Why did Eli Holstein transfer to Pitt football from Alabama? What to know

Over the last two decades or so, Alabama has been the preeminent and dream college football program for high school football players to play at.

But with a program that is filled with highly recruited players and talent, playing opportunities can be scarce. That seemed to be the case for former Alabama quarterback Eli Holstein, who entered the transfer portal after last season after one year in Tuscaloosa.

Holstein has taken his opportunity at Pitt and ran with it, as he beat out Nate Yarnell for the starting job and has earned four consecutive ACC Rookie of the Week honors. Through the first five weeks of the college football season, the Panthers sit 4-0 for the first time since 2000 and are the unofficial No. 27 team in the country in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll.

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Here’s a look back on what led Holstein to transfer from the Crimson Tide to the Panthers this past offseason:

Where did Eli Holstein transfer to?

Holstein announced his transfer from Alabama to Pittsburgh on Jan. 7 with the caption “Time to get to work!!!!” on X (formerly Twitter). The Louisiana native did not play in a single game in 2023 at Alabama.

Why did Eli Holstein transfer from Alabama to Pitt?

Holstein’s decision to transfer from Alabama comes down to limited playing time opportunities and depth chart order with the Crimson Tide, as Jalen Milroe announced he would return for his senior season in December prior to the College Football Playoff.

He announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 3, two days after Alabama fell to eventual national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Holstein committed to the Panthers four days later on Jan. 7. In his introductory press conference at Pitt, Holstein said former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s decision to retire after 17 seasons with the Tide did not factor into his decision to enter the portal (Saban’s retirement was broken Jan. 10 and he told his players in a meeting before it became public).

“I just wanted a fresh new start,” Holstein said. “I didn’t really see myself growing in the ways that I wanted to at Alabama and I knew I needed to pursue other opportunities to grow the way that I wanted to. Pitt was the place for me to do that.”

Eli Holstein 247Sports rankings

• As prospect: Four-star recruit | No. 88 national prospect | No. 8 ranked quarterback
• As transfer: Three-star recruit | No. 40 ranked quarterback

Coming out of high school in Zachary, Louisiana, Holstein was listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 8 ranked quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class per his 247Sports Composite rankings page.

Holstein received a slightly lower ranking as a transfer by 247Sports, as he was listed as a three-star recruit and the No. 40 ranked quarterback in the transfer portal by the recruiting website. He was ranked as the seventh-highest transfer this past offseason to commit to the Panthers per 247Sports.

Eli Holstein stats at Pitt

The dual-threat quarterback has recorded 1,372 combined total yards with a combined 14 touchdowns. He has completed 67.4% of his passes, which is fifth in the ACC.

As noted by Pitt’s Sports Information Department, Holstein ranked fourth nationally in touchdown passes (12), sixth in total offense per game (343.8) and 10th in total passing yards (1,186) among all FBS quarterbacks.

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of Holstein’s stats this season at Pitt:

• vs. Youngstown University: 16 of 24 (66.7%) passing for 247 yards with three touchdowns; nine carries for 93 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns
• vs. West Virginia: 21 of 30 (70%) passing for 301 yards with three touchdowns; 14 carries for 59 rushing yards
• at Cincinnati: 20 of 35 (57.1%) passing for 302 yards with three touchdowns and an interception; 10 carries for 36 rushing yards
• vs. Kent State: 30 of 40 (75.0%) passing for 333 yards with three touchdowns and an interception