Pittsburgh Panthers
ACC
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #36
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 8.4 (#36)
- SP+ Offense
- 31.6
- SP+ Defense
- 23.5
- SRS
- 10.0
- FPI
- 7.7
- Elo
- 1614
- Talent
- 681
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
8.0p10 6.0 — p90 9.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 1.9% | |
| Make CFP | 2.5% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.3% | |
| Semifinal | 0.1% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 7.6–4.4
Schedule
75th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
107th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
59th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsMiami (OH) | -3.4 | 31-20 | +10.6 | 78% | — |
| 2 | vsUCF | -1.2 | 34-19 | +14.5 | 84% | — |
| 3 | vsSyracuse | -13.1 | 34-21 | +13.5 | 83% | — |
| 4 | vsBucknell | FCS | 46-3* | +42.9 | 100% | — |
| 5 | @Virginia Tech | -10.1 | 31-26 | +4.2 | 62% | — |
| 6 | vsNorth Carolina | -6.6 | 32-19 | +13.1 | 82% | — |
| 7 | @Boston College | -8.5 | 31-24 | +7.7 | 71% | — |
| 8 | @Miami | +20.7 | 16-32 | -16.0 | 13% | — |
| 9 | vsGeorgia Tech | +9.3 | 28-26 | +1.5 | 54% | — |
| 11 | vsFlorida State | +7.2 | 26-26 | +0.4 | 52% | — |
| 12 | @Louisville | +12.4 | 20-27 | -7.3 | 30% | — |
| 13 | @California | -3.2 | 27-25 | +2.5 | 57% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 2
2026 · 65
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Mason Heintschel | FR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Holden Geriner← Texas State | JR | 6'3" | 205 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Ja'Kyrian Turner | FR | 5'9" | 180 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Desmond Reid | SR | 5'8" | 175 | — |
| RB | 3rd | La'Vell Wright← Western Kentucky | SR | 6'0" | 222 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Jalynn Williams | SR | 5'10" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Justin Cook | SR | 5'10" | 175 | — |
| RB | 6th | Caleb Williams | SO | 5'11" | 205 | — |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Raphael Williams Jr. | SR | 5'10" | 165 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Cataurus Hicks | SO | 5'10" | 175 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Deuce Spann | SR | 6'4" | 210 | — |
| WR | 4th | Bryce Yates | FR | 6'0" | 180 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Censere Lee | SR | 5'11" | 165 | — |
| WR | 6th | Tony Kinsler | FR | 5'11" | 170 | — |
| WR | 7th | Cam Sapp | FR | 5'10" | 175 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Malik Knight← Western Carolina | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Justin Holmes | SR | 6'3" | 245 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Elijah Lagg← UAB | JR | 6'4" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Jake Overman | SR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| TE | 4th | Josh Altsman | JR | 6'3" | 235 | — |
| TE | 5th | Carson Kent← Oklahoma | JR | 6'4" | 247 | ★★★ |
| TE | — | Adam Howanitz | SO | 6'4" | 235 | — |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Ryan Carretta | SO | 6'5" | 305 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Netinho Olivieri← Pennsylvania | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Isaiah Neal | SO | 6'2" | 265 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Joey Zelinsky | SR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Jimmy Scott | JR | 6'3" | 260 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Sean FitzSimmons | JR | 6'3" | 295 | — |
| DL | 5th | Nick James | JR | 6'2" | 280 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Blaine Spires | SR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★ |
| DL | 7th | Zach Crothers | FR | 6'4" | 260 | — |
| DL | 8th | Nate Temple | SR | 6'4" | 245 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Eliyt Nairne← Tulane | SO | 6'1" | 305 | ★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Jeremiah Warren← Illinois | SO | 6'3" | 305 | ★★★ |
| DL | 11th | Jaeden Moore | SO | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| DL | 12th | Trevor Sommers | FR | 6'2" | 270 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Braylan Lovelace | JR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | DeMarco Ward← Memphis | SO | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Alex Sanford Jr.← Purdue | JR | 6'1" | 232 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Cameron Lindsey | FR | 6'1" | 210 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Nick Lapi | SR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| LB | 6th | Abe Ibrahim | JR | 6'1" | 225 | — |
| LB | 7th | Davin Brewton | FR | 6'0" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Emmanuel Taylor | FR | 6'1" | 205 | ★★★ |
| LB | 9th | Luke DelGaudio | SR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| LB | — | Justin Thompson | FR | 6'2" | 235 | — |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Raion Strader← Auburn | JR | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Kanye Thompson← Slippery Rock | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Kavir Bains-Marquez | SR | 5'10" | 175 | ★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Javon McIntyre | SR | 6'1" | 195 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Cruce Brookins | SO | 6'2" | 195 | — |
| DB | 4th | Rashad Battle | SR | 6'3" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Shawn Lee Jr. | FR | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Shadarian Harrison | SO | 6'1" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Tamon Lynum | SR | 6'2" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Allen Bryant | FR | 6'0" | 180 | — |
| DB | 9th | Zion Ferguson | FR | 6'1" | 175 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Josh Guerrier | FR | 5'10" | 175 | — |
| DB | 11th | Cole Woodson | FR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| DB | 12th | Rashan Murray | SR | 6'2" | 180 | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | — | Samuel Hunsaker← Northern Arizona | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LS | 1st | Nilay Upadhyayula | SR | 5'11" | 225 | — |
| LS | — | Justin Schmidt← Purdue | FR | 6'1" | 233 | ★★ |
| P | 1st | Caleb Junko | SR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| P | — | Gabe Russo← Idaho State | — | — | — | ★★ |
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Projected Leaders
2026 proj
| Pass Yds | Heintschel2,071 |
| Rush Yds | Turner623·Heintschel127·Williams93 |
| Rec Yds | Hicks401·Yates227·Lagg172 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 9 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 6-2 | #36 | #23 | 0-1 |
| 2024 | 7-5 | 3-5 | #50 | #18 | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 3-9 | 2-6 | #90 | — | — |
| 2022 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #40 | #17 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 11-2 | 8-1 | #9 | #13 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 6-5 | 5-5 | #41 | — | — |
| 2019 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #48 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 7-6 | 6-3 | #61 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 5-7 | 3-5 | #47 | — | — |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #23 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 8-4 | 6-2 | #33 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 6-6 | 4-4 | #26 | — | 0-1 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #46 · 22 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★127 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #51 | 199 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 2024 | #41 | 204 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2023 | #51 | 196 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2022 | #76 | 153 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2021 | #26 | 210 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 2020 | #44 | 193 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2019 | #58 | 182 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | #47 | 193 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 2017 | #37 | 202 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 2016 | #30 | 209 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 16net -5Out 21
Portal avg stars (in / out)2.9 / 3.2
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Carson Kent | TE | 3★ | ← Oklahoma |
| ▲ | Raion Strader | CB | 3★ | ← Auburn |
| ▲ | Jeremiah Warren | DL | 3★ | ← Illinois |
| ▲ | Alex Sanford Jr. | LB | 3★ | ← Purdue |
| ▼ | Francis Brewu | DL | 4★ | → Notre Dame |
| ▼ | Rasheem Biles | LB | 4★ | → Texas |
| ▼ | Shawn Lee Jr. | CB | 4★ | → — |
| ▼ | Derrick Davis Jr. | RB | 4★ | → — |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
1 items
- New Longhorn Rasheem Biles named top MLB by EA College Football 27As EA prepares for release of College Football 27, they are releasing player rankings this week. A new Texas Longhorn is top middle linebacker.