A few weeks ago, Mason Heintschel didn’t fully know how to respond when asked why no Power Four programs, save for Pitt, offered him a scholarship as a high school recruit.

Seven starts into his collegiate career, and many of those schools are likely wondering the same in retrospect.

Ja’Kyrian Turner had a slightly higher-profile recruitment, attracting offers from West Virginia, Wake Forest and Nebraska among several smaller institutions.

But now, following a 201-yard outburst against No. 15 Georgia Tech, Turner probably has caused similar head-scratching as to how he flew under the radar.

“What attracted us was just his athletic ability,” coach Pat Narduzzi said of his true freshman tailback, a Bushnell, Fla., native. “There’s a lot of good, skilled guys across the country. Some people miss, some people don’t. But obviously, great recruiting evaluation. … You got a guy that can run the football, he can catch it out of the backfield and he’s pretty fast.”

Narduzzi noted that on Turner’s decisive, 56-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter versus Georgia Tech, he reached a top speed of 20.97 mph, leading all Panthers in the team’s 42-28 upset.

Ja'Kyrian Turner runs it 56 yards up the middle for a Pitt TD pic.twitter.com/t7Zcd13vIh

— The off-season (@TheOffSeasonCFB) November 23, 2025

It was that speed the Panthers saw on tape when recruiting Turner, who arrived on campus in January as an early enrollee.

From the jump, Heintschel gravitated toward his new teammate.

“He’s such a dawg, it’s unbelievable,” Heintschel told reporters Saturday in Atlanta. “I knew as soon as we got here that he was going to be special. … Just the amount of work and hours that he puts in in the film room and on the field — I think that’s a testament to what you saw (Turner do versus Georgia Tech). (We’re) missing (Desmond Reid), but he makes up for it in so many big ways. He’s such a special player.”

There are multiple crossovers within the journeys of Heintschel and Turner, from their mutual under-recruitment to emerging unexpectedly as key contributors for the Panthers this fall.

Pitt’s preseason offensive outlook centered around Eli Holstein making strides from an impressive 2024 and Reid following up an All-American campaign in which he posted a combined 1,541 yards of rushing and receiving.

But, as Pitt fans know, Holstein was benched following four games and Reid has often been unavailable because of injury.

In their places, Heintschel and Turner have stepped up, helping the Panthers reach the precipice of the ACC title game.

“It means a lot, but it means I’ve just got to keep working every day, keep preparing every day — just keep ready to help the team win,” Turner said of his role. “Whatever I’ve got to do to keep going on and on.”

Turner stole the show Saturday as Pitt clobbered the Yellow Jackets early, stagnated offensively as the game went on but held on to win, keeping the championship aspirations alive and well.

It was Turner who delivered the knockout blow, as with 2 minutes, 49 seconds to play and Pitt’s lead trimmed to 35-28, he busted upfield for a long touchdown run.

“Without the O-line blocking, none of that would have happened,” Turner said. “I just trusted my gap, and I just hit it.”

THIS RUN BY JA'KYRIAN TURNER ????@Pitt_FB putting on a dominant 1st half performance.

???? @espn pic.twitter.com/BjmJZo9EVe

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 23, 2025

Earlier in the game, Turner had a powerful run of 33 yards to set up Pitt’s first touchdown, had a 20-yard gain on the Panthers’ second touchdown drive and rushed 18 yards one play before his team made it 21-0 early in the second quarter.

For his efforts, he was named ACC Running Back and Rookie of the Week.

Turner is Pitt’s leading rusher this season, collecting 633 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns and 5.4 yards-per-carry average.

He was inactive because of an injury to start the season, and when Reid first went down Sept. 13 in the Backyard Brawl, Pitt turned to redshirt freshman Juelz Goff at tailback.

But over the ensuing weeks, Turner carved out a larger role for himself, leading to a 122-yard performance Nov. 1 at Stanford.

Turner’s steadily increasing role culminated Saturday with a dominating performance on the road versus a ranked team, where he became Pitt’s first 200-yard single-game rusher since Israel Abanikanda in 2022.

The scope of what Turner is capable of is only beginning to emerge, according to Narduzzi.

“He’s just a baby,” Narduzzi said. “He’s going to be really good. I said this all camp to the guys who have been with our program. I’m so happy for him. Ja’Kyrian — big-time game (Saturday) for him.”

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