Pitt All 105: The Pitt Tight Ends Room Has a ‘Dog’ in Josh Altsman

All-105 is a Pittsburgh Sports Now series profiling each of the 105 members of Pitt’s 2024 training camp roster. 

Josh Altsman, redshirt sophomore tight end from Central Catholic in Pittsburgh, Pa.

2023 season: Altsman played in one game last season, recording 10 offensive snaps in the season opener against Wofford

Stats: Altsman did not record any stats in his one appearance last season

Camp outlook: Altsman isn’t going to work into the rotation during camp, but he will certainly be a key glue guy in the room. He’s a valued option on the field during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex

Projected role: Altsman will spend the majority of his time working with the scout team and providing his hard-nosed style of play in practice

Josh Altsman (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) joined Pitt as a preferred walk-on out of Pittsburgh Central Catholic ahead of the 2022 season. He chose the Panthers over scholarship offers from Brown, Cornell, Duquesne, Fordham, St. Francis and RMU.

He hasn’t played during his time at Pitt, redshirting as a true freshman in 2022 and playing just 10 snaps against Wofford last season, but he’s still managed to make an impact on his coaches and teammates. It’s his grit and tenacity on the practice field that’s won over Jacob Bronowski.

“Josh Altsman, golly, a local kid, he will throw his body on the line every single day,” Bronowski said in April. “He wakes up and eats glass every single morning, and it makes him fun to coach.”

Bronowski said you’re able to hear it and see it in the way that Altsman works. He’s a “dog” out on the practice field, and that energy is often infectious.

“Just reckless abandonment with his body. We put in our split zone stuff and he’s flying across and just leaving it all out there.”

Altsman very likely isn’t going to see the field in 2024-25, sitting behind Gavin Bartholomew, Jake Overman and Jake Renda on the depth chart, but he’s the kind of heart and soul guy who is needed in locker rooms.