3 Pitt football newcomers who'll have the biggest impacts in 2024

2. Nate Matlack, DE (Kansas State)

From 2020-2022, Pitt held its opponents to under 100 rushing yards per game on average. Last season, the Panthers’ defensive front took a step back and allowed a mere 164 rushing yards per game.

What happened? The biggest issue was not having a dominant player in the trenches and, to make matters worse, the unit loses five defensive linemen, including third-team All-ACC member Dayon Haynes.

Experience is now a big question mark up front, but that’s where Kansas State transfer Nate Matlack enters the conversation. A seven-game starter in 2023, Matlack had a career year behind 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks while competing in the Big 12. He has 39 career games under his belt, which is something Pitt fans hope translates to giving the Panthers a better run defense and pass rush in 2023.