Mason Heintschel has been committed to Pitt since March. The 6-foot-2 quarterback out of Oregon, Ohio has embraced a lead role in the Panthers’ 2025 recruiting class. The quarterback recruit in every recruiting class is often looked on as a leader and aid the coaches in the recruiting efforts, and that is exactly what Heintschel has been doing.
The Panthers’ future quarterback certainly learned a lot more about his next home on his official visit to Pittsburgh over the weekend, but he also made sure to help connect with the recruits on campus as well.
“I feel like that was definitely big,” Heintschel told Panther-Lair.com about Pitt’s big recruiting weekend. With the Panthers’ future quarterback in town, along with three other committed prospects, Pitt landed five more commitments on Saturday morning to bring the total class number to 11 recruits.
“I mean, you saw we got a lot of commits this weekend and I think us really being able to bond over our recruitment and over the visit and just sharing our experiences just kind of helped bond with some of the players, especially with the guys that were already committed,” Heintschel explained. “I think that really helped bring in some new guys this weekend.”
As of Sunday morning, only Max Hunt has announced his commitment. Hunt is a big pass catching 6-foot-5 tight end, who Heintschel helped work on over the weekend. While recruiting other players was a big part of his visit, it was also about strengthening his own relationships with the coaching staff.
Pitt’s first-year offensive coordinator Kade Bell was a big selling point for Heintschel to commit in the first place. The official visit allowed that relationship to grow.
“My parents definitely had a great time spending with him and his family and going over the offense once again, that was definitely great for me just to continue to understand and keep gaining more knowledge over that,” the 2025 recruit said.
He also got to sit-down with Pat Narduzzi as well. Heintschel believes the head coach has taken notice of what he has done to help build the class around him.
“He’s a very appreciative of what I’ve been able to do as far as recruiting,” he said of his talk with Narduzzi. “We’re building something special here and he realized it and he’s been working some of these guys. I mean, five commitments this weekend. That’s big stuff.”
Heintschel visited once in March, then returned for the Blue-Gold game in April. This visit allowed him to see Oakland more, with a tour of the Cathedral of Learning being a highlight.
“That was really unique,” Heintschel said of the Cathedral tour. “That’s something that you don’t really see at very many places.”
Heintschel competed and fared well at a regional Elite11 camp earlier in the spring, but said he has no further plans to attend camps or entertain other schools, indicating he is locked-in with Pitt. The future Pitt quarterback said he may return for a camp later this month to get a chance to work with Bell on the field.
