The Pittsburgh Panthers went on the road and got a statement win over No. 25 Florida State, winning 34-31. Although FSU attempted an onside kick to get the ball back with under two minutes left, the Panthers won to improve to 4-2 and 2-1 in ACC play.
One of the biggest stars of the game was Panthers true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, who had two touchdowns in the victory. He made just his second start of his career on Saturday, as Pitt starting quarterback Eli Holstein was benched earlier in the season.
Let's take a look at who Heintschel is, his recruiting history and more.
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What did Mason Heintschel do against Florida State?
Heintschel finished 21-of-29 passing with 321 yards and two touchdowns. He did have two interceptions on the day, both in the second quarter. On his second touchdown of the day, he showed off some great scrambling while keeping his eyes downfield:
You’re a wizard Mason 🪄
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 11, 2025
Heintschel finds @fastboidez for the game tying touchdown in Tallahassee @Pitt_FB | @Pitt_ATHLETICS | #H2P
pic.twitter.com/pSQW8kvUHt
His first touchdown pass of the day was thrown on a rope:
Pitt true freshman QB Mason Heintschel has only thrown like 50 passes in college, and yet I am all-in pic.twitter.com/XhOk1lbj91
— Max Olson (@max_olson) October 11, 2025
Who is Mason Heintschel?
Heintschel is a true freshman out of Oregon, Ohio. He made his first start of the season last week against Boston College, over Week 1 starter Eli Holstein. Holstein threw five interceptions in his first four games of the season, and threw two in Pitt's 34-27 loss to Louisville on Sept. 27.
Against Boston College, Heintschel threw for 323 yards with four touchdowns while completing 73.2 percent of his passes, too.
Buy your Mason Heintschel stock while you still canpic.twitter.com/kLwYjAwyi7
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 4, 2025
“Last time we went with a starting freshman quarterback was the last game of the season when we beat No. 2 Miami, and it was Kenny Pickett,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said after the BC game. “We think (Heintschel) has that kind of ability. One game doesn’t define you. He’s got a lot of work to do. But it’s stacking those wins and stacking the execution.”
If Heintschel keeps playing like he has been, he should be Pitt's quarterback for the rest of the 2025 season.
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Mason Heintschel as a recruit
Heintschel is a former 3-star quarterback recruit from the class of 2025. Per the 247Sports Composite, he was the No. 44 overall quarterback prospect in his class, and No. 27 out of the state of Ohio. At Clay High School, he threw for 3,678 yards with 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions over three seasons tracked by MaxPreps.