Pair of Pitt Walk-Ons Will Not Return for 2026 Season
As the Pitt football roster continues to turnover, the Panthers will be without a pair of pass-catching walk-ons next season.
Tight end Josh Altsman and wide receiver Caden Smith will not return to Pitt in 2026, Pittsburgh Sports Now has learned. The two redshirt juniors are calling it a football career, and are not expected to enter the portal despite having one year of eligibility remaining.
Altsman comes as an interesting departure for the Panthers. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic alum started to find the field on offense this past fall with 46 total snaps after playing a majority of his career on special teams.
The 6-3, 235-pound Altsman caught five passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, which came against Central Michigan. He was also starting to carve out a blocking role. He played a season-high 18 snaps against Boston College, according to Pro Football Focus.
With Jake Overman and Justin Holmes out of eligibility, along with Malachi Thomas transferring to LSU, Altsman had an opportunity to find a larger role with the Panthers in his final season of eligibility. The Panthers did bring in Elijah Lagg (UAB) and Carson Kent (Oklahoma) from the portal. They will fill out a room with rising redshirt freshman Max Hunt, incoming freshman Wyatt Villarreal and walk-ons Adam Howanitz and Truitt Brown.
Altsman joined Pitt in 2022 as a walk-on. His brother, Matt, was an offensive lineman with the Panthers from 2020-24.
As for Smith, he played in one career game for the Panthers against Youngstown State. The 6-4, 185-pound Murrysville, Pa. native joined Pitt in 2022 as well.
Pitt Offseason Roster Tracker
Follow all of Pitt football’s offseason movement with Pittsburgh Sports Now‘s roster tracker here.
Offer Alert
Stay up to date on all the Pitt football news and intel from the staff at Pittsburgh Sports Now by becoming a premium member today. Click the image below to sign up!
