Comfort breeding confidence in Eli Holstein's 2nd year at Pitt (2025)

Mar. 18—Eli Holstein stepped outside his accustomed role as Pitt's starting quarterback for a moment during the first week of spring drills at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Leading an offense that loves to move with tempo, Holstein — not offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who was awarded a three-year extension last Friday — called a successful play.

"I told him I needed to get a contract extension, too," Holstein joked. "He liked that."

Jokes aside, in that moment, Holstein demonstrated the biggest difference between his redshirt freshman version and the newly introduced sophomore self. When he arrived in Pittsburgh last January as a transfer from Alabama, Holstein hadn't played a snap of live college football, he didn't know the offense and he certainly wasn't the incumbent starter. But with age has come command — not just of route concepts and reads but of the team he's expected to help lead into 2025.

2024 was rocky for Holstein and Pitt as a whole. A 7-0 start faded into an 0-6 finish, and Holstein's own health — he didn't finish a game healthy over the final four weeks of the regular season and was held out of the bowl game — was one important reason why. But as he and the Panthers try to transition into the new season, they are aided by some level of continuity.

A handful of starters — namely leading receiver Konata Mumpfield and tight end Gavin Bartholomew — are gone, but, especially at the skill positions, there is a wealth of experience coming back with the goal of operating Bell's offense more efficiently. Holstein feels at home when surrounded by Raphael Williams Jr., Censere Lee, Desmond Reid and some other returners.

"We are lightyears ahead of where we were midseason with this offense," Holstein said. "Guys are more comfortable. Coach Bell has tweaked some things that are going to help us a lot. ... Everything we've been doing lately has been making this offense better and better."

And with some more time and its accompanying comfort has come confidence for Holstein. He's energetic and vocal at practice and in meetings. He's no longer a freshman finding his way with a new team but a leader charged with holding his teammates to a high standard.

"I've had guys tell me, 'Hey, I need you to get on me,' and I told them I'm going to be on them, but they might not like me sometimes," Holstein said. "You might throw a punch at me. We might tussle, but if that's what you want me to do, you're going to hear what you don't like sometimes."

There will be quite a bit on Holstein's plate this offseason as takes on yet more responsibility in Year 2 at the helm of the Panthers offense. But he's attacking it with an enthusiasm Pat Narduzzi and Holstein's teammates have responded to.

"Eli, he's emotional and he's intense," Narduzzi said. "He's got some swag to him, and I think the guys feed off that, as well."

Ramping up

The pads come on for Pitt football this weekend as spring drills take their first step up in intensity. There is a private, fully live scrimmage scheduled for Saturday afternoon that will be critical for the Panthers, who experienced plenty of turnover up front over the winter and have run just 18 live plays in spring camp so far.

"After two days, I feel like we're running the ball better than we did a year ago. Again, is that good for the offense or bad for the defense?" Narduzzi said. "I don't think you know until you can go live. ... When you go live, that's when you get to find out what you really have."

At the same time, coaches and players both have to be cognizant of health. The injury bug bit Pitt hard late last season, and it hopes to avoid suffering attrition more than five months before the season opener against Duquesne. That's why most of the three practices the Panthers have held so far featured "thud" periods, which stop short of full contact.

The gloves come off this weekend, and the Panthers will play with a certain level of caution but are still eager to see what it looks like when they can finally apply some real force to their practices.

"Full live is an awesome opportunity," tight end Jake Overman said. "We're going to fly around and take care of each other. We have a long offseason ahead and we want to make sure we're staying healthy. We're going to fly around. We're going to be pros and take care of each other. But at the same time, we're going to get some great work in."

Get the ball

Through one week, some of the defenders who stood out for creating turnovers were familiar faces. Kyle Louis, an All-American selection back for his second year as a starter, was sporting a white sticker across the front of his helmet that read "TAKEAWAY" on Tuesday morning, indicating he had come up with a turnover over the weekend. Cruce Brookins, a favorite to start at safety who picked off two passes as a reserve last year, had one, as well.

But one newcomer had multiple stickers on his hat when the Panthers went through preliminary stretches under the early morning sun, and it was Shawn Lee Jr., the versatile defensive back out of Harrisburg, Pa. He displayed athleticism as a passer, rusher and pass defender in high school and has now channeled that into playmaking as a cornerback in college.

It's early, but this past weekend marked a strong start for the coveted former in-state recruit.

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