EA Sports’ latest College Football ratings have given Pitt a roster that looks solid in the middle and especially strong on defense, with most of the Panthers’ key names landing in the 80s.
The headliner on offense is quarterback Mason Heintschel, who comes in at an 83 overall after his electric freshman season. His top individual traits are agility, toughness and injury-proneness, and that number puts him fifth among quarterbacks in the ACC, just behind NC State’s CJ Bailey.
Up front, the highest-rated Panther is offensive tackle Ryan Baer at an 88. The redshirt senior started all 13 games last season and earned ACC Team of the Week honors for his performance against Syracuse. In a college game where roster turnover is constant, Pitt has a veteran anchor in Baer after losing other pieces on the offensive line.
The next name on the list is Ja'Kyrian "Boosie" Turner, who checks in at an 86 overall. With Desmond Reid dealing with injuries last season, the true freshman stepped into a bigger role and delivered one of Pitt’s biggest flashes of the year against No.
16 Georgia Tech, when he ran for 201 yards and broke loose for a 56-yard touchdown. Turner is rated as the eight best halfback in the ACC, and his speed sits at 92.
Pitt’s defense is where the ratings really start to stack up. Free safety Cruce Brookins, defensive tackle Nick James, right edge Jimmy Scott and cornerback Raion Strader are all sitting in the mid-80s, giving the Panthers a group that looks deeper on that side of the ball than on offense.
Linebacker Braylan Lovelace is next at an 82 overall, and he’ll be expected to help lead what was once a dominant Pitt linebacker room. It also stings for Pitt fans that former Panther Rasheem Biles is listed as the best linebacker in the game with a 92 overall.
Other Panthers in the low-80s include halfback La'Vell Wright, defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons, wide receiver Cataurus "Blue" Hicks, left edge Isaiah Neal and right edge BJ Williams.
The ratings point to defense as Pitt’s clear strength entering the season, while the offense features a few under-the-radar transfer portal swings that could pay off. That approach has worked before for the Panthers, including with Desmond Reid.
EA Sports will keep updating the ratings as the season moves along, so Pitt could see more players climb into the 80s. On the flip side, those numbers can fall too, as was likely the case with quarterback Eli Holstein last season.