Johnson: Roy Williams trying to convince Pitt to waive my transfer restriction

Pittsburgh is continuing to hold firm to a policy that will limit the number of schools Cameron Johnson can transfer to, but it seems Johnson now has one very noteworthy ally in his corner.

According to Johnson, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams is attempting to convince Pitt to waive their restriction on Johnson and allow him to join the Tar Heels as a graduate transfer with availability to play next season, according to Andrew Carter of The News & Observer.

"Right now, I’m letting coach Williams see what he can do from his end, from the North Carolina end," Johnson said.

Related: Pitt restricting grad transfer Johnson from joining other ACC programs

In Johnson's case, Pitt is acting under NCAA transfer rules that allow programs to force transfers to sit out a year if that player decides to join a conference opponent. Pittsburgh does have the power to waive that right, but has yet to do so.

“It’s kind of hard to say what my reaction is,” Johnson said. “I was hoping they would let it be full a release, but I guess they have their reasons for putting the one-year sit-out for the transfer.”

ESPN analyst and former Duke basketball player Jay Bilas immediately expressed his disagreement with Pitt, siding with Johnson and his deserved freedom to transfer anywhere he chooses without penalty.

If Williams is able to succeed in convincing Pitt to allow Johnson to become a Tar Heel stipulation free, it would be a significant addition to a team looking to repeat as national champions.