Mason Heintschel injury update: Pitt QB suffers torn ACL, out for season

The Pittsburgh quarterback suffered a torn ACL in the Panthers ' win over Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 2. ESPN reported , a devastating injury for the undefeated team.

The injury happened early in the third quarter. He scrambled on a play and was near the sideline when he was tackled by two Virginia Tech defenders. Heintschel stayed down on the ground for an extended length of time and was taken to the locker room with his arms around two members of Pitt's medical staff.

He missed the remainder of the game as the Panthers won 35-33.

What Mason Heintschel injury means for Pitt

It's an unfortunate one for Pitt as the sophomore quarterback has been extremely productive this season. In five games, he has thrown for 1,304 yards − sixth most in FBS − and 14 touchdowns − tied for most in the country − with just one interception.

He was a major reason why the Panthers were averaging 38.4 points per game, ranked 30th in FBS.

With the win over Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh moved to 5-0 for the second time in the past three seasons. The Panthers have risen to become an ACC contender, and certainly seemed like they could be in the College Football Playoff conversation given the only ranked game it has left on the schedule is at Miami on Oct. 24. There's also a late season road contest against Louisville on Nov. 21.

Without Heintschel, the Panthers' conference title and playoff hopes take a hit and questions will arise if they can sustain the scoring without their star player.

After Heintschel's injury, he was replaced by Holden Geriner, who held his own as he went 8-for-12 with 78 yards and one touchdown.

A fifth-year player, Geriner is at his third school of his college career. He spent 2022-24 with Auburn and 2025 with Texas State, playing in a total of 11 games prior to his arrival in Pittsburgh.