Standouts from the Pitt Spring Game

PITTSBURGH — All spring long, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi and players hinted at which Panthers were starting to rise up amongst the others.

Drills during practice can only tell you so much, but the Blue-Gold Spring Game opened up the opportunity for those said players to shine on the field.

The 2025 spring game — a 17-14 Blue Team victory — featured a little bit of everything from interceptions to an emerging transfer receiver flying down the middle of the field for a long touchdown and even a passing touchdown from an All-American linebacker.

With the spring game in the books, let’s take a look at what players stood out on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.

WR Cataurus Hicks

Entering camp, Pitt knew there was a lot of potential with Louisville transfer wide receiver Cataurus Hicks. The attribute that received the most emphasis was his speed and it was only a matter of time before the Miami, Fla. native put that on display.

On the first play of the second half, quarterback Mason Heintschel hit Hicks with a quick pass on a short in route. Hicks took care of the rest as he dodged defenders by zipping right up the middle of the field before eventually slipping past the final defenders beyond the mid-field Panther head. It was a 65-yard touchdown that perfectly encapsulated the impact Hicks could have for the Panthers in 2025.

Only right that Blue scored for the Blue Team 🔵

Cataurus "Blue" Hicks HOUSE CALL 📞 pic.twitter.com/F8Nt3TfaDA

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) April 12, 2025

Hicks — a 5-10, 180-pound redshirt sophomore — was a slot receiver in Louisville. Upon joining Pitt, the Panthers moved him immediately to the outside for that very speed he owns. He’s a player that can do damage in many facets from taking the top off the defense to picking up yards after the catch as he showed Saturday.

QB Mason Heintschel

As for the man that tossed it to Hicks for the long touchdown, Heintschel exhibited a lot of good traits during the spring game. While the touchdown play was more so him getting the ball out quickly before Hicks did the rest, it was a small sample size of the strong outing he had.

The true freshman signal caller finished the day going 8-of-11 (72.7%) for 114 yards and the touchdown, along with taking one sack. He was quick with the ball and made some very good reads throughout the game while splitting time with Julian Dugger. Heintschel also showed his pocket presence by picking up several blitzes and either spinning out to create more time or hitting Ja’Kyrian Turner out of the backfield.

Mason Heintschel throws a pass on the run in the Pitt spring game. April 12, 2025 / Ed Thompson. PSN.

Pitt’s staff has talked highly of Heintschel throughout camp and Saturday gave an opportunity for the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Oregon, Ohio native to put his talents on display.

RB Ja’Kyrian Turner

The Blue Team had a lot of young playmakers that went out and made a name for themselves. Turner has been doing that all spring and was as advertised on Saturday. He racked up 44 yards on 17 carries and three receptions for 15 yards. The numbers can be deceiving because of the “thud” tempo the game was played with and the quick whistles on the first touching from the defense. However, if he could’ve play through the contact, those numbers would be a lot higher.

Nonetheless, Turner proved his presence with a couple of solid runs and plays in the receiving game out of the backfield. On one run, Turner took a handoff up the right side of the line and then made a quick cut back into the middle of the field, which was much reminiscent to some of the plays that Desmond Reid made in 2024.

Pitt has a very promising and talented freshman running back that has benefited mightily from enrolling early. Turner will certainly be an option for the Panthers in the fall.

WR Zion Fowler-El

Fowler-El has been lost in the shuffle over his first two seasons in the program. He finally received a starting nod in the bowl game in December and has carried that momentum into spring. There’s been a lot of praise for Fowler-El during camp and he went out and pulled in the first touchdown of the game Saturday.

A trick play with Kyle Louis receiving the ball in the backfield, Fowler-El gained some separation past Cruce Brookins in the end zone as he hauled in the 14-yard pass. Following the game, Louis admitted that he wanted to pass but didn’t know if he would get it off and then once he saw the redshirt sophomore receiver get open to finish the play.

Pitt wide receiver Zion Fowler-El pulls in a touchdown grab during the spring game. April 12, 2025 / Ed Thompson. PSN.

Fowler-El made a handful of other plays as he registered five receptions for 45 yards to go along with the touchdown.

Justin Cook

Cook manned the backfield for the Gold Team and was highly involved all game long. He joined the Panthers from East Stroudsburg as a wide receiver before sliding into a running back role in spring due to limited numbers.

He has taken that on that challenge and was out on Saturday making plays in both facets. He totaled 44 rushing yards on 17 carries with a 2-yard touchdown, along with 12 receptions for 68 yards. His dynamic approach fits the mold of the Panthers’ offense to a T and could have an increased role this year as a senior because of that.

Shadarian Harrison

Just hours removed from winning the Ed Conway Award for the most improved defensive player in spring camp, Harrison backed up the honor by intercepting two passes from No. 1 quarterback Eli Holstein.

The first came on just the second pass of the day as Harrison made a nice play to dive for a ball that was thrown low to the ground. His second came in the third quarter as Holstein under threw the ball. Still, Harrison was in position to come up with the takeaway. Harrison also added four tackles on the day.

Kavir Bains-Marquez (20) and Jesse Anderson (16) celebrate with Shadarian Harrison (21) after his first interception of the Pitt spring game. April 12, 2025 / Ed Thompson. PSN.

Harrison is pushing for a spot on the two deep and as of now he’s stated his case. The redshirt sophomore’s length at 6-foot-1 is also a plus that will help make an impact as a cover corner.

Kyle Louis

What would be a Pitt football game without Kyle Louis making an impact. It came on both sides as he tossed the first aforementioned touchdown of the day. It was a tough play on the run as he threw the left-handed pass across his body to Fowler-El.

While he’ll be remembered in this spring game for his passing touchdown, his defensive play shouldn’t go unnoticed either. There was some speculation on whether he’d play many snaps, but he was on the field for a majority of the game. He was second on the Blue Team in tackles with six behind Braylan Lovelace who had seven. Louis also added a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

Once again, an all-around All-American performance from the redshirt junior linebacker.

Shawn Lee Jr.

Pitt had a handful of players depart in the portal from the cornerback room. Harrison and Cal U transfer Rashan Murray have pushed for backup roles behind Rashad Battle and Tamon Lynum. Lee has been another player right there making some noise in the secondary during his first camp.

Pitt freshman cornerback Shawn Lee Jr. (28) goes to tackle running back Ja’Kyrian Turner (25). April 12, 2025 / Ed Thompson. PSN.

The true freshman tied a team-high six tackles for Gold, along with a tackle for loss and a pass defended. While he received plenty of snaps, Lee made the most of it as he flew around making plays, including the tackle for loss on Turner as Lee showed his closing speed.

Cameron Lindsey

Lindsey was one of the top linebackers on the Gold Team and grabbed the increased playing time and ran with it. Early in the game, Lindsey had a solid pass breakup in coverage as he finished the day with five tackles, along with a tackle for loss.

The redshirt freshman from Aliquippa is trying to make a case for himself to see the field in a talented linebacker room and he made some plays on Saturday that certainly stood out.

Jaeden Moore

Moore was a top player to watch during the spring game and he showed some flashes off the edge. The Oregon transfer tallied three tackles and two tackles for loss. There were a handful of other play were he provided some pressure and was in the area. The redshirt sophomore put together a nice afternoon that the Pitt staff should be pleased with.

Pitt will need Moore, along with other defensive end transfers Blaine Spires and Joey Zelinsky to make an impact off the edge during the upcoming season and it seems like the Panthers have some potential in that group, especially with a young talent in Moore.