Early last August, long before he ascended to the starting quarterback role at Pitt, then-true freshman Mason Heintschel offered a prediction regarding a fellow young teammate.
“Josh Guerrier — he’s a freak,” Heintschel said. “That dude is a stud. He’s going to make some noise here soon. It’s tough going against him in practice. True freshman vs. true freshman — he’s a dude. I’m not going to lie.”
Heintschel, who made quite a bit of noise on his own last fall, proved to be correct about Guerrier.
The 5-foot-10 safety from Ocoee, Fla., played in all 13 of Pitt’s games as a true freshman, emerging as a major contributor at safety.
Guerrier finished with eight tackles and three pass breakups.
One of his most exciting moments came Oct. 11 on the road against No. 25 Florida State, when he blocked a punt in the second quarter of an eventual 34-31 Panthers win.
Fast forward to April and Guerrier is looking to take the next steps toward developing as a college safety.
With more spring ball ahead, as well as the summer and fall camp, a theme for Guerrier in the lead up to 2026 has been battling Heintschel, sophomore vs. sophomore.
“To be a safety, you’ve really got to know where the quarterback’s eyes are at and what the quarterback is going to do,” Guerrier said. “Mason’s been challenging this year. Me and him have been going at it, so it’s good for us.”
Guerrier is now coached by Harlon Barnett, whom Narduzzi brought on staff to oversee the team’s safeties. That task was formerly performed by Cory Sanders before his promotion to defensive coordinator in late December.
With a new coach has come a position change, as Guerrier is being developed as a free safety, with the more physical Cruce Brookins playing strong safety.
The switch has presented new challenges, namely a need for Guerrier to be more vocal in coordinating with teammates before the ball is snapped.
But so far, Guerrier feels he’s been able to rise to the occasion.
“It’s a lot of isolation with the receivers, a lot of checks you have to get out to the corner and linebacker — you’ve got to be on the same page with them,” Guerrier said. “But I think everything is going to be cool and turn out good, as long as you’re on the same page. … I know who I am (and) I know what I’ve got in my God-given ability. I’m pretty cool, pretty smooth with the transition.”
Pitt’s starting safeties from last season, Javon McIntyre and Kavir Bains-Marquez, graduated, with Guerrier expected to play an even larger role, partnering with Brookins.
Other youngsters, such as true freshmen Tony Forney and Da’Ron Barksdale, who like Brookins is a Steel Valley graduate, find themselves in similar position to Guerrier a year ago, looking to make a case for early playing time.
“They’re some hard-working guys, I’m not going to lie,” Guerrier said. “They’re my guys, too. They’re young guys and I’ve got to put them on my path and lead them by example. They’re some great guys and you’re going to see them this year.”
Over his first year at Pitt, Guerrier managed to force his way onto the field and carve out a large role for himself as a true freshman.
Just like much will ride on Heintschel being able to develop in his second year with the program, the Panthers are counting on Guerrier to make strides heading into the fall.
“Josh just keeps getting better,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He’s going to be a really good free safety for us.”