Pitt opens fall camp Wednesday, and the first real measure of its 2026 season begins with Mason Heintschel back under center and Pat Narduzzi heading into his 12th year in charge. The Panthers will start the new campaign Sept. 5 against Miami (Ohio) at Acrisure Stadium, a date that now frames every rep in camp.
That is why the college football schedule is being searched now: Pitt is not waiting long to find out where it stands. Narduzzi has been around long enough to know that the first month can set the tone, and six of his 11 seasons with Pitt, including the last two, have ended with seven or eight wins. This group is trying to push past that range, not just repeat it.
Heintschel gives Pitt a clear place to start. After taking over in Week 4 of the 2025 campaign, he went 6-2 in his first eight games as a starter and finished with 2,354 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 63.6% of his throws. He is back for his sophomore season, and he is talking like a quarterback who believes the next step is within reach. “I think we proved last year together that we can do really special things, and I think we’re going to take that next step as a group this year,” he said.
The line in front of him is the part that has to answer first. Pitt allowed 44 sacks last season, a figure that left it 128th in the FBS, and that number hangs over camp more than any preseason optimism. Ryan Carretta is moving to center, B.J. Williams is back at right guard, Ryan Baer returns at right tackle and Kendall Stanley is back at left guard after winning the Ed Conway Award during spring drills. Penn transfer Netinho Olivieri, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound, two-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, has been brought in to protect Heintschel’s blind side at left tackle.
Heintschel knows the job is bigger than naming the starting five. “Checking things at the line, seeing what coverages we’re getting and getting us set with the right play or protection — the offensive line, too, is going to be big for us, ultimately keeping me upright,” he said. That is the real test for Pitt now: whether the promise of a returning quarterback and a reworked front can hold up when the season opens and the pressure starts immediately.
