Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel is off to a hot start and will look to keep momentum rolling in front of a national audience against Syracuse on Sept. 17 at Acrisure Stadium.
The Oregon, Ohio native claimed the starting quarterback job as a freshman for the Panthers last season after Eli Holstein struggled in early-season games against West Virginia and Louisville. He led his team to wins in each of his first six starts, and his only ACC loss came against eventual national runners up Miami in November.
This year, he’s already turned heads nationally by throwing for 453 passing yards and seven touchdowns in a season-opening victory against Miami of Ohio on Sept. 5. That performance tied the school record and set an ACC record for touchdown throws
in a single game.
“He's like a little magician back there,” coach Pat Narduzzi said after the game. “Not only can he throw it, but he has that knack to make people miss and get out of trouble when trouble arises.
I think he's just got great awareness. He's got great visual on what's going on.”
Heintschel followed that effort up with 212 yards in a storm-soaked win against UCF last week. For the season, he’s already generated about 30% of his 2025 production with 665 yards. His seven touchdowns put him nearly halfway to his freshman total of 16. And he has yet to commit a turnover.
The sophomore committed to Pitt in March of 2024. He was rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports after starring at Clay High School, located near Toledo.
His rise to the starting job was rapid. Holstein entered 2025 with a year of starting experience under his belt after transferring to the Panthers from Alabama. He then failed to close out a rivalry win against West Virginia on Sept. 13, and threw two interceptions the following week against Louisville. Narduzzi benched him that afternoon in favor of backup Cole Gonzales, which appeared to leave Heintschel a distant third on the depth chart.
That was, until Narduzzi made the surprise decision to start Heintschel for the Oct. 4 matchup with Boston College in Pittsburgh. A blowout 48-7 victory followed in which Heintschel passed for 323 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I’m just trying to be as efficient as possible with this offense,” Heintschel said at the time. “We have a lot of work to do, but this is a step in the right direction.”
One week later, he overcame a pair of interceptions to lead Pitt to a 34-31 victory at Florida State that signaled to fans that he may have some staying power in the role. The Seminoles stumbled to a 5-7 finish but were ranked after beating Alabama earlier in the season.
The matchup Thursday will be his second-career crack at Syracuse. His first didn’t go so well individually. The Orange held him to 140 yards and no touchdowns, but the Panthers seized on three Syracuse turnovers to cruise to a 30-13 win at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Kickoff will occur just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday from Acrisure Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Mason Heintschel? Pitt QB's 7 TD performance elevated his profile
