Pitt Freshman QB Earns National Recognition

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Week, the team announced.

Heintschel passed for 323 yards, four touchdowns and completed 73% of his passes in the 48-7 win over Boston College. It was Heintschel's first career start and he became the first Pitt true freshman quarterback to win his first-career game since Kenny Pickett in 2017.

Heintschel is the first true freshman to have 300 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start since former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson did it in 2014. Watson ended up winning a national championship, being a Heisman Trophy finalist two years in a row and being the 12th-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

The last Pitt quarterback to reach 300 passing yards and four touchdowns without an interception was Pickett against Georgia Tech in 2021, and the last time a Pitt freshman quarterback had that stat line was in 1995. Former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye was the last ACC quarterback to accomplish that feat in 2022.

Heintschel's high-caliber performance was aided by the performance of junior wide receiver Kenny Johnson. Johnson had nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in just the first half.

Oct 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) runs the ball against Boston College Eagles defensive lineman Chris Marable Jr. (52) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Heintschel wasn't publicly named the starter until game day against the Eagles, but Pat Narduzzi said he decided to bench Eli Holstein earlier last week.

"It was not my intention to mislead you guys as far as the quarterback goes, but I did what I felt like was the best thing for our football team," Narduzzi said. "My job is to protect our team. My job is to protect our kids and give us the best chance to win, and that's what I did. It was not to mislead you, but I wanted to eliminate distractions during the week. Didn't need that. We needed to focus on what we needed to do. I think we accomplished that."

Heintschel was listed as the new starting quarterback on this week's depth chart against No. 25 Florida State. It will be his first-career road start, and the Seminoles are coming off a rivalry loss to No. 3 Miami.

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