Pitt Wide Receiver Kenny Johnson Entering Transfer Portal
Kenny Johnson, Pitt football’s No. 1 wide receiver, is headed for the transfer portal.
According to Pete Nakos, Johnson, who has started 28 career games for the Panthers, plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
This comes as a noteworthy loss for Pitt’s wide receiver room with Johnson eligible to come back as the Panthers’ top-producing receiver for his senior season. He will turn into a coveted option in the portal with his blend of size, strong hands and adequate speed.
The 6-1, 205-pounder finished second on the Panthers behind redshirt senior Raphael Williams with 48 receptions, 695 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He also added 179 yards on punt returns and a touchdown to go along with 159 yards on kickoffs.
Johnson became a favorite target for true freshman wide receiver Mason Heintschel that included a nine-reception, 115-yard performance by Johnson in the young signal caller’s first career start. He also compiled seven receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown against NC State, which earned him ACC Wide Receiver of the Week honors.
The final game for Johnson in a Pitt uniform saw him finish with zero receptions on four targets to go along with a muffed punt against East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
Johnson is the third Pitt scholarship receiver to hit the portal, joining Zion Fowler-El and Jesse Anderson.
Following Johnson’s sophomore season, it was unclear if the York, Pa. native would return. It was reported that Johnson turned down roughly $1 million NIL offers to leave Pitt during the spring portal.
Johnson posted 46 receptions for 537 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 after becoming a notable name as a true freshman. In his first year at Pitt, he caught 15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Coming out of Dallastown High School in the 2023 recruiting class, Johnson was a consensus three-star prospect with offers from Penn State, Rutgers, WVU, Louisville, Virginia Tech and others.
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