Projecting Pitt's 2026 Two-Deep Depth Chart

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers will kick off the 2026 season in almost seven months from now. That means this is a good time to look at the potential starting roster heading into the spring semester.

The transfer portal has officially closed as of Jan. 16, meaning Pitt's 2026 is finalized, barring any other transfer portal additions and/or sudden departures from the program.

Pitt finished the 2025 season 8-5 after missing a chance to make the ACC Championship, followed by a disappointing loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl.

But it wasn't all bad. The Panthers went on an impressive five-game winning streak and beat two top 25 ACC opponents on the road, thanks to the emergence of several young stars in the making — Mason Heintschel, Ja'Kyrian Turner and Shawn Lee Jr.

Pitt has retained most of its budding stars, but it did lose several impact starters to the NFL Draft and the transfer portal. The 2026 roster will have similar faces and plenty of new ones, with 17 transfer portal additions and 21 incoming freshmen.

The following is not the official depth chart for Pitt's 2026 season. These are all projections. Names in bold signify which players are projected starters. There may be multiple starters at each position, which is in line with Pitt's previous depth charts.

Pitt's Projected 2026 Starting Offense

Quarterback
Mason Heintschel
Holden Geriner
Corey Dailey

Heintschel will be the obvious starter at quarterback for Pitt in 2026. He earned the starting job after four games into his true freshman season, passing former starter Eli Holstein and former Oklahoma and Western Carolina transfer Cole Gonzales.

Heintschel finished his freshman year with 2,354 yards, 16 touchdowns, eight interceptions and completed 63.6% of his passes as he was a key contributor to the Panthers' midseason success.

Oct 18, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) celebrates his touchdown run during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

With Heintschel being the decisive starter, Texas State transfer Holden Geriner will likely be his backup. Geriner is entering his redshirt senior season, but doesn't have much in-game experience. Geriner has only played in 11 games during his time with Texas State and Auburn, and has a total of 116 yards, one interception, no touchdowns and has completed 42.9% of his throws.

Incoming true freshman Corey Dailey probably has the best chances to be the third-string over Angelo Renda and Beau Jackson. Dailey stands at 6-foot-6, 188 pounds and was a four-star prospect by 247Sports. Dailey is coming off an appearance in the All-American Bowl, and set multiple records in high school with 100 career passing touchdowns, 122 total touchdowns, 757 completions, 9,138 passing yards and 10,009 total yards in four years as a starter for Seguin High School in Texas.

Running Back
Ja'Kyrain Turner
La'Vell Wright
Damon Ferguson

Turner is another returning star after rushing for 745 yards, seven touchdowns and averaging 5.3 yards per carry as a true freshman. He will, in all likelihood, be paired with Western Kentucky transfer La'Vell Wright as the two starting halfbacks. Wright had a career-high 10 rushing touchdowns last season and brings a bigger, more physical presence in the backfield at 6-foot, 222 pounds.

By the end of the 2025 season, Pitt had Turner, Desmond Reid and Juelz Goff all listed as starters on the depth chart, so listing more than one starter is not uncharacteristic.

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ja'Kyrian Turner (25) is tackled by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Kelvin Hill (16) in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Damon Ferguson won't join Pitt until the summer, but he very well could work his way into the rotation by the season's start. Ferguson was the top recruit in Pitt's 2026 class by 247Sports and On3. Ferguson totaled 2,951 rushing yards, 36 rushing touchdowns, 1,341 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in his career at Milford Mill Academy in Maryland.

Pat Narduzzi wasn't hesitant to play Turner, who was a three-star and barely a top 140 recruit from Florida coming out of high school, and will likely be eager to get Ferguson on the field too.

Wide Receiver
Caturus "Blue" Hicks
Censere Lee

Wide Receiver
Bryce Yates
Tony Kinsler

Wide Receiver
Malik Knight
Cam Sapp

Tight End
Carson Kent
Elijah Lagg
Max Hunt

The wide receivers and tight ends had a complete overhaul this offseason. Last year's starters of Raphael "Poppi" Williams, Kenny Johnson, Justin Holmes, Jake Overman and Malachi Thomas have all moved on from the program. Because of this, a lot of positions are up for grabs and are, admittedly, difficult to project.

Caturus "Blue" Hicks is the only returner from 2025 and will presumptively be WR No. 1 in 2026. Bryce Yates also showed flashes of being a future starter during his true freshman season, recording 11 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown. His lone score came on a 60-yard play in his first collegiate game.

Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Cataurus Hicks (3) pushes Stanford Cardinal defensive back Sam Neely III (28) during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

Pitt added Western Carolina transfer wideout Malik Knight from the portal, and he will likely also be a starter, along with tight end transfers Elijah Lagg from UAB and Carson Kent from Oklahoma. With Max Hunt being the only scholarship tight end returning from last season, he'll also likely be involved.

Left Tackle
Kendall Stanley
Netinho Olivieri

Left Guard
Keith Gouveia
Keylen Davis
Ryan Carretta

Center
Ryan Carretta
Isaiah Montgomery

Right Guard
BJ Williams
Isaiah Montgomery
Torian Chester

Right Tackle
Ryan Baer
Jiavani Cooley

The offensive line should look similar to last year. No more Jeff Persi at left tackle and Lyndon Cooper at center. Kendall Stanley played several games in place of Persi when he was injured midseason, and Carretta started the last nine games of the season at guard for an injured Keith Gouveia, who is returning on a medical redshirt. Carretta was also listed as Cooper's backup at center.

