Pitt All-American LB Leaves Syracuse Game with Injury

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Pitt Panthers star LB Kyle Louis was injured and immediately exited to the locker room in the first quarter against the Syracuse Orange.

Louis blitzed on a third-and-11 on Syracuse's third drive of the game and laid flat on his back after the play. Pitt forced Syracuse to punt, but an interception by true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel set the Orange up in scoring position, and they tied the game at 7-7.

The Panthers are now down two of their three starting linebackers. Rasheem Biles was ruled out with an undisclosed injury before the game and the only starting linebacker remaining is Braylan Lovelace.

Redshirt senior Nick Lapi started in place of Biles. Lapi moved to Louis' star linebacker position and redshirt freshman Cameron Lindsey came in at money linebacker. True freshman Emmanuel Taylor is the only other outside linebacker available on Pitt's two-deep depth chart.

Louis is the second-leading tackler for Pitt, behind only Biles, and he has 41 tackles, two sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble, two recoveries and an interception. He currently ranks No. 11 in the ACC in tackles, No. 15 in tackles for loss and No. 2 in fumble recoveries.

Louis is coming off another impressive game in the win over No. 25 Florida State last week. He had 11 tackles and 1.5 for a loss.

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos (1) is pressured by Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) — Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos (1) looks to throw as he is pressured by Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Lapi and Lindsey have both played this season, although seldomly. Lapi has appeared in five games and has totaled eight tackles. Lindsey has appeared in three games and has six tackles and one sack.

Lovelace has consistently started at the mike linebacker spot this season. He was named to the Pro Football Focus All-ACC team for his performance against Florida State last week. Lovelace is Pitt's third leading tackler with 40 total tackles, a pass breakup and an interception.

This was a highly anticipated redshirt junior year for Louis. He was named a second-team All-American by Sporting News, the Associated Press, CBS Sports, Phil Steele and The Athletic in 2024. Louis was also named first-team All-ACC by the AP and the ACC.

In the preseason, Louis was named to the Butkus Award Watch List, the 2025 Pro Football Focus All-ACC Team, the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List and the ESPN preseason All-America team.

This week, Louis was named to the Lombardi Award Midseason Watch List. The Lomardi Award "recognizes the lineman or linebacker who demonstrates excellence in performance, leadership, character, and resilience - qualities synonymous with Vince Lombardi's legacy."

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