Pitt will start as a walk-on quarterback against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

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

Lynch replaced Ty Dieffenbach as a substitute when Holstein missed time earlier this season and made the most of his opportunities in practice.

“If it’s just a matter of being in practice every single day and focusing on the details, then when you take your snaps, you have to make them worth it,” Narduzzi said during a weekly press conference last month. “And it just seemed like we weren’t getting what we wanted from Ty at the moment. And again business decisions. I don’t care if you’re a walk-on player or a scholarship player. Of course I would like to – I don’t care.

“Go back to Sam Scarton starting at kicker, not Ben Sauls. We knew Ben was a phenomenal kicker as a freshman, but you have to get him through the yellow posts. We play with the best players. We try to win football games. We felt like David gave us the best chance to win at the moment.”

Lynch has completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 46 yards and one interception in two appearances this season. He finished in the Panthers’ loss to Louisville and received some snaps when Yarnell was mentored by the coaching staff in the regular season finale against Boston College.

He initially chose Pitt as his preferred backup ahead of the 2023 season after spending 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 supported by Julian Dugger and substitute Jake Frantl.