Pitt Star Receives National Praise

The Pitt Panthers tight end is headed into his final season with high expectations.

Nov 4, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers tight end Gavin Bartholomew (86) takes the field to warm up before the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers senior tight end Gavin Bartholomew hasn't produced the way he would have wanted these past two seasons, but one important national source praised his game regardless.

Executive of the Reese's Senior Bowl, JIm Nagy, tweeted to his followers to, "Remember the name of Pitt football TE Gavin Bartholomew," heading into this upcoming season.

He praised his athleticism and route running, while saying that his stats don't show how great he is of a player.

Remember the name of @Pitt_FB TE Gavin Bartholomew.

Just look at how athletic @GavinBartholom6 is getting down seam and playing the ball in this clip.

Stats lie all the time and his 18 catches last year is 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 misleading. @seniorbowl expects a big year. Dude has… pic.twitter.com/NfZvrRsNFK

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) May 23, 2024

Bartholomew had a great freshman season in 2021, playing in all 14 games and starting eight as Pitt won the ACC Championship.

With Heisman finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett under center, Bartholomew made 27 catches for 317 yards and four touchdowns. He earned an All-ACC Honourable Mention, as well as second team Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic and Pro Football Network for his efforts.

These past two seasons should've shown improvement for Bartholomew, but his stats remain either similar or lesser than his freshman campaign.

Offesnive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. didn't put much emphasis into getting Bartholomew the ball as much, plus the struggles of quarterbacks like Kedon Slovis, Phil Jurkovec and Christian Veilleux, led to a stagnation in statistical production.

Bartholomew had 21 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022 and then only 18 catches for 326 yards and a touchdown as a junior last season.

With a new offensive coordinator in Kade Bell, who likes to spread out the offesne, Bartholomew has the opportunity to thrive in 2024, as he prepares to enter the following NFL Draft.

New starting quarterback redshirt junior Nate Yarnell will also look to provide Bartholomew with more chances to show his talents this fall, hopefully leading to more touchdowns and victories than the previous two seasons.

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