:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67016476/IMG_9716_Elias_Reynolds.0.jpg)
Former Pitt linebacker Elias Reynolds entered the NCAA transfer portal last November, and on Friday, it was announced that he would continue his collegiate career at the FCS level with Colonial program Stony Brook.
.@StonyBrookFB Lands Standout Linebacker Transfer Elias Reynolds from @Pitt_FB. Details: https://t.co/dWn4wwqv9I
— Stony Brook Athletics (@SBAthletics) July 3, 2020
“They had the best to offer: great people, staff, coaches, academics, facilities — and all in my own backyard,” Reynolds said in a statement provided by Stony Brook. “It doesn’t get any better than that. I’m coming home.”
Home for Reynolds is Brooklyn, New York, where he once starred at Poly Prep Country Day School in the borough’s Dyker Heights neighborhood. And the transfer will bring Reynolds within 65 miles of his old school, as Stony Brook is located in Long Island.
During his time at Pitt, Reynolds saw action in 19 games over three seasons and tallied a total of 68 tackles, including six tackles for losses and 3.5 sacks, and one pass breakup. His most productive year at Pitt came in 2018, as he played in 11 games that season and amassed 49 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for losses.
“I am extremely excited about Elias joining our football program,” Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore said. “I believe we have added a quality person as well as an outstanding football player. We look forward to helping him reach both his academic and athletic goals.”
At Stony Brook, Reynolds will be reunited with former Pitt and Poly Prep teammate Justin Morgan. Morgan was an offensive lineman who joined Pitt in 2016 and was released two years later for undisclosed reasons. Reynolds and Morgan both recently accused Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi of racially insensitive conduct during their time at Pitt.
The Seawolves are coming off a 5-7 season but posted a 10-win campaign as recently as 2017. In fact, had Stony Brook not run into perennial powerhouse and 2017 FCS runner-up James Madison, it may have survived the second round of the playoffs and advanced to face lower-ranked Weber State that year.
The 6’2”, 235-pound linebacker recently graduated from Pitt with a bachelor’s degree and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at Stony Brook.