Holden Geriner, the former Benedictine quarterback who led the Cadet to the Class 4A state title with a 35-28 win over Carver-Columbus at Center Parc Stadium in December of 2021, is set to make his first collegiate start this week for Pitt as the Panthers host North Carolina in an ACC matchup at noon on Saturday, Oct. 10th.
Geriner started his college career with Auburn, where he was a reserve quarterbackfor three seasons before transfering to play at Texas State, where he was a backup last season.
He came to Pitt as a graduate transfer and entered the fray when Panther starter Mason Heintschel tore his ACL in a 35-33 win over Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 2.
Geriner closed things out for the Panthers by completing 8 of 12 passes for 73 yards,
including a 29-yard scoring strike to Catarus Hicks with 13:55 left that put Pitt up 35-24.
His Benedictine family was following along closely on Friday night after veteran Cadet Coach Danny Britt earned his 200th career win with a 48-10 win over Evans at Memorial Stadium.Cadet offensive coordinator A.J. DeFilippis had the Pitt game live on his phone on the field after the game as BC coaches got their first glimpse of Geriner in action.
They continued watching in the coaches' office at Benedictine as Geriner showed off the skills that made him one of the best quarterback's in Cadet history.
"We're super proud of Holden to see him get a chance and show what he can do," Britt said. "We've know that he's an elite quarterback, but he just hadn't got the opportunity at the college level yet. We know he's going to do well now that he has a chance."
In his three seasons at Auburn, Geriner played sparingly in eight games and was 9 of 20 passing for 116 yards. He threw just one pass last season at Texas State before coming back east to play at Pitt.
In three games with the Panthers, Geriner, 23, has exceeded his college career numbers by completing 19 of 26 passes for 219 yards and a pair of scores.
DeFilippis played a big role in Geriner's development in high school and saw him earn All-Greater Savannah Offensive Player of the Year honors in his senior season when he threw for a school-record 3,377 yards with 36 touchdown passes and just three interceptions on the season. In the state title win over Carver-Columbus, he was at his best throwing for 397 yards and four scores.
DeFilippis said he has been impressed with Geriner's college journey and how he has stayed tough through numerous coaching and coordinator changes along with two transfers to capitalize on this opportunity.
"Holden has always been at his best when he's standing back in the pocket ready to throw the football," DeFilippis said. "And I used to tell him that there were a lot of good passers out there, but can you be that guy who is confident and be able to process information that you see in a span of like two seconds. And he became great at that.
"When you watch him play, you can seen he never gets rattled in the pocket. Watching him play on Friday night, you could see that the moment wasn't too big for him. He made a couple big third down conversions and kept the offense on the field leading them to that go-ahead score. The camera showed him up close and I recalled that same look on his face when he played in high school. We're really proud of Holden and can't wait to see him play on Saturday."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Benedictine alum Holden Geriner preps for first college start as Pitt QB
