Rasheem Biles has officially transferred away, a lot of work has to be done to make up for the lost production on defense. Pitt has been doing a decent job by getting players who have played at the highest levels, but there is definitely more that can be done.

It will be hard to find a true star player in the transfer portal, but there are still a lot of players out there who have put up good stats so far in their collegiate careers. Beyond just transfer, Pitt still has a lot of defensive players on the roster who they might just be keeping faith in.