Gavin Bartholomew

Bartholomew was born on April 30, 2003, and grew up in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. He started playing football in third grade and also competed in baseball growing up. He attended Blue Mountain High School where he competed in football, baseball and track and field. He started at quarterback at Blue Mountain, before moving to defensive end and tight end as a sophomore; he started at defensive end for his final three seasons and was a starter at tight end as a junior and senior. He caught 27 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns as a junior and was named team captain as a senior, catching six passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns before returning to quarterback to conclude the season. A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football as a tight end for the Pittsburgh Panthers, after having flipped from the Buffalo Bulls. As a true freshman with the Panthers in 2021, Bartholomew caught 28 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. He was named honorable mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and was chosen second-team Freshman All-American for his performance.