Pitt Receives Commitment From 2026 Long Snapper

PITTSBURGH — Class of 2026 long snapper Alex Rudolph has committed to the Pitt Panthers, he announced.

Rudolph is from Edwardsburg, Mich. and is the second commitment of the day for Pitt. Class of 2026 offensive tackle Sean Franklin, out of Mars, Pa., committed earlier on Jan. 29.

COMMITTED!!! #h2p 🔵🟡@Pitt_FB @CoachPriefer @CoachDuzzPittFB @MarkDiethorn pic.twitter.com/s9XahLYPOY
— Alex Rudolph (@AlexRudolph_1) January 29, 2026

Rudolph wasn't just a long snapper at Edwardsburgh High School, however. He also played outside linebacker and running back and was a team captain. He stands at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, according to MaxPreps.

As a senior, Rudolph was perfect on snaps for both the punt and field goal/PAT teams. Additionally, he recorded three sacks and two rushing scores.

Senior Year Statistics (100%)

Special Teams (Long Snapper):
• 16/16 Punts
• 33/33 PAT/FG

Starting OLB | Team Captain
(3 Sacks / 2 Rushing TD’s) pic.twitter.com/w0WdSvNapW
— Alex Rudolph (@AlexRudolph_1) November 12, 2025

Special Teams Makeover

Pitt's special teams unit will look very different next season.

All three long snappers — Nilay Upadhyayula, Nico Crawford and Henry Searcy — are all gone. Upadhyayula ran out of eligibility, Crawford transferred to Michigan and Searcy transferred to Charlotte.

In return, Pitt signed former Purdue long snapper and local Thomas Jefferson High School alumn Justin Schmidt from the transfer portal. Schmidt and Rudolph are currently the only two long snappers set on the Panthers' roster in 2026.

Besides the long snappers, kickers Trey Butkowski and Sam Carpenter also hit the transfer portal. Butkowski transferred to Michigan after putting up perhaps the best season any Pitt kicker has ever had as a true freshman. Carpenter, who spent the season as a backup, transferred to Sam Houston.

Aug 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers place kicker Trey Butkowski (93) kicks a field goal from the hold of punter Caleb Junko (91) against the Duquesne Dukes during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

In the portal, Pitt added commitments from two FCS kickers — Samuel Hunsaker from Northern Arizona and Antonio Chadha from Western Illinois. Both Hunsaker and Chadha had similar stats in 2025. Hunsaker made 68.2% of his field goal attempts and Chadha made 68.4% of his kicks.

As for the punters, last season's starter, Caleb Junko, is out of eligibility and Cade Dowd entered the transfer portal and has yet to commit to a new school. However, true freshman Kaemon Tijerina has returned as a redshirt freshman.

Pitt also brought in transfer punter Gabe Russo from Idaho State. Russo averaged 46.2 yards per punt and earned a spot on the All-Big Sky second team last season.

Finally, punt returners Desmond Reid and Kenny Jonson will also not return, along with kickoff returner Deuce Spann. Reid and Spann were both out of eligibility and have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Johnson has transferred to Texas Tech for his final year of eligibility.

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