Pitt Freshmen Emerging Late in Fall Camp

Although Holmes has only been with the Panthers for less than four months, he has already noticed Hunt's development.

"The first thing that stuck out when I got here was...he knew the offense completely through," Holmes said. "He's a smart kid. He's going to be a great tight end and I think he's going to help us out his year too."

On the other side of the ball, Lee, a Harrisburg, PA. native, has stood out to the Panthers' coaching staff.

"You talk about some of those young guys that have emerged, Shawn Lee has emerged and has shown some nice things," Narduzzi said.

Lee, who played quarterback and defensive back in high school, joins a Pitt secondary that was less than impressive in 2024. Pitt's defense allowed 264.2 yards per game, which ranked 122nd out of 134 teams. Lee brings some promise as a three-star athlete listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds.

The 247Sports Composite ranked Lee as a top 100 athlete in the nation, while Rivals had him 130th out of all cornerbacks in the Class of 2025.

Although Hunt and Lee received the majority of praise from Narduzzi, he also mentioned a third freshman.

Josh Guerrier, who was the No. 1 recruit in the Panthers' 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports, made a "nice diving catch" on an interception in the scrimmage, Narduzzi said. This isn't the first time the freshman has impressed in his short time as a Panther, though.

Gurrier has been impressing since spring camp when he caught the eye of returning strong safety Cruce Brookins.

“He's going to be a great player as well," Brookins said of Guerrier in March.

Although Gurrier has been the standout freshman defensive back, he showed Lee some love, too.

Gurrier and Lee are roommates this season and when he was asked about Lee's development, he just smiled and said, "That's my corner. That's my roommate. He's showing out right now."