Pitt to Start True Freshman Mason Heintschel at QB Against Boston College
Pitt football is making a change at quarterback ahead of its matchup with Boston College Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
True freshman Mason Heintschel will start at quarterback for Pitt against the Eagles, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN
It will be the first-career collegiate start for Heintschel as he will become the first Pitt true freshman to start at quarterback since Kenny Pickett did so against No. 2 Miami on Nov. 24, 2017.
The move comes after redshirt sophomore and second-year starter Eli Holstein was benched in the fourth quarter against Louisville following two interceptions and failing to score in the second half.
There were high expectations for Holstein in his second season as the Panthers signal caller, but inconsistent play has held him back against West Virginia and Louisville, leading to two losses and evening the Panthers’ record at 2-2.
It’s a change of course for the Panthers after head coach Pat Narduzzi remained steady with Holstein as the starting option this week in his press conferences. Heintschel had taken first-team reps during practice this week.
Heintschel will also start over senior Cole Gonzales, who has been listed as the backup on the two-deep depth chart since the start of the season. Gonzales replaced Holstein against Louisville and could not spark a comeback as he completed 3-of-6 passes for 31 yards and an interception.
An Oregon, Ohio native, Heintschel has seen the field once this season in relief against Central Michigan. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 36 yards with a long of 20 yards to tight end Max Hunt.
The 6-2, 215-pound Heintschel received a lot of buzz during spring ball and carried that over into training camp. During the Pitt spring game, he went 8-of-11 for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Heintschel was a three-year starter at Clay High School and finished with 7,322 passing yards and 79 touchdowns. As a senior, he completed 188-of-272 passes (69.1%) for 2,444 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also added 770 rushing yards and sic touchdowns as Clay won the 2024 NLL Cardinal Division championship.
Coming out of high school, Heintschel was a four-star recruit, according to Rivals, and was the No. 24 quarterback in the 2025 cycle.
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