Pitt lost another senior Wednesday when offensive tackle Matt Goncalves declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
In his announcement over X (formerly Twitter), Goncalves wrote that seeking an NFL career is “a lifelong dream.”
He also said that his five years at Pitt have been “the greatest years of my life.”
Pitt OT Matt Goncalves headed to the NFL. https://t.co/VTCRtm4kTi
— JJ Kitchen (@JJ_Kitchen40) December 6, 2023
Goncalves missed all but the first three games of this season with an undisclosed injury. Pitt offensive line coach Dave Borbely said at the time that Goncalves is ready for the NFL.
“His whole focus was ‘I want to play well this season. I’m not worried about all that stuff,’ ” Borbely said at the time of Goncalves’ injury. “But, yeah, I think he’s an NFL player.”
Goncalves (6-foot-6, 330 pounds) redshirted in 2019, but he became an important member of the offensive line for the next four seasons. He played in 35 games, with 24 starts, and was an All-ACC third-team selection in 2022.
Throughout his Pitt career, Goncalves played on the left and right side of the line, depending on the team’s needs.
He is the second Pitt player to declare for the draft since the end of the season, joining wide receiver Bub Means.
Junior Branson Taylor, who is returning in 2024 for his final season of eligibility, started at left tackle in eight games after Goncalves’ injury. Redshirt freshman right tackle Ryan Baer replaced Taylor for one game on the left side.
