Last season, the Panthers were ranked as high as No. 18 in the poll rankings, starting off 7-0 under quarterback Eli Holstein and a top-ranked defense in the nation. Pitt then finished the season with a 3-5 ACC record, ending their season 7-6 and unranked in the polls. A loss in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl to Toledo put the cherry on top.
Pitt said goodbye to seniors Ben Sauls, Konata Mumpfield and Gavin Bartholomew, key team pieces that will need replacement. With these storylines coming to a crossroads ahead of their 2026 campaign, the Panthers’ Spring game was ready to answer questions and ease potential worries.
The first touchdown was thrown by… Kyle Louis?
Yes, you read that correctly. The First Team All-American sophomore linebacker was thrown onto the offensive side of things, ran a trick play flea flicker from freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, and threw the first touchdown of the game to wide receiver Zion Fowler-El in the back corner of the end zone.
The Blue team was given more backups on the offensive side and starters on the defensive side, so this certainly came as a surprise. In addition to Louis’ touchdown throw, the Blue team’s offense overall outperformed the offensively-favored Gold team.
Offensive woes displayed at Acrisure
Heading into halftime, both the Blue and Gold teams combined to convert only three of 12 third downs in the first half, and the four QBs combined for 23/48, 137 yards, and one interception.
Holstein was responsible for 39 of the 137 yards, which led all QBs, going 6/12, with the interception.
Fast forward to the second half, and offensive no-shows continued for both teams, especially Holstein, who threw his second interception near the goal line to the Ed Conway Award defensive recipient of Pitt Football’s spring training program, first-year defensive back Shedarian Harrison, who intercepted Holstein on both occasions. Holstein did secure a touchdown late on a 2-yard curl to freshman Cam Sapp. However, it was too late for Holstein’s Gold squad, who came up short 17-14 to the Blue team and their MVP, Harrison.
The new kids on the block
The Spring Game was more of a display of the new talent in the football program, as opposed to a highlighting of the stars. First-year running back Ja’Kyrian Turner was the first overall selection in the Spring Game draft — and rightfully so. When recruiting Turner, Pitt had discovered “Boosie” at a Miami Hurricanes camp, where Turner had run under a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash.
Standing at a similar stature to that of Desmond Reid, the 5’9’’ Turner looked nearly identical to Reid under Kade Bell’s offensive scheme. With some good cuts and flashy plays and reps on almost every play, Turner is a name to keep an eye on come the regular season.
With Sauls heading to the NFL, a kicking replacement is needed for the Panthers, and the Blue-Gold contest may have found the guy. Redshirt sophomore Sam Carpenter was perfect on the field today, going 2/2 on PATs and connecting on a 29-yard field goal, while junior James London struggled in one of the more difficult kicking environments to play in, going 2/2 on PATs and 0/2 on field goal attempts.
The Spring Game showcased points of excitement while revealing some spots to work on before August.
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