Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew Expects Big Things in 2024

There was an expectation for some that as Gavin Bartholomew left the field at Yankee Stadium with a lower leg injury in November, he had played his final snap as a Pitt Panther. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to have seen him enter the transfer portal and look for a bigger opportunity elsewhere.

That didn’t happen, obviously. He locked in with Alliance 412 and announced that he’d be returning to Pitt for his final season of eligibility in December.

Bartholomew met with Pat Narduzzi and the coaching staff and just tried to express that he wanted to be able to help the team out. He wasn’t trying to be selfish, but he felt like he could help the Panthers out more — get more involved and move around a bit more. And how was that request met?

“They said they would, so yeah,” Bartholomew said with a smile last week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. 

Bartholomew — a 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior tight end from Schuylkill Haven, Pa. — is back for one more season. And new offensive coordinator Kade Bell and tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski to have him. In an offense that maybe lacks a true “star” skill player, Bartholomew offers a lot of potential.

It’s not as if Bartholomew is a secret, but it’s almost as if there was a secret way to utilize him that former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. never figured out.

Bronowski has watched all of Bartholomew’s film since arriving. He sees the talent — the ball skills, the athleticism and the game-breaking ability. He’s challenged Bartholomew to be the same dude day in and day out. There’s an opportunity for him.

“Now for (Bartholomew) the challenge is, can you be that consistent pillar in everything that you’re doing, right?” Bronowski said. “And let that be contagious to those around you. Because we got a lot of youth, you look at that wide receiver room, there’s a lot of youth in there. So, he’s got a lot of hats to wear, but I think that ultimately is going to benefit him because now he’s going to be able to really take that next jump and get back to where he was and even more.”

It’s interesting when it comes to how Bartholomew has been utilized in the passing game. He was used more so in the slot than ever before last season (35% of passing snaps), but it didn’t result in additional opportunities.

The most successful season of Bartholomew’s college career came as a freshman in a pass-heavy offense. He was moved all over, utilized in the backfield, in the slot and even out wide.

Pittsburgh Panthers tight end Gavin Bartholomew (86) September 9, 2023 David Hague/PSN

And that’s how Bell envisions using Bartholomew next season. Bartholomew is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, a weapon to create mismatches across the defense and even a major red zone threat.

“Oh, man, I’m excited about him,” Bell said. “I think he’s gonna have a great year this year, and the reason I say this is we’re going to be able to move him all around the field. He’s gonna be lined up in all positions. He’s not just gonna be in the backfield or on the line of scrimmage; he’s gonna be everywhere.

“What that’s gonna do is create matchups for us, seeing how they play him and who they put on him. Just using him as a guy who is a weapon. He runs good enough down the field, he’s athletic — we’ve seen the catch and run stuff that he’s had. Get him the ball in space. Sometimes you’re throwing him the ball out there and even though you’ve got the little guys blocking, it doesn’t matter. He’s a big dude who can run.”

Bartholomew is a big dude who can run. There’s no debating that. He just wants more of an opportunity to run with the ball in his hands.

Bartholomew recorded 18 receptions for 326 yards (18.1 yards per catch) with a touchdown in 2023 on the way to All-ACC honorable mention honors. He had the highest reception percentage (66.7%), and he made 3-of-4 contested catches with just a single drop.

In three seasons at Pitt, Bartholomew has recorded 67 receptions for 935 yards (14.0 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns — thriving despite a serious disconnect between Bartholomew and the assortment of quarterbacks throwing the ball his way.

Nate Yarnell is entrenched as the starting quarterback right now, and while that may change before the spring (or not), he wasn’t able to start any of his games with Bartholomew in the lineup last season. Yarnell built a solid rapport with former Pitt tight end Karter Johnson, and there’s no reason to expect that Bartholomew won’t finally be utilized as a playmaker.

“Coach Bell was coming in the other day saying (tight ends) have a big role in this offense, and he has high expectations and we all expect to meet them,” Bartholomew said. “It’s almost like right behind the quarterback for the offense.”

The new offensive scheme, an up-tempo, no-huddle spread that prioritizes the quarterback making good decisions, and it’s been an adjustment. It’s very different from how Pitt has operated over the last two seasons, but Bartholomew feels like the offense as a whole is picking it up. It’s going to be harder for defenses to keep up next season.

It’s been two up-and-down seasons for Bartholomew, showing flashes of immense potential between the periods of misuse, but he couldn’t leave after last season. He wants to go out on a high — and he believes this team will be able to do so after last season’s failure.

“I’d say there’s a little bit of hungriness or an edge on you because we’ve got a new offense coming in, everyone wants to learn it, go out there and show the coaches they can play,” Bartholomew said. “But also prove that we can win games, prove to ourselves that we are good and we can win a championship.”

There’s still a ways to go before the 2024 season kicks off, and there’s still plenty of adjusting to be done when it comes to learning the new offense, but Bartholomew will be around for it all. And he expects his 2024 season to be the best of his Pitt career.