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Pitt tight end Daniel Moraga entered the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday, ending a one-season stint in Pittsburgh. The former junior college standout came to Pitt from Ventura College in Ventura, California, committing in December 2019. However, he played a limited role after his arrival on campus.
2020 JUCO signee TE Daniel Moraga has entered the transfer portal after grabbing 4 rec for 42 yards and 1 TD during his one season with Pittsburgh @rivalsmike @PantherLair https://t.co/Ek8USR2LfZ
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) August 6, 2021
Although Moraga played in 10 games and started six, he finished his Pitt career with a total of just four receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown. In addition, the majority of his production came in Pitt’s 31-19 loss to Miami on Oct. 17, when he accrued 24 yards and a touchdown on a season-high two receptions.
Before coming to Pittsburgh, Moraga was a standout at Pacifica High School in Oxnard, California. During his senior season at Pacifica, Moraga amassed 1,087 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 60 receptions. After that, he redshirted at Fresno State in 2017 but then moved down to the junior college level to play closer to home at Ventura College.
The 6’4”, 240-pound tight end played in just seven of Ventura’s 12 games in 2019 and finished the season with 205 yards and two touchdowns on 17 receptions. However, he closed out his junior college career with a solid performance in the Joe Kapp Real Estate Beach Bowl, catching eight passes for 119 yards and one touchdown in a 46-39 loss.
With Moraga gone, Pitt will be down a tight end heading into the first day of training camp on Friday. However, the team retains Gavin Bartholomew, Grant Carrigan, Lucas Krull, Jake Renda and Kyi Wright at the position. Krull is expected to start for Pitt after missing most of the 2020 season with an injury.
Moraga is the sixth Pitt player to enter the transfer portal in 2021. In addition to Moraga, the team has seen Logan Clouse, Liam Dick, Will Gipson, Malik Newton and Carson Van Lynn leave this offseason. Clouse is now playing for Franklin and Marshall at the Division III level, Dick has moved on to Texas State, Newton is now with Division II program West Virginia State, Van Lynn is on the roster of ACC Coastal rival Duke and Gipson has yet to announce his next destination.