The Pitt Panthers have emerged as a dark horse contender for both the ACC and College Football Playoff. In head coach Pat Narduzzi's 11th season with the Panthers, Pitt is 7-2, and tied for first place in the ACC.
One of the surprise stars on the team is quarterback Mason Heintschel, Pitt's true freshman signal-caller. Although Heintschel didn’t start immediately for the Panthers at the beginning of the season, he’s a big reason for Pitt's success.
Let's take a closer look at Heintschel, including his recruiting background, journey to Pitt and more.
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Who is Mason Heintschel?
Heintschel, a true freshman, burst onto the scene in early October. He came off the bench after Pitt’s Week 1 starter, Eli Holstein, threw five interceptions in his first four games. Following back-to-back losses to West Virginia and Louisville, Narduzzi replaced Holstein at quarterback.
Heintschel made his first start of the season against Boston College on Oct. 4. Pitt won 48-7, with Heintschel throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.2 percent of his passes. He became the first true freshman quarterback to win his first career start since Kenny Pickett in 2017, when Pickett led Pitt to an upset over Miami.
Narduzzi said he was pleased with the decision to make the switch at quarterback.
“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,” Narduzzi said. “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.”
Stacking wins has not been a problem for Heintschel. The Panthers remain undefeated with him at quarterback and have recorded key ACC victories over Syracuse, NC State, and Stanford in recent weeks.
Heintschel has already posted four games with over 300 passing yards and at least two touchdowns. His career-high came against NC State on Oct. 25, when he threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns.
Pitt’s next test is against No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday, where the Panthers are 11.5-point home underdogs. Heintschel has thrown five interceptions this season, including two last week against Stanford. Notre Dame’s secondary ranks tied for third nationally with 16 interceptions on the season.
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Where is Mason Heintschel from?
Heintschel is originally from Oregon, Ohio, which is a suburb just outside of Toledo that sits directly on Lake Erie. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, his hometown has a population of 19,950 people.
Mason Heintschel high school recruiting
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. He rushed for another 860 yards with eight touchdowns on the ground.
Although Heintschel received offers from the likes of Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Liberty, Ohio and Toledo, Pitt was his lone offer from a power-conference school.
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Mason Heintschel college stats
Here's a look at Hentschel's stats so far this season. Although he's played in just six games, he's 14th in the conference in passing yards, and tied for eighth in touchdown passes.
| G | Cmp% | YDS | TD | Int | Rush YDS | Rush TD |
| 6 | 64.1 | 1,547 | 12 | 5 | 143 | 1 |
Can Pitt make the College Football Playoff?
Yes, Pitt still has a path to the College Football Playoff. With Virginia’s loss to Wake Forest last week, the Panthers have an opportunity to make a run. Pitt is currently tied for first place in the ACC with Georgia Tech, Virginia, and SMU.
The most straightforward path for Pitt to reach the ACC title game is by defeating both No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 18 Miami. A loss to either team would create ACC tiebreaker scenarios, which currently favor Georgia Tech.
Last week’s initial CFP rankings included only one ACC team, meaning the committee likely has just one spot for an ACC team at this point.
A Pitt playoff appearance remains possible provided the Panthers win the ACC Champioship.
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