Eli Holstein announces he will return to Pittsburgh in 2025

Pitt starting quarterback Eli Holstein has made his decision on his future. Holstein is returning to Pitt for the 2025 season, he announced Friday on social media.

Holstein revealed he is returning to Pitt in 2025 in a video posted on Twitter. You can check it out below:

Panther Nation I’m Back‼️‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/x0OhSqIIsv

— Eli Holstein (@eli_holstein10) December 27, 2024

Holstein played well at Pitt during the 2024 season, throwing for 2,275 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 328 yards and three scores this season.

The Louisiana native was in his first season at Pitt in 2024 after transferring in from Alabama. He was ranked as a four-star recruit, the No. 84 overall player in the country and the No. 7 QB in the nation in the class of 2023, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

Holstein redshirted at Alabama in 2023, then entered the transfer portal. He played well as a redshirt freshman for the Panthers in 2024, despite battling some injuries. Holstein missed three games for Pitt this season, including Thursday’s loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

Holstein was injured during a sack in a loss at Louisville — the worst of the team’s season at 37-9 — on November 23rd. He was carted off of the field with a leg injury as it was put in an air cast and he also had to leave that day on crutches. Nate Yarnell, who has since entered the transfer portal, then had to start in the regular season finale in what was a loss at Boston College. He also missed games this season due to a head injury, including Pitt’s loss to Clemson in November.

With Holstein back, Pitt has a solid quarterback to build around for the 2025 season and potentially for the next few years. He will be a redshirt sophomore in 2025, meaning he still has three years of eligibility remaining.

Pitt got off to a strong start to the 2024 season, winning its first seven games of the year. However, the Panthers went 0-6 down the stretch to finish with a 7-6 record. There were some heartbreaking losses for the Panthers during the six-game losing streak. Pitt dropped a home game to Virginia 24-19 in early November, lost in the final seconds against Clemson the following week and fell 48-46 in six overtimes on Thursday against Toledo.

This is an important offseason for the Panthers as they look to get back on track.