Pittsburgh

Bell and Heintschel have emphasized efficient decisions and moving the chains, while spring reports showed the passing game could create explosive plays. Bryce Yates, transfer Malik Knight and early enrollee Dylan Wester produced notable gains in the first spring scrimmage. Censere Lee, Cataurus Hicks, Tony Kinsler and Cam Sapp are among the other returning or emerging options. The breadth is encouraging, but regular-season targets still have to separate themselves from a crowded group.

The greater offensive pressure falls on the running game and line. Ja’Kyrian Turner and Western Kentucky transfer La’Vell Wright received positive spring evaluations, with Turner repeatedly breaking long runs, but Narduzzi said the running game still needed improvement. Veteran Jaylin Brown was limited to individual work while rehabilitating, leaving his eventual role uncertain. Up front, Ryan Carretta worked at center alongside experienced pieces Ryan Baer and BJ Williams, while transfers Netinho Olivieri and Keylen Davis arrived with all-conference experience. Finding the best five will shape both Heintschel’s protection and Pitt’s ability to avoid becoming one-dimensional.

On defense, Narduzzi and coordinator Cory Sanders need the front to remain the engine of Pitt’s pressure-oriented approach. Jimmy Scott has moved into a larger leadership role, Isaiah Neal shifted from tackle to end and transfers Jeremiah Warren and Eliyt Nairne joined veterans Sean FitzSimmons and Nick James inside. At linebacker, Braylan Lovelace is the established anchor after the departures of Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles. DeMarco Ward, Alex Sanford Jr. and Jeremiah Marcelin offered encouraging spring work, but replacing the production that left will require more than promising scrimmage grades.

The secondary presents the same balance of veteran leadership and open jobs. Cruce Brookins is the safety centerpiece, while transfers Raion Strader and Kanye Thompson brought starting experience into a cornerback competition Narduzzi described as six players deep. That gives Pitt options, not a settled starting pair. The eventual choices matter because aggressive pressure asks cornerbacks to withstand difficult coverage assignments when the rush does not arrive immediately.

Pitt is also integrating additions throughout the offense, defensive front, linebacker corps, secondary and specialist positions. The stabilizing force may be a veteran group that Narduzzi, Heintschel, Baer and Lovelace described at ACC Kickoff in terms of loyalty, leadership and assignment discipline. Five players have spent five years in the program and two others four. That experience cannot settle every competition, but it could help new combinations develop without forcing Heintschel to carry the entire transition.

The schedule offers an early opportunity to do that work at home. Pitt opens at Acrisure Stadium against Miami (Ohio), UCF, Syracuse and Bucknell, with Syracuse visiting for a Thursday ACC opener. The Panthers then make their first road trip to Virginia Tech. Four home games provide continuity for new starters, but UCF and an early conference matchup should test whether the offensive line, secondary and other reconstructed areas are progressing quickly enough.

The pressure rises later with road trips to Miami, Louisville and California. Any unresolved protection problem, coverage assignment or specialist role could become more costly during that stretch. Pitt therefore enters 2026 with a clear advantage but no guarantee: Heintschel gives the offense a proven starting point, while Baer, Scott, Lovelace and Brookins provide experienced reference points elsewhere. How effectively Narduzzi’s staff builds around them—not the length of the offseason depth chart—will determine what that continuity is worth.

Win probability

81%