The Best College Football Player That You Didn't Know Existed
After rummaging through transfer portal quarterbacks like Kedon Slovis and Phil Jurkovec, Pitt has finally found a good one. Alabama transfer Eli Holstein has made an immediate impact at Pitt. He’s led them to five wins to open the season, the first time the Panthers have started 5-0 since 1991. The schedule will ramp up with ACC matchups that will have huge implications.
Starting Hot At Pitt
Although he had never played a game at Alabama, Holstein looked like an upperclassman out of the gates for the Panthers. In week one, he led the Panthers to a 55-24 win over Kent State and made a great first impression on Pitt fans. Holstein threw for 336 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception on a 75.6% completion rate. His first game at Acrisure Stadium was complete dominance.
In week two, Holstein led Pitt to a second-half comeback in Cincinnati. He passed for 302 yards with three touchdowns and one interception again. Running back Des Reid had a big day to help Holstein and the Panthers grab a 28-27 win in Cincy. Then in week three, Pitt won the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia with Holstein posting 301 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and 59 rushing yards in the 38-34 victory in the rivalry game.
After stomping out the Mountaineers in Pittsburgh, the Panthers had a nice tune-up game against Youngstown State where they pounded the Penguins 73-17. Although Holstein didn’t play the entire game, he still put up 247 passing yards with three touchdowns to go with his 92 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on nine attempts.
Then in week five, Pitt went into North Carolina and came out with a conference win by the score of 34-24. The Tar Heels were persistent, but eventually, Holstein and the Panthers came out with the win. He threw for 381 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He had 76 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. Pitt walked out 5-0 for the first time since 1991.
Flashback To 1991
Paul Hackett was the Panthers head coach the last time they started 5-0. He’s the father of current New York Jets Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Pitt’s quarterback was Alex Van Pelt, the current offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. NFL Hall of Famer Curtis Martin was on the team but was the second-leading rusher behind Jermaine Williams. Martin went on to play 11 NFL seasons, posting 1,000+ yards in 10 of them.
The 1991 Panthers cruised to 5-0 by beating West Virginia, Southern Mississippi, Temple, Minnesota, and Maryland. After that, they were ranked 12th in the nation and headed into South Bend to play the seventh-ranked Notre Dame, who smacked them 42-7. That would be the start of a four-game losing streak. Pitt ended the season 6-5, a disappointing end with how things started. This Pitt team wants things to be different.
The week seven matchup with Cal will be a good test for the Panthers. After that, Pitt will face Syracuse, SMU, Virginia, Clemson, Louisville, and Boston College to end the season. If they are legit, this could be a College Football Playoff team with the freshman Eli Holstein leading the way. He’s currently fifth in college football for passing touchdowns and will look to improve on that down the stretch.