University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Football Position Preview: Offensive Line and Tight Ends
8/26/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football, General
Pitt's success up front this season hinges on two groups that rarely make headlines but will shape everything the offense is capable of doing — the offensive line and the tight ends.
Offensive Line
Durability was the offseason's guiding word, and Pitt built accordingly.
The right side returns fully intact with Ryan Baer and BJ Williams, a pairing that gives the group a steady foundation to build around.
Baer enters his fourth year as a starter and second full season at right tackle, bringing 40 career games and 35 starts along the offensive line with him — production that's landed him on the 2026 Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List and earned preseason All-ACC honors from both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
Williams has been every bit as steady since becoming the first true freshman to start on Pitt's offensive line since Dorian Johnson in 2013. He joins Baer on this year's Outland Trophy Watch List.
The left side and center will look different after injuries scrambled the rotation a year ago. Ryan Carretta is set to take over at center after a 2025 season that saw him make a career-high seven starts at left guard — including stepping in when Keith Gouveia went down against Louisville — before an injury of his own against Notre Dame ended his year early. He's now on the 2026 Rimington Trophy Watch List as he shifts to the middle of the line.
Alongside him, Kendall Stanley is in line for a starting guard spot after bouncing between left tackle and left guard out of necessity last season, appearing in all 13 games and making seven starts. That versatility earned him recognition as the offense's most improved player this spring, and he'll look to carry that momentum into a more defined role.
Behind them, Pitt added reinforcements up front through the transfer portal. Netinho Olivieri, a two-time First Team All-Ivy League tackle from Penn, has already turned heads in his first spring in Pittsburgh and is poised to start at left tackle.
Keylen Davis, a Third Team All-MAC pick at Akron, helped block for an offense that topped 4,200 total yards last season and adds proven experience to the interior mix. Beyond the projected starting five, a deep room of Jiavani Cooley, Torian Chester, Isaiah Montgomery and a promising freshman class — including Shep Turk and John Curran — gives Pitt legitimate depth.
Gouveia's potential return from injury later in the season would only add more of a cushion.
Tight Ends
It's the only position group without a returning starter, but that says nothing about its importance. Pitt's tight ends were a real factor in the passing game last season, and new position coach Brent Davis wants a room that can do it all: catch and block at the level Kade Bell's offense demands.
Transfers Carson Kent and Elijah Lagg headline the competition for the job, while returners Max Hunt and Truitt Brown and true freshman Wyatt Villarreal add intrigue to a position battle that's far from settled.
Kent arrives from Oklahoma, where he played in all 13 games last season and helped the Sooners reach the College Football Playoff as a No. 8 seed, catching three passes for 26 yards.
Lagg spent last season at UAB, appearing in all 12 games and making six starts in his lone year with the Blazers. He caught 20 passes for 164 yards, with a career-high performance of four catches for 43 yards in a win over Tulsa on Nov. 29.
Hunt and Villarreal have drawn attention throughout camp, though both are considered the less experienced options in the room. Hunt logged just one target for 20 yards last season.
The position has proven valuable in Pitt's passing attack and will likely continue to be important this season. Justin Holmes was targeted the third-most times on the team last year behind only the top two receivers. As a group, tight ends accounted for 44 targets (15% of the offense), 412 yards (12%) and six touchdowns (20.7% of the team's total).