Pitt signed Penn transfer tackle Netinho Olivieri and Akron transfer guard Keylen Davis. The two transfers, without a doubt, will enter the summer vying for a starting job, but with Olivieri and Davis coming from lower ranks of Division I college football, the returning linemen will likely win the starting jobs.

Pitt's Projected 2026 Starting Defense

Defensive End
Isiah Neal
Zach Crothers
Reston Lehman

Defensive Tackle
Nick James
Jeremiah Warren
Trevor Sommers

Defensive Tackle
Sean FitzSimmons
Eliyt Nairne
Ty Yuhas

Defensive End
Jimmy Scott
Jaeden Moore
Denim Cook

The defensive line has returned multiple starters in Isaiah Neal, Nick James, Sean FitzSimmons, Jimmy Scott and Jaeden Moore. The Panthers added depth with Jeremiah Warren from Illinois and Eliyt Nairne from Tulane.

I expect the starters on the defensive front to be very similiar as the 2025 unit, the only big change being Neal's position change from tackle to end. Neal was listed as a starter at defensive tackle last season, but ended up playing 426 of his 557 total snaps at defensive end, according to Pro Football Focus.

Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Central Michigan Chippewas quarterback Jadyn Glasser (15) passes against pressure from Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Isaiah Neal (2) during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Also, look for true freshman Reston Lehman to potentially work his way into the lineup. Lehman was a WPIAL star from Peters Township who stands at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He made 39 career starts and was named the 2025 Post-Gazette Player of the Year.

Star Linebacker
Cameron Lindsey
Jayden Bonsu
Emmanuel Taylor

Mike Linebacker
Braylan Lovelace
Jeremiah Marcelin
Abe Ibrahim

Money Linebacker
Alex Sanford Jr.
DeMarco Ward

The linebacker room will look very different in 2026 without Rasheem Biles and Kyle Louis. The one remaining starter will be Braylan Lovelace at middle linebacker.

Cameron Lindsey will likely become a starter next season. It feels like Pitt used this season to prepare Lindsey for this upcoming season after Louis' expected declaration to the NFL Draft. Lindsey played in every game this past season and totaled 32 tackles, five for a loss, two sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal tight end Benji Blackburn (88) is tackled by Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Cameron Lindsey (24) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

Alex Sandford Jr. should also have a good chance to start. He started in nine games and played in 12 for Purdue last season and brings the most starting experience of any other linebacker on this roster besides Lovelace.

Other players likely in contention for playing time at linebacker are Jayden Bonsu and Jeremiah Marcelin, both of whom missed all of 2025 with injuries, along with Memphis transfer DeMarco Ward, Emmanuel Taylor and Abe Ibrahim.

Cornerback
Shawn Lee Jr.
Kanye Thompson
Rashan Murray

Cornerback
Raion Strader
Shadarian Harrison
Zion Ferguson

Strong Safety
Cruce Brookins
Cole Woodson

Free Safety
Josh Guerrier
Allen Bryant

Cruce Brookins and Lee are the only two returning starters in the secondary. The other positions should be filled by Auburn and Miami (Ohio) transfer Raion Strader at corner and former No. 1 recruit in Pitt's 2025 recruiting class, Josh Guerrier, at safety, along with Slippery Rock transfer Kanye Thompson, who will also likely be involved with the cornerbacks.

Pitt also returned plenty of reserves with Allen Bryant, Cole Woodson, Zion Ferguson, Shadarian Harrison and Rashan Murray.

Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Central Michigan Chippewas wide receiver Nasir Williams (16) runs after a catch against Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Shawn Lee Jr. (28) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt's Projected 2026 Starting Specialists

Placekicker
Antonio Chadha
Samuel Hunsaker

Punter
Gabe Russo
Kaemon Tijerina

Holder
Gabe Russo
Kaemon Tijerina

Long Snapper
Justin Schmidt

The kicking competition will likely go on until the final weeks of summer camp before Week 1. This year's battle will be between two FCS transfers, Antonio Chadha from Western Illinois and Samuel Hunsaker from Northern Arizona.

Aug 30, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Northern Arizona Lumberjacks place kicker Samuel Hunsaker (91) kicks a field goal to score for NAU during the second quarter of the game between Arizona State Sun Devils and Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

The two kickers had similar numbers last season. Chadha made 13 of 19 field goal attempts (68.4%) with a long of 53, and Hunsaker went 15 for 22 on field goals (68.2%) with a long of 50. Chada is entering his redshirt senior season, and Hunsaker is entering his junior year. Don't expect seniority to play a role in this decision, though, as Narduzzi chose true freshman walk-on Trey Butkowski to be the starter last season.

Pitt also signed former Idaho State punter Gabe Russo and Purdue longsnapper Justin Schmidt in the portal. Schmidt is the only long snapper currently on the roster, and Russo will compete with rising redshirt freshman Kaemon Tijerina at punter.

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