New OC Ready to Unleash Pitt’s Star TE

Kade Bell wants Gavin Bartholomew to run free in the Pitt Panthers' new offense.

PITTSBURGH -- One of, if not the biggest criticisms of Frank Cignetti's work as offensive coordinator during his tenure with Pitt Panthers was his use - or lack thereof - of star tight end Gavin Bartholomew. 

But new Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell is going to make sure that doesn't happen again, because he believes Bartholomew is too dangerous of a weapon in the passing game to keep bottled up as a blocker. 

“I’m excited about him. I think that he’s going to have a great year," Bell said. "And the reason I say that is because we’re going to be able to move him all around the field. He’s going to be lined up in all positions. He’s not just going to be in the backfield, on the line of scrimmage — he’s going to be lining up everywhere and I think what that’s going to do is create matchups for us and seeing how they play him and who they put on him and just using him as a guy who is a weapon."

MORE: New Pitt OC Kade Bell Introduces New Offense

Bartholomew was an explosive pass catcher when he was healthy, on the field and got the ball thrown his way. He averaged 18.1 yards per reception in 2023, a mark that would have ranked 25th in all of college football, just ahead of Ohio State superstar wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. But Bartholomew caught just 18 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown in 10 games played last season. 

Bell believes the Panthers, by moving Bartholomew all around the offense, will be able to open up explosive catch and run opportunities that he's taken such good advantage of since he's been a Panther. 

"He runs good enough down the field, he’s athletic — we’ve seen that on some of the catch and run stuff he’s had, right? Get him the ball in space," Bell said. "Sometimes just throw the ball out to him in space, even though you’ve got the littler guys blocking, it doesn’t matter. He’s a big guy who can run — he’s going to get you at least four to five [yards] and that’s the type of guy you want to have at that position, a guy who can be a matchup nightmare."

Pitt was able to retain Bartholomew, one of their offense's biggest stars, despite a rough season for him and the team at large. Now comes the more important task - making sure he has the opportunity to live up to his potential on the field during the regular season. 

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