PITTSBURGH — A former Pitt Panthers defensive lineman will head back and play for his hometown team in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs announced that they signed defensive end Nate Matlack, while placing both safety Deon Bush and defensive end Janarius Robinson on Reserve/Injuured.
We have signed Free Agent DE Nate Matlack.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 11, 2025
We have placed S Deon Bush and DE Janarius Robinson on Reserve/Injured. pic.twitter.com/WPLyzo73SR
Matlack played for Olathe High School in Olathe, Kan., the fourth most populous city in the state with 141,290 inhabitants and located about 25 miles south west of Kansas City, Mo. He would commit to Kansas State in the Class of 2020 and spent four seasons with the program.
He redshirted in 2020, but had an excellent freshman season in 2021, making 17 tackles (13 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, earning himself an Honorable Mention for Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year from the coaches.
He spent two more seasons with the WIldcats, with a solid showing in 2023, making 15 tackles (11 solo), as well as 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
Matlack made the decision to enter the transfer portal and ended up at Pitt following the end of the 2023 season.
He played in spring ball for the Panthers and then started all 13 games at defensive end under new defensive line coach TIm Daoust in 2024. He finished with 22 tackles (18 solo), eight tackles for loss, five sacks, three passes defended and one forced fumble.
Matlack made a season-high three tackles five times, in the comeback wins over rivals in Cincinnati on the road in the River City Rivalry in Week 2 and West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl at home in Week 3, and losses vs. Virginia at home in Week 10 and both Louisville and Boston College on the road in Week 13 and Week 14, respectively.
Pitt had three players go in the 2025 NFL Draft, as the Los Angeles Chargers took offensive tackle Branson Taylor at No. 199 overall and the Minnesota Vikings selected tight end Gavin Bartholomew at No. 202 overall, both in the sixth round, and the Los Angeles Rams took wide receiver Konata Mumpfield at No. 242 overall in the seventh round.
He will join former Pitt teammate on the Chiefs in linebacker Brandon George, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent (UDFA).
Matlack also worked out for the Carolina Panthers on July 26, before signing with the Chiefs.
They also had two players sign as undrafted free agents with NFL teams, including placekicker Ben Sauls with the Steelers and defensive back Donovan McMillon with the Cleveland Browns.
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