Eli Holstein injury update: Pittsburgh QB’s status for GameAbove Sports Bowl vs. Toledo revealed

Although having over a month to get healthy again, Eli Holstein will not be on the field today. QB1 will now be out for the final outing of the fall for Pittsburgh.

Per reporting by Bill Hillgrove, Holstein is unavailable today for this afternoon’s matchup against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. With that, David Lynch, a walk-on ending his redshirt freshman season, will be the starting quarterback for the Panthers in Detroit.

This comes after 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.

Despite missing two games while having several other injuries, Holstein, a redshirt freshman, had a quality year in his first season as a collegiate starter as well as at Pitt. He was 180-291 (61.9%) for 2,225 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions over this fall.

Holstein also, although more mobile earlier in the season, rushed for 328 yards and a touchdown. Those were the first moments for Holstein, a former four-star and a Top-10 QB recruit in ’23, in college after transferring during the last offseason from Alabama.

Lynch (66.7% completion for 46 yards and a pick) has appeared in a pair of games this season. Now, he’ll make his first collegiate start in place of Holstein today in their bowl game.