Pitt Starting DT Out vs. Notre Dame

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers starting defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons did not dress for warmups against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and he is expected to be out.

FitzSimmons has played in every game so far this season and has recorded 20 tackles, two for a loss and one sack. He is listed as a starter on the depth chart with Nick James, Francis Brewu and Isaiah Neal.

Also, look for redshirt freshman Jahsear Whittington to potentially get more snaps with FitzSimmons' absence. Whittington had 34 snaps two weeks ago against Stanford and has 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery in seven games.

Other Injuries

Safety Cruce Brookins and linebacker Rasheem Biles were listed as out in Pitt's last game and both are dressed today. Pat Narduzzi confirmed that Biles and Desmond Reid would be good to play this week.

Biles has been out since the Oct. 18 game against Syracuse. He popped up on the ACC Availability Report as questionable the day before the game and was ruled out before kickoff. Despite missing three games, Biles is still the team's second-leading tackler with 52 take downs, two sacks, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a 75-yard pick-six.

Reid was injured for the second time this season towards the end of the NC State game three weeks ago. He was questionable going into the Stanford game and ultimately did not play. Freshman back Ja'Kyrian Turner had a breakout game in Reid's place, with 127 yards at a 5.8 yards per carry clip.

Oct 18, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Desmond Reid (0) runs with the ball as Syracuse Orange defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. (1) defends during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Rashad Battle was also dressed for the game. He exited the Stanford game with an injury in the second quarter. Freshman corner Shawn Lee Jr. came in for Battle and wound up scoring his first-career pick-six.

Left tackle Jeff Persi also dressed and warmed up. He has not played in over a month due to an injury he suffered on the first drive of the Boston College game on Oct. 4. However, Kendall Stanley was named the starter before the game.

Kicker Trey Butkowski was ruled out yesterday due to an illness, but dressed for warmups. Redshirt sophomore Sam Carpenter was named the starter. Carpenter has primarily been the team's kickoff specialist and has only attempted and made one career PAT, and has never attempted a field goal at the college level.

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