Pitt left four positions up in the air with the release of its initial depth chart for the 2021 season, including kicker. However, the competition between Ben Sauls and Sam Scarton was finally called, at least publicly, ahead of the season opener against UMass on Saturday, as Scarton was named the starter by Pat Narduzzi.
Scarton joined the team as a walk-on out of Hickory High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, and redshirted in 2019. As an upperclassman at Hickory, Scarton converted on 11 of 15 field-goal attempts, including a 50-yard attempt and a 52-yard attempt. And in his senior year, 77 percent of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.