The Pitt Panthers have turned into a true dark horse contender in both the ACC race and the College Football Playoff picture. In Pat Narduzzi’s 11th season, Pitt sits at 7 and 2 and is tied for first place in the ACC.

One of the biggest surprises behind this rise is true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel. He did not start the season as QB1, but he has become one of the main reasons the Panthers are winning.

Heintschel got his chance in early October after Week 1 starter Eli Holstein struggled with turnovers. Following back to back losses to West Virginia and Louisville, Narduzzi made the switch. Heintschel’s first start came on October 4 against Boston College, and he was electric. He threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns while completing more than 73 percent of his passes. He also became the first true freshman quarterback to win his debut start for Pitt since Kenny Pickett in 2017.

Narduzzi said the move reminded him of Pickett’s first start and believes Heintschel has similar potential. He also stressed that one game doesn’t define a player, but so far Heintschel has kept stacking wins. Pitt is undefeated with him as the starter and has earned key wins against Syracuse, NC State and Stanford.

Heintschel already has four games with more than 300 yards and at least two passing touchdowns. His best performance came against NC State on October 25 when he threw for 423 yards and three scores. He has thrown five interceptions this season, including two last week, and now faces a big test against No. 10 Notre Dame. The Irish defense is tied for third in the country with 16 interceptions.

Heintschel comes from Oregon, Ohio, a small lakeside suburb near Toledo with just under twenty thousand residents. As a high school recruit, he was a three star quarterback in the class of 2025 and ranked No. 44 nationally at his position. His high school numbers were strong, with more than 3,600 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. Pitt was the only power conference school to offer him.

Here are Mason Heintschel’s college stats so far this season:

  1. Games: 6
  2. Completion percentage: 64.1
  3. Passing yards: 1,547
  4. Touchdowns: 12
  5. Interceptions: 5
  6. Rushing yards: 143
  7. Rushing touchdowns: 1

Pitt still has a path to the College Football Playoff. Last week’s loss by Virginia opened the door, and the Panthers are currently tied for first with Georgia Tech, Virginia and SMU. Their clearest route to the ACC title game is to beat No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 18 Miami. A loss would create complicated tiebreaker scenarios that favor Georgia Tech.

Only one ACC team appeared in the first CFP rankings, suggesting the committee might only take one team from the conference. Pitt can still reach the playoff if it wins out and captures the ACC championship.