Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel, one of the top young quarterbacks in college football, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the team announced Saturday.
Heintschel, a sophomore in his second year starting, left Pitt's 35-33 win over Virginia Tech on Friday night during the third quarter after taking a hit on the sideline from Hokies cornerback Cam Chadwick. He entered Saturday tied for the ACC lead in touchdown passes with 14.
The injury immediately appeared serious, as Heintschel struggled to put weight on his right leg. He went to the locker room and appeared later on the Pitt sideline sitting with crutches nearby.
"We're heartbroken for Mason, but he's a resilient young man," coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. "We know he'll attack his recovery with the same determination he brings to our building every day, and our entire program will be behind him every step of the way. His leadership and ability to help coach up our quarterbacks will remain important to us as we continue to rally together and move forward."
Pitt is 5-0 after the victory at Virginia Tech. The Panthers are on the cusp of being ranked after this weekend's games, as coach Pat Narduzzi called on pollsters to rank the Panthers after the win Friday.
Heintschel was relieved by veteran backup Holden Geriner. Geriner led Pitt to a second-half comeback, as it trailed Virginia Tech 24-21 in the third quarter at the time of the injury.
Geriner is a fifth-year player who came to Pitt this year after spending the 2025 season at Texas State and the prior three seasons at Auburn. He will be Pitt's starter moving forward, and the game against North Carolina next week will be his first college start.
Against Virginia Tech, Geriner was 8-for-12 for 78 yards and a touchdown. He didn't throw any interceptions.
Heintschel came out of nowhere to be one of the breakthrough players in 2025. He was an overlooked recruit from the Toledo, Ohio, area who overtook the starting job from Eli Holstein and never looked back. He went 6-3 as a freshman starter and is 11-3 overall.
In two seasons in Kade Bell's offense, Heintschel threw for 3,658 yards and 30 touchdowns in 15 games. He completed 64.4% of his passes, including 66.2% this year.
He had shown a leap from his freshman to sophomore years, with 14 touchdowns and just one interception this year. He averaged 260.8 passing yards and 8.8 yards per attempt.
