The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

By Chris Gates | The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

There’s a lot to like about what we’re hearing from Pitt training camp right now, but nothing is more important than the development of Mason Heintschel.

Pitt has held two scrimmages thus far in training camp, and the offense has won both of them. In just about every situation where we’ve heard about how the offense performed, we’ve also heard about how good Heintschel has looked.

That’s incredibly encouraging heading into the 2026 season.

And I think what makes it particularly encouraging is how distinctly different this feels from where Pitt was a year ago.

Heintschel Is Doing What Eli Holstein Didn’t

Think back to last offseason.

Eli Holstein entered the year as Pitt’s incumbent starting quarterback. He had taken college football by storm early in the 2024 season before injuries and inconsistent play eventually derailed things.

The hope was that he would spend the offseason developing, come back healthy and take the next step as Pitt’s quarterback.

But we never really heard that.

Holstein spent a significant portion of the offseason recovering from the injury he suffered the previous season. When spring camp arrived, there weren’t many encouraging reports about his development because he was still working his way back.

Then training camp arrived, Holstein was healthy and expected to start, but some of the most interesting reports coming out of camp were actually about a true freshman named Mason Heintschel.

We eventually saw why.

Holstein struggled to begin the season, particularly against West Virginia and Louisville. The accuracy wasn’t there. The decision-making wasn’t there. Pitt eventually made a change, and Heintschel took over.

Now Heintschel enters his second season facing a very similar question.

Can he take the next step?

So far, everything we’re hearing suggests the answer could be yes.

The Comparison Between Heintschel and Holstein Was Fair

I thought this was a legitimate question at the end of last season: How different was Mason Heintschel really from Eli Holstein?

Their initial breakthroughs were remarkably similar.

Holstein burst onto the scene in 2024 and immediately became one of the biggest stories surrounding Pitt football. He made ridiculous plays, led a memorable comeback against West Virginia and helped Pitt get off to a tremendous start.

Eventually, though, things fizzled.

Heintschel did something similar last season.

He stepped into the starting lineup as a freshman with a quick win at home followed by an impressive road win at Florida State. Pitt started winning, and suddenly the Panthers were nationally relevant again. College GameDay came to Pittsburgh. Heintschel became one of the most interesting young quarterbacks in college football.

And then Pitt’s season fizzled.

The Panthers lost to Notre Dame and Miami. They lost to East Carolina in the bowl game. Heintschel didn’t play particularly well down the stretch, either.

So I think it was perfectly reasonable to enter this offseason wondering whether we were watching the same story play out for a second consecutive year.

This offseason is where Heintschel appears to be separating himself.

The Training Camp Hype Feels Different

We always need to acknowledge something when talking about college football training camp: We don’t actually get to see very much.

• Pitt keeps training camp pretty locked down.
• Media availability is limited.
• Injuries generally aren’t discussed.

Coaches understandably want to promote their players and build excitement around the upcoming season.

It’s talking season.

I’ve been through enough Pitt offseasons to know how easy it is to get caught up in positive reports in August only to discover in September and October that some of those things never materialized.

So all of this comes with an obvious disclaimer: Heintschel still needs to do it when the games count.

But the amount of praise surrounding him is becoming difficult to ignore.

It isn’t simply Pitt’s coaches saying their quarterback looks good.

When ACC Network visited Pitt’s practice, Heintschel reportedly put together an outstanding performance. In the days that followed, the people who watched that practice continued talking about him and the potential he has entering this season.

That matters to me.

We haven’t consistently heard this type of hype surrounding a Pitt quarterback in recent years. You might have to go back to Kenny Pickett to find anything comparable, and even then, I’m not sure the expectations surrounding Pickett entering his breakout season were as significant as some of what we’re hearing about Heintschel right now.

Pitt’s Entire Ceiling Changes If Heintschel Is This Good

This is ultimately why Heintschel’s development is the biggest story coming out of training camp.

A really good quarterback can cover up a lot of weaknesses in college football.

There are too many teams and not enough elite players for everybody to have a perfect roster. Most teams are going to have positions where they lack experience, depth or high-end talent.

But if you have an elite player at the most important position on the field, you can overcome a lot of that.

And Pitt might have one.

If Heintschel develops into one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the ACC — and potentially one of the better quarterbacks nationally — the entire outlook for Pitt changes.

We already know what Pat Narduzzi’s defenses generally look like. I expect Pitt to once again have a good defense this season.

Now imagine pairing that defense with an offense led by a quarterback capable of being one of the best players in the conference.

That’s how Pitt goes from being a solid football team to a legitimate ACC contender.

And Heintschel isn’t the only encouraging development on offense.

• Ja’Kyrian Turner appears to have solidified himself as Pitt’s top running back.
• True freshman Damon Ferguson has been making explosive plays throughout camp.
• There appears to be more depth at wide receiver, and Pitt seems committed to leaning into the speed it has assembled at the skill positions.

Most importantly, the offense is performing.

Pitt’s offense has won both training camp scrimmages. That’s noteworthy for a program where the defense has traditionally been ahead of the offense during this time of year.

And Heintschel is right in the middle of all of it.

Now He Has to Prove It

There’s a difference between being excited about training camp reports and declaring that Pitt has an elite quarterback.

We’re not there yet.

Heintschel has to prove it.

Fortunately, Pitt should have opportunities early in the season to show us whether this offensive development is real.

The Panthers open against Miami (OH), and games against UCF, Syracuse, and Bucknell follow. Pitt should have opportunities to score points and demonstrate that what we heard throughout August wasn’t simply training camp hype.

If Heintschel looks as good when the games start as he reportedly has throughout camp, then the conversation surrounding Pitt changes considerably.

Because Pitt doesn’t need him to simply be a little bit better than he was last season.

If the reports coming out of training camp are accurate, he may have taken several steps forward.

And if that’s true, Pitt could have something special at quarterback in 2026.