Pitt’s 137th football season opens Saturday with Miami (Ohio) coming to Acrisure Stadium, and the Panthers have a few familiar faces ready to shape the first chapter of 2026.
The matchup kicks off at 12:30 PM on September 5, with The CW carrying the national telecast. Pitt also returns to 93.7 The Fan and the Pitt Panthers Radio Network, while SiriusXM, WPTS Radio and the Pitt student station are part of the broadcast mix as well.
This will be the third meeting between Pitt and Miami (Ohio), and the Panthers have long handled business against the Mid-American Conference, owning a 35-6 all-time record against MAC opponents.
Pat Narduzzi begins his 12th season as Pitt’s head coach, and the numbers from his tenure remain sturdy. Since arriving in 2015, he has guided the Panthers to 52 ACC victories, the third-highest total in the league over that stretch. Only Clemson with 75 and Miami with 55 have more.
What stands out most about this Pitt team, though, is how much it already knows about leaning on youth.
The Panthers return two players who were true freshmen leaders a year ago. Quarterback Mason Heintschel paced the team in passing yards, while running back Ja’Kyrian Turner led Pitt on the ground with 745 rushing yards. Pitt was the only FBS program last season to have a true freshman lead the team in both passing and rushing.
Turner’s finish to 2025 hinted at how dangerous he can be when he gets rolling. From Nov. 1 through the end of the season, he averaged 94.6 rushing yards per game, which ranked third in the ACC, and he posted 6.4 yards per carry, second among conference players with at least 40 attempts.
His full freshman line was impressive enough on its own: 745 rushing yards, seven touchdowns and 140 carries, plus 25 catches for 150 yards. The signature moment came at No. 16 Georgia Tech, where he ran for 201 yards - the most by a Pitt freshman against a Power Four opponent and Pitt’s first 200-yard rushing game since Israel Abanikanda in 2022.
Pitt’s defense brings back a strong foundation too. In 2025, the Panthers held opponents to 2.7 yards per carry. Over the past 10 seasons, only six ACC teams have finished a full season below 3.0 yards allowed per rush, and Pitt has done it three times, including in 2020 at 2.7 and 2021 at 2.6.
Braylan Lovelace is the headline name on that side of the ball. The linebacker earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors last season after piling up 80 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and a sack. He has scored a defensive touchdown in each of his three college seasons and enters 2026 on the watch lists for the Bednarik and Butkus awards.
Pitt also named its captains for the season: Heintschel, offensive lineman Ryan Baer, Lovelace and defensive back Cruce Brookins. Heintschel is believed to be Pitt’s first true sophomore captain in the modern era. The program’s other known sophomore captains - Alex Van Pelt, Lousaka Polite and Tyler Palko - were all redshirt sophomores.
In Other News...
Pitt Fans Finally Get Narduzzis First Real Week 1 Clues
Pitt fans finally got their first real look at how Pat Narduzzi is lining up his roster for the opener, as the Panthers released their initial depth chart ahead of the Sept. 5 game against Miami (Ohio). It is the first meaningful snapshot of where things stand after camp, with starters and backups listed across the roster and a mix of returning players, transfers and freshmen making their way onto the two-deep.
Among the headliners are Mason Heintschel at quarterback, Carson Kent at tight end and Raion Strader at cornerback, all names that should draw immediate attention from a fan base eager to see how the new season begins to take shape. The chart does not answer every question, but it does give Pitt a clearer picture of which jobs are settled and which ones still have some room to evolve before the Panthers kick off in Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
Naithan George May Decide How Far Pitt's Rebuild Really Goes
Jeff Capel is heading into his ninth season with a roster that looks a lot different after Pitt stumbled to a 13-20 finish and then watched several key pieces move on, whether through eligibility or the transfer portal. The Panthers have tried to patch those losses with a new wave of transfers, and the most important addition may be Naithan George, a point guard who already has ACC experience and arrives with the kind of rsum that can steady a team still trying to find its footing.
For a program in transition, the point guard spot can end up shaping everything from tempo to confidence, and George looks like the player most likely to determine whether this rebuild is just a reset or something more meaningful. Pitt does not need him to do everything, but it does need him to bring leadership and stability to a group that is being put together on the fly, with the rest of the roster still learning how far it can go together. [Read more 🡒]