Pitt Starting QB Announces Return for 2026 Season

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers rising sophomore starting quarterback Mason Heintschel has announced his return to the program for the upcoming 2026 season on Jan. 15.

Heintschel wrote, "H2P🔵🟡" in his "Locked In" post on X.

H2P🔵🟡 @Pitt_FB @Pitt_ATHLETICS pic.twitter.com/BsDC3qs6yV
— Mason Heintschel (@mason_heinch06) January 15, 2026

There have been rumors that Heintschel might enter the transfer portal ever since he solidified the starting job after his first few impressive starts to his college career.

Those rumors began to grow as the season went on and peaked after Heintschel's record-breaking performance against NC State. Heintschel came out a few days after the game and addressed the transfer rumors.

"All that other stuff doesn't really matter to me," Heintschel said in October. "I'm just here to win games. I love these guys, I love this place, and I'm focused on what we're doing right now."

"I'm appreciative of what Pitt did for me and what it's doing for me right now," Heintschel added. "I think that's a testament to the coaching staff, especially coach [Kade] Bell and coach [Pat] Narduzzi, just having that trust and that belief in me. To come find me and take a kid from a small town in Ohio. I'm very appreciative and blessed. Gonna continue to try and prove everybody wrong."

Fast forward two and a half months, and Heintschel has officially announced his return just one day before the transfer portal closes on Jan. 16.

Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) warms up before the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Heintschel's Encouraging Freshman Season

Heintschel started the 2025 season as the third-string quarterback and became the face of the program in just three months.

He signed with Pitt as a three-star recruit out of Oregon, Ohio, in the Class of 2025. Heintschel's only other offers were from Akron, Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Kent State, Liberty, Ohio and Toledo—making Pitt Heintschel's only Power 4 offer.

The other quarterbacks above Heintschel — Cole Gonzales and former starter Eli Holstein — have since transferred from Pitt. Gonzales signed with Charlotte and Holstein has committed to Virginia.

Heintschel replaced a struggling Holstein as the starting quarterback in Week 6 against Boston College. In his first career-start, the true freshman completed 73.2% of his throws for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the 48-7 blowout win.

That win spurred a five-game winning streak that bolstered Pitt's record from 2-2 to 7-2 and placed the Panthers as one of the top teams in the ACC.

In his record performance against NC State, Heintschel broke the school record for most passing yards in a game by a freshman with 423, was the first Pitt quarterback to surpass 400 passing yards in a game since Kenny Pickett in 2021 and threw an 84-yard touchdown pass to Caturus "Blue" Hicks, which broke the Pitt record for the longest touchdown pass in Acrisure Stadium history.

Heintschel concluded his first season of college football with 2,354 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions, all while completing 63.6% of his passes. He also had 86 carries for 88 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Other Starters Returning in 2026

It appears that Heintschel is the last of 2025's starters to announce his plans for 2026.

Shawn Lee Jr. was one of the first to announce his return after it was reported that he entered the transfer portal.

Other starters include starting guard Keith Gouveia, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier in 2025, safety Cruce Brookins, true freshman running back Ja'Kyrian Turner, guard BJ Williams and defensive linemen Sean FitzSimmons, Jimmy Scott, Isaiah Neal and Nick James.

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