Pitt names 5 captains, prepares to break camp

With the wide-ranging results he’s been a part of at Pitt, Javon McIntyre can offer leadership from a unique vantage point.

His teammates recognized as much Friday, when the redshirt senior safety was named one of Pitt’s five captains for 2025, along with tailback Desmond Reid, tight end Jake Overman, center Lyndon Cooper and linebacker Kyle Louis.

McIntyre, preparing for his fifth campaign with the Panthers, has seen it all since arriving on campus in 2021.

“I came in winning an ACC championship my freshman year, but my first year starting, we went 3-9,” McIntyre said during Pitt’s annual Kickoff Luncheon on Friday at Acrisure Stadium. “I can tell them about the good parts and the bad times. I think I have a lot of knowledge for the young guys on what we did wrong the year we were 3-9 and what we did right the year we won the championship.”

Dorin Dickerson, serving as the event’s keynote speaker, made note of the Panthers’ returning All-America talent on both sides of the ball in Reid and Louis.

A former first-team All-America (2009) tight end with the Panthers, the six-year NFL veteran and 93.7 FM host recognized the importance of having such players as program cornerstones around which to build.

“My vibe is, if you have two All-Americans on your team, one being on offense and one being on defense, you should be a good football team,” he said. “Those guys are the best in the country, and you should rally around those guys. … They showed what they were capable of last year, but they just didn’t complete it. I’m expecting big things. They have a lot of guys that can play at a high level.”

Coach Pat Narduzzi, entering Year 11 in Oakland, last had a team with five captains in 2013.

But he wasn’t about to contest the voting results of his team, which selected McIntyre, Reid, Overman, Cooper and Louis as this year’s leaders.

Pitt’s 2025 captains come in different shades.

Your 2025 Pitt Football Captains!! Voted by their teammates- these players will lead our team this season!! #EGK #WeNotMe #H2P pic.twitter.com/4q9YvBmfla

— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) August 22, 2025

Whereas McIntyre has spent his entire collegiate career with the Panthers, Reid, Overman and Cooper are only entering Year 2 in the program.

For those three, the honor was particularly special.

“To be here and to be named a captain for the Pitt Panthers for the 2025 year is honestly a blessing,” the redshirt senior Cooper said. “Nobody’s perfect or a perfect human, so I just feel like, be consistent in myself and my game and leave a legacy that the young guys can look forward to when they’re getting to their senior year. Just be a healthy advocate for this team and represent this university the best way I can.”

Overman, a sixth-year player who transferred from Oregon State in 2024, has made a particular impact off the gridiron, sharing his Christian faith with teammates and encouraging about 10 of them to get baptized.

He also leads a Bible study group within the football program, with membership approaching 40.

“I was just humbled,” Overman said. “I think it’s such an amazing opportunity to not only be a leader but be named a captain and have that ‘C’ on your chest for such an amazing team and amazing university like this. I’m excited to get to work.”

Reid understands he’ll never be the tallest or loudest man in the room, but his on-field performance and work ethic earned him the captaincy.

“I’m not going to lie — I’m not really a talker, so I’m going to lead by example,” Reid said. “When I’m out there, I’m not going to really talk that much but I’m going to let them know that no matter what’s going on, I’m going to play and do whatever I need to do to help the team win.”

Of the captains, Louis (redshirt junior) was the lone non-senior.

His selection was hardly surprising though, given his All-America pedigree, as well as having led Pitt in tackles for loss (15 1/2), sacks (7) and interceptions (4) last year, to go along with 101 total tackles.

As Narduzzi put it succinctly, “When Kyle Louis talks, people listen.”

Pitt’s captains doubtless come from varying backgrounds and possess different leadership styles.

But all five were chosen based on key commonalities:

“All of them, not only are great players, but they all lead on the field,” Narduzzi said.