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So, here’s some unexpected news after a decent day on the recruiting trail for Indiana football to open the signing period yesterday. Just hours after Simmie Cobbs announced his intention to head to the NFL Draft, sophomore-to-beTaysir Mack is transferring to Pitt. Evidently!
That’s all based on this tweet, from Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi:
Welcome to the family, Taysir Mack!! #L1TS8URGH #H2P pic.twitter.com/f4YAFV0pay
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) December 21, 2017
To this point, there’d been no announcement from Indiana that Mack was seeking a transfer. That’s generally standard protocol when a player is granted a release, though we’re in the offseason. But there’d been nothing — no reporting, no indication to the outside world — that Mack wasn’t going to be on the Indiana roster in 2018. Weird!
Mack had 23 catches for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2017 for the Hoosiers, the majority of those numbers coming over the final quarter of the season after starting wideout Donovan Hale went down to injury.
So in just a few hours Thursday, Indiana’s biggest strength entering 2018 has more and more question marks. Nick Westbrook and Donovan Hale should return from injury to start and give the Hoosiers big size on the outside, and Whop Philyor & Luke Timian are two of the conference’s better inside options — but there’s now a lack of depth at a position where Indiana’s always had it in abundance.