#86

Gavin Bartholomew

Former tight end at Pittsburgh. 2024: 38 catches, 329 receiving yards, 4 TD.

TE · Pittsburgh · Sr. · #86

6′5″ · 250 lb · Schuylkill Haven, PA

CFB Index 53 · #39 of 135 TEsMedium-low confidenceMinnesota — drafted 2025, Rd 6, Pick 26, #202 overall

Recruiting

3★

TE recruit

No. 1325 nationally · Signed with Pittsburgh

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former tight end at Pittsburgh. 2024: 38 catches, 329 receiving yards, 4 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Pittsburgh in 2021.
Drafted round 6 by the Minnesota in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Pittsburgh, 1,264 receiving yards — drafted at #202 overall by Minnesota.

His career

He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

The week the volume broke through — put up 84 yds vs Tennessee.Tennessee · L 27-342022

202112 games

Signed with Pittsburgh3-star out of Blue Mountain

2025

Drafted by Minnesotaround 6, pick 202

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1325 national

CFB

College

Pittsburgh

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R6 · #202

Minnesota · 2025

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

1 coach

2021–2024

Pat Narduzzi

Pittsburgh

Played his entire career under Pat Narduzzi.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

MinnesotaEntering 2nd NFL season

#202Rd 6 · Pick 26

MinnesotaEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Pat Narduzzi — 30-22 over that span.

2021Pittsburgh11-3HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Pittsburgh9-4HC: Pat Narduzzi · Run-leaning

2023Pittsburgh3-9HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced, slow tempo

2024Pittsburgh7-6HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

53Rotational starter #39 of 135?

Medium-low confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (84th percentile). Concern: yards / catch (16th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#123 / 610 · 79th pct

10.0%

Catch rate#177 / 610 · 71st pct

95.0%

EPA / target#393 / 610 · 36th pct

0.74

Explosive rate#498 / 610 · 18th pct

7.5%

Yards / catch#515 / 610 · 16th pct

8.7

Box-score rates (7)

Receptions#28 / 168 · 84th pct

Rec TDs#29 / 168 · 78th pct

Rec yards#52 / 168 · 69th pct

329

Rush yards#17 / 27 · 39th pct

Rush TDs#8 / 27 · 37th pct

Yards / catch#138 / 168 · 17th pct

8.7

Long catch#150 / 168 · 10th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

78th → 36th percentile

Explosive rate

97th → 18th percentile

Catch rate

47th → 71st percentile

TD rate

42nd → 79th percentile

Yards / catch

95th → 16th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home7g	3.3	28.4	8.3	0.3
Road6g	2.5	21.7	10.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	2.6	24.6	10.1	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	3.3	26.2	8.0	0.7

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Pat Narduzzi

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

53 · #39 of 135 TEs

Three-star recruit. Now #39 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Pittsburgh	38	329	8.7	4	--
2023	Pittsburgh	18	326	18.1	1	--
2022	Pittsburgh	21	283	13.5	2	--
2021	Pittsburgh	28	326	11.6	4	--
Career		105	1,264	12.0	11	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2024

W 73–17

vs Youngstown State

3 rec · 2 yds

Dominant 56-point win at home against Youngstown State.

With E. Holstein — 247 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 83.9 · 93 rush yds (9 car) · 2 TD · C. Lee — 4 rec · 108 yds · 1 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 14 · Boston College · 3&11 · Q2 · EPA +3.15Nate Yarnell pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 11 yds for a TD (Ben Sauls KICK)
Week 11 · Virginia · 3&4 · Q4 · EPA +2.70Nate Yarnell pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 4 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 14 · Boston College · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +2.58Nate Yarnell pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 5 yds for a TD (Ben Sauls KICK)
Week 1 · Toledo · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.48Julian Dugger pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 19 yds to the TOL 37 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · Clemson · 1&8 · Q4 · EPA +2.32Nate Yarnell pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 8 yds for a TD (Ben Sauls KICK)
Week 1 · Kent State · 1&18 · Q1 · EPA +2.26Eli Holstein pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 19 yds to the PITT 41 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Kent State · 2&7 · Q3 · EPA +2.18Eli Holstein pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 21 yds to the KENT 36 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Louisville · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +2.01Nate Yarnell pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 11 yds to the LOU 46 for a 1ST down
Week 9 · Syracuse · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.91Eli Holstein pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 21 yds to the SYR 47 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Louisville · 3&6 · Q3 · EPA +1.60Nate Yarnell pass complete to Gavin Bartholomew for 6 yds to the PITT 35 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 55-24vs Kent State	5	66	13.2	0	21	Season-high 66 yds
Wk 2	W 28-27@ Cincinnati	2	25	12.5	0	13
Wk 3	W 38-34vs West Virginia	2	20	10.0	0	17
Wk 4	W 73-17vs Youngstown State	3	2	0.7	0	5
Wk 6	W 34-24@ North Carolina	2	11	5.5	0	9
Wk 7	W 17-15vs California	3	29	9.7	0	13
Wk 9	W 41-13vs Syracuse	3	21	7.0	0	21
Wk 10	L 25-48@ SMU	4	21	5.3	0	10
Wk 11	L 19-24vs Virginia	3	29	9.7	1	20
Wk 12	L 20-24vs Clemson	4	32	8.0	1	11
Wk 13	L 9-37@ Louisville	3	28	9.3	0	11
Wk 14	L 23-34@ Boston College	3	26	8.7	2	11	2 TD catches
Bowl	L 46-48@ Toledo	1	19	19.0	0	19
Total		38	329	9.1	4	21

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology