Pittsburgh Panthers
ACC
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #36
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 8.4 (#36)
- SP+ Offense
- 31.6
- SP+ Defense
- 23.5
- SRS
- 10.0
- FPI
- 7.7
- Elo
- 1614
- Talent
- 681
- Recruiting
- 214 (#44)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
7.4p10 5.0 — p90 9.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 2.6% | |
| Make CFP | 3.5% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.9% | |
| Semifinal | 0.1% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 7.5–4.5
Schedule
75th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
107th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
59th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsMiami (OH) | -3.4 | 31-20 | +10.6 | 74% | — |
| 2 | vsUCF | -1.2 | 34-19 | +14.5 | 81% | — |
| 3 | vsSyracuse | -13.1 | 34-21 | +13.5 | 79% | — |
| 4 | vsBucknell | FCS | 46-3* | +42.9 | 100% | — |
| 5 | @Virginia Tech | -10.1 | 31-26 | +4.2 | 60% | — |
| 6 | vsNorth Carolina | -6.6 | 32-19 | +13.1 | 79% | — |
| 7 | @Boston College | -8.5 | 31-24 | +7.7 | 68% | — |
| 8 | @Miami | +20.7 | 16-32 | -16.0 | 17% | — |
| 9 | vsGeorgia Tech | +9.3 | 28-26 | +1.5 | 54% | — |
| 11 | vsFlorida State | +7.2 | 26-26 | +0.4 | 51% | — |
| 12 | @Louisville | +12.4 | 20-27 | -7.3 | 33% | — |
| 13 | @California | -3.2 | 27-25 | +2.5 | 56% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 2
2026 · 65
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Mason Heintschel | FR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Holden Geriner← Texas State | JR | 6'3" | 205 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Ja'Kyrian Turner | FR | 5'9" | 180 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Desmond Reid | SR | 5'8" | 175 | — |
| RB | 3rd | La'Vell Wright← Western Kentucky | SR | 6'0" | 222 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Jalynn Williams | SR | 5'10" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Justin Cook | SR | 5'10" | 175 | — |
| RB | 6th | Caleb Williams | SO | 5'11" | 205 | — |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Raphael Williams Jr. | SR | 5'10" | 165 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Cataurus Hicks | SO | 5'10" | 175 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Deuce Spann | SR | 6'4" | 210 | — |
| WR | 4th | Bryce Yates | FR | 6'0" | 180 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Censere Lee | SR | 5'11" | 165 | — |
| WR | 6th | Tony Kinsler | FR | 5'11" | 170 | — |
| WR | 7th | Cam Sapp | FR | 5'10" | 175 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Malik Knight← Western Carolina | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Justin Holmes | SR | 6'3" | 245 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Elijah Lagg← UAB | JR | 6'4" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Jake Overman | SR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| TE | 4th | Josh Altsman | JR | 6'3" | 235 | — |
| TE | 5th | Carson Kent← Oklahoma | JR | 6'4" | 247 | ★★★ |
| TE | — | Adam Howanitz | SO | 6'4" | 235 | — |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Ryan Carretta | SO | 6'5" | 305 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Netinho Olivieri← Pennsylvania | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Isaiah Neal | SO | 6'2" | 265 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Joey Zelinsky | SR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Jimmy Scott | JR | 6'3" | 260 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Sean FitzSimmons | JR | 6'3" | 295 | — |
| DL | 5th | Nick James | JR | 6'2" | 280 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Blaine Spires | SR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★ |
| DL | 7th | Zach Crothers | FR | 6'4" | 260 | — |
| DL | 8th | Nate Temple | SR | 6'4" | 245 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Eliyt Nairne← Tulane | SO | 6'1" | 305 | ★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Jeremiah Warren← Illinois | SO | 6'3" | 305 | ★★★ |
| DL | 11th | Jaeden Moore | SO | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| DL | 12th | Trevor Sommers | FR | 6'2" | 270 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Braylan Lovelace | JR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | DeMarco Ward← Memphis | SO | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Alex Sanford Jr.← Purdue | JR | 6'1" | 232 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Cameron Lindsey | FR | 6'1" | 210 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Nick Lapi | SR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| LB | 6th | Abe Ibrahim | JR | 6'1" | 225 | — |
| LB | 7th | Davin Brewton | FR | 6'0" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Emmanuel Taylor | FR | 6'1" | 205 | ★★★ |
| LB | 9th | Luke DelGaudio | SR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| LB | — | Justin Thompson | FR | 6'2" | 235 | — |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Raion Strader← Auburn | JR | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Kanye Thompson← Slippery Rock | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Kavir Bains-Marquez | SR | 5'10" | 175 | ★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Javon McIntyre | SR | 6'1" | 195 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Cruce Brookins | SO | 6'2" | 195 | — |
| DB | 4th | Rashad Battle | SR | 6'3" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Shawn Lee Jr. | FR | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Shadarian Harrison | SO | 6'1" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Tamon Lynum | SR | 6'2" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Allen Bryant | FR | 6'0" | 180 | — |
| DB | 9th | Zion Ferguson | FR | 6'1" | 175 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Josh Guerrier | FR | 5'10" | 175 | — |
| DB | 11th | Cole Woodson | FR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| DB | 12th | Rashan Murray | SR | 6'2" | 180 | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | — | Samuel Hunsaker← Northern Arizona | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LS | 1st | Nilay Upadhyayula | SR | 5'11" | 225 | — |
| LS | — | Justin Schmidt← Purdue | FR | 6'1" | 233 | ★★ |
| P | 1st | Caleb Junko | SR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| P | — | Gabe Russo← Idaho State | — | — | — | ★★ |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
7.5
Exp. Losses
4.5
Toss-ups
4
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
31.672
Off PPA
+0.1756
Pass PPA
+0.3169
Rush PPA
+0.0631
Success
40%27
Explosive
1.3487
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Projected Leaders
2026 proj
| Pass Yds | Heintschel1,941·Geriner562 |
| Rush Yds | Turner589·Williams115·Heintschel113 |
| Rec Yds | Hicks432·Yates247·Lagg219 |
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.17 | +0.07 |
| Passing | +0.31 | +0.22 |
| Rushing | +0.06 | -0.07 |
| 1st Down | +0.01 | -0.08 |
| 2nd Down | +0.18 | +0.09 |
| 3rd Down | +0.46 | +0.32 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
35.1
PPG Against
24.9
Differential
+10.2
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 8-4
- Home
- 4-3
- Away
- 4-1
- Conference
- 6-2
- Non-Conference
- 2-2
- One-Score (≤8)
- 1-2
- Avg Margin
- +10.2
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 4-3 | 36.6 | 25.1 |
| Away | 4-1 | 33.0 | 24.6 |
| Neutral | 0-1 | 17.0 | 23.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-3 | 16.3 | 36.3 |
| Conference | 6-2 | 34.5 | 25.6 |
| Non-conference | 2-3 | 32.4 | 23.4 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 9 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 6-2 | #36 | #23 | 0-1 |
| 2024 | 7-5 | 3-5 | #50 | #18 | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 3-9 | 2-6 | #90 | — | — |
| 2022 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #40 | #17 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 11-2 | 8-1 | #9 | #13 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 6-5 | 5-5 | #41 | — | — |
| 2019 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #48 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 7-6 | 6-3 | #61 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 5-7 | 3-5 | #47 | — | — |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #23 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 8-4 | 6-2 | #33 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 6-6 | 4-4 | #26 | — | 0-1 |
Recent Form · last 5
2-3 SU · 2-2 ATS · O2/U2
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 8-5 |
| ATS | 8-467% |
| Over / Under | 8-4 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 6-1 |
| As underdog | 2-3 |
| Home | 4-3 |
| Away | 4-1 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #46 · 22 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★128 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #44 | 214 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| 2025 | #51 | 199 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 2024 | #41 | 204 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2023 | #51 | 196 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2022 | #76 | 153 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2021 | #26 | 210 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 2020 | #44 | 193 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2019 | #58 | 182 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | #47 | 193 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 2017 | #37 | 202 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 16net -5Out 21
Portal avg stars (in / out)2.9 / 3.2
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Carson Kent | TE | 3★ | ← Oklahoma |
| ▲ | Raion Strader | CB | 3★ | ← Auburn |
| ▲ | Jeremiah Warren | DL | 3★ | ← Illinois |
| ▲ | Alex Sanford Jr. | LB | 3★ | ← Purdue |
| ▼ | Francis Brewu | DL | 4★ | → Notre Dame |
| ▼ | Rasheem Biles | LB | 4★ | → Texas |
| ▼ | Shawn Lee Jr. | CB | 4★ | → — |
| ▼ | Derrick Davis Jr. | RB | 4★ | → — |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
6 items
- 2026 FSU Schedule Preview: Pitt PanthersPittsburgh in November, you say?PITT15h
- WVU Won't See Former Pitt QB Eli Holstein in Week 3 Clash vs. VirginiaZac Alley's defense will face Beau Pribula in Charlotte.
- Pat Narduzzi touts ACC as better conference than Big TenAt ACC Media Days, Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi made the bold claim that the ACC is better than the Big Ten. The post Pat Narduzzi touts ACC as better conference than Big Ten appeared first on Saturday Down South.PITT2d
- Pitt Quarterbacks to Watch For This SummerWhile the Pitt Panthers will obviously be sticking with their star quarterback Mason Heintschel, they still have a room of quarterbacks to use for any situation.
- Pitt football | 10 Panthers named to Athlon Sports preseason all-ACC teamsPITTSBURGH – The Pitt football team placed 10 student-athletes on the 2026 Athlon Sports preseason all-ACC teams, highlighted by first-team linebacker Braylan Lovelace. Lovelace, one of the nation's premier linebackers entering the 2026 season, was named to the conference's first-team defense. The Panthers had four players earn second-team recognition. Running back Ja'Kyrian Turner and ...PITT13d
- New Longhorn Rasheem Biles named top MLB by EA College Football 27As EA prepares for release of College Football 27, they are releasing player rankings this week. A new Texas Longhorn is top middle linebacker.