Pitt’s offense is going to have a lot riding on a handful of key battles as training camp unfolds, and the Panthers need those spots sorted out before the season gets rolling.
That urgency is easy to understand. Pitt finished 8-5 last year, then went through a transfer portal cycle that brought in plenty of new faces and sent others out the door. With star linebackers Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles gone, the offense may need to shoulder even more of the load if the defense is good but not quite at the level it has been the past few seasons.
The simplest version of the assignment is this: score points. Pitt went 2025 undefeated when it reached 30 points and lost every game when it didn’t. That makes the offense’s ceiling a major storyline, especially with what quarterback Mason Heintschel showed when he had real weapons around him.
One of the first places to watch is kicker. Pitt lost walk-on freshman Trey Butkowski to the transfer portal after last season, and he had been steady, making 20 of 23 field goals and 43 of 44 extra points while also missing some time because of an illness.
The Panthers have found quality at that spot before, most notably with Ben Sauls, who spent four years as the team’s kicker before graduating in 2024. Now the job is open again, and there are multiple options.
At his first training camp press conference, Pat Narduzzi pointed to FCS transfer Antonio Chadha, who hit a 54-yard kick that Narduzzi said "was good from 65". Narduzzi also said Sam Hunsaker, a transfer from NAU, has looked good in practice.
Wide receiver is another area with plenty to sort through. Pitt has numbers there, but it also lost several of the players who produced the most last season through graduation or the transfer portal. Cataurus "Blue" Hicks is back and appears positioned to be WR1, though recent off-the-field drama raises questions about how many games he’ll actually play.
Bryce Yates is another name worth circling. The true freshman appeared in 11 games last season and flashed big-play ability with two plays of more than 60 yards, including one touchdown. Malik Knight, an experienced transfer from Western Carolina, joins that room as well, and there are also a lot of freshmen who could push for snaps.
Up front, Pitt has work to do after losing several offensive line pieces to the portal, including starting center Lyndon Cooper. Still, the Panthers kept some important veterans in the building.
Ryan Baer, a redshirt senior who has spent his whole college career at Pitt, is back after playing right tackle last season. Keith Gouveia is also returning after going out early with an injury last year.
Another lineman to watch is Penn transfer Netinho Olivieri, the first addition in Pitt’s transfer portal class this cycle. He had a strong Ivy League career, and if that translates to ACC play, he could become a valuable piece for this offense.
Quarterback is the one spot that isn’t really up for debate. Heintschel will be the starter after his electric true freshman season. But Pitt learned last year that depth behind the starter matters, too.
Texas State transfer Holden Greier is the oldest quarterback on the roster, even if he doesn’t bring the same amount of game experience as last year’s backup Cole Gonzalez. Narduzzi said Greier has impressed with his deep ball in practice.
The other two young quarterbacks drawing attention are Angelo Renda and Corey Dailey, both of whom stood out in Texas. Redshirt freshman Beau Jackson is also back for his second year with the Panthers after not seeing the field last season, though he now has a full year in the program.
For Pitt, these battles are about more than filling out a depth chart. They’re about finding enough answers on offense to keep pace with the season ahead.
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Pitt Is Building Something In Georgia That Fans Need To Notice
Pitts 2027 recruiting push has taken on a distinctly Georgia flavor, and it is starting to look like more than just a one-off hot streak. The Panthers have already landed nine commitments from the state, a sign that the staff is making a deliberate effort to tap into one of the nations deepest talent pools and build relationships far from Pittsburgh.
A big reason for that momentum appears to be first-year tight ends coach Brent Davis, a Georgia native who knows the region well and brings years of recruiting experience there. With several highly regarded Georgia prospects already in the class, Pitt is showing it can compete in a part of the country where programs usually have to work hard just to get noticed, and the bigger question now is how far that pipeline can really carry the Panthers. [Read more 🡒]