Pitt Football: Rushel Shell to transfer to UCLA
By Matt Shetler
It looks as if the Rushel Shell saga has come to an end for the Pitt football program.
Multiple media outlets have reported that Shell has decided to officially transfer to UCLA confirming what we knew earlier and that his intentions were to head out west.
November 24, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Rushel Shell (4) carries the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Last month, Pittsburgh announced that Shell was taking some time away from football to “work through some challenges,” then two days later officially filed his transfer papers
Shell requested a release from his scholarship to Arizona State, Arizona, Cal and UCLA, but Pitt denied his request to transfer to Arizona State, where former Pitt coach Todd Graham is the coach. Shell also wasn’t allowed to transfer to Arizona because former Pitt staffers coach there as well.
As a freshman, Shell ran for 641 yards and four touchdowns.
The Hopewell native came into Pitt after becoming the WPIAL’s all-time leading rusher and was the No. 3 rated running back in that class, having been recruited by schools such as Alabama, Florida, Ohio State and Tennessee.
At the time, Shell looked like a great grab for the Panthers and a guy that could be the focal point of turning around the Panthers fortunes on the field.
That’s all over now as the book on Shell has officially been closed.
Shell will have to sit out the 2013 season because of transfer rules.