Mason Heintschel News: Returning to Pitt in 2026

Heintschel officially announced his intentions to return to Pittsburgh in 2026, per his personal X account.

Heintschel took over for Eli Holstein in Week 6 and instantly secured the Panthers' QB1 gig. The true freshman was one of the more exciting gunslingers in the sport this year, and he finished the season with 2,354 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 63.6 percent completion, also picking up 88 yards and two scores on the ground. Though his production fell off a bit towards the end of the season, Heintchel still made it clear that he's the future of this Pitt offense, and he's now officially elected to return to the 412 next fall, where he'll be the starter from the jump.