Pitt’s most important player removed a major source of anxiety for coach Pat Narduzzi with an important announcement Thursday as quarterback Mason Heintschel intends to return to the Panthers for his sophomore year.
Heintschel revealed he’ll be back at Pitt one day before the transfer portal window (Jan. 2-16) closes.
This season, over 10 games, he completed 63.6% (201 for 316) of his passes for 2,354 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions, going 7-3 as the Panthers’ starter.
H2P???????? @Pitt_FB @Pitt_ATHLETICS pic.twitter.com/BsDC3qs6yV
— Mason Heintschel (@mason_heinch06) January 15, 2026
Heintschel’s strong freshman campaign set him up to be one of the most attractive transfer portal targets when the window opened.
Instead, Narduzzi and the Panthers, following significant attrition in the portal, gain certainty as to their presumed starting quarterback for 2026.
In early October, Heintschel was third on Pitt’s quarterback depth chart, a freshman from western Ohio little known outside the program.
That began to change rapidly when Narduzzi made the surprise decision Oct. 4 to start Heintschel against Boston College in favor of Eli Holstein.
Heintschel responded masterfully, completing 30 of 41 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start.
Solidifying his position over the ensuing weeks, Heintschel got off to a 5-0 start under center, reinvigorating Pitt’s campaign after a sluggish 2-2 beginning.
With Heintschel starting, the Panthers beat No. 25 Florida State on the road and traveled to Syracuse, where they won again.
Pitt’s offense put up 53 points at home the following week versus N.C. State before dispatching Stanford to move to 7-2.
A tough final three games against ranked opponents saw Pitt fall handily to No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 12 Miami, the latter loss eliminating the Panthers from ACC championship contention.
But in between, Heintschel guided Pitt to a 42-28 upset win at No. 16 Georgia Tech, where he completed 20 of 27 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Then the Panthers suffered a deflating 23-17 loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
In that game, Heintschel was 25 of 40 through the air for 256 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
Additional season highlights for Heintschel included the fourth-longest passing touchdown in Pitt program history, an 84-yard strike to Blue Hicks on Oct. 27 against the Wolfpack.
That game, Heintschel became the first Power Four freshman in 2025 to throw for 400 yards and three scores in a game.
As the offseason hit, the Panthers lost one of their top wideouts in Kenny Johnson (Texas Tech), two-time All-ACC linebacker Rasheem Biles (Texas), defensive tackle Francis Brewu (Notre Dame), kicker Trey Butkowski (Michigan) and others to the transfer portal. Additionally, Holstein transferred to Virginia on Wednesday.
Notable additions in the portal for Pitt include linebackers Alex Sanford Jr. (Purdue) and DeMarco Ward (Memphis), kicker Samuel Hunsaker (Northern Arizona), receiver Malik Knight (Western Carolina) and cornerbacks Raion Strader (Auburn) and Kanye Thompson (Slippery Rock).
