Pitt Walk-On QB David Lynch Receiving First College Start

Pitt is starting a walk-on quarterback against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

David Lynch — a 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback from East Greenwich, R.I. — is making his first collegiate start with Eli Holstein ruled out and Nate Yarnell exiting via the transfer portal.

Lynch supplanted Ty Dieffenbach as the backup when Holstein missed time earlier this season, making the most of his opportunities in practice.

“When it just came down to the focus every single day in practice and the details, when you get your snaps, you’ve got to make your snaps worthwhile,” Narduzzi said last month during a weekly presser. “And it just seemed like we weren’t getting what we wanted out of Ty right now. And again business decisions. I don’t care if you’re a walk-on or scholarship player. I’d, obviously, love to — I don’t care.

“Go back to Sam Scarton starting at kicker instead of Ben Sauls. Which, we knew Ben was a phenomenal kicker back when he was a freshman, but you’ve got to put it through the yellow uprights. We’re playing the best players. We’re trying to win football games. We felt David gave us the best chance of winning right now.”

Lynch has completed 6-of-9 pass attempts for 46 yards and an interception in two appearances this season. He finished the loss against Louisville for the Panthers and received a couple of snaps as Yarnell was attended to by the training staff in the regular season finale against Boston College.

He initially committed to Pitt as a preferred walk-on before the 2023 season, after he spent a season at IMG Academy for his post-graduate development.

It’s a big opportunity for Lynch, a chance to show the coaching staff — and all of college football — that he’s ready for the moment. He will be backed up by Julian Dugger and walk-on Jake Frantl.