Rudolph Has Believers

by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published July 26, 2025, 5:34 PM

LATROBE, Pa. – The cheers rising from the hills surrounding Chuck Noll Field don’t lie. Mason Rudolph still has believers in Pittsburgh.

Every practice rep seems to bring at least one of those moments the ones that draw the loudest ovation of the day. It’s not just the completions, it’s the confidence. And while Rudolph doesn’t bask in the attention, the sound of support hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Well, do you hear it?” Rudolph said with a smile. “I think there’s a couple of deeper completions today, and I think they get excited about deeper completions regardless of quarterback. But, yeah, it’s fun to be out here for training camp. It’s good to be back here in the Steelers black and gold.”

Back, indeed and maybe better than ever. The Steelers quarterback room looks different in 2025, but Rudolph’s familiarity and presence offer an edge that only experience provides. After briefly departing for a one-year stint with the Titans, Rudolph returns more grounded, grateful, and polished.

“I think it was good for me,” Rudolph said about his season in Tennessee. “Perspective… I learned a lot from Brian Callahan and his staff. I’m absolutely thankful for the lessons learned.”

One of those lessons? Value. Rudolph admits nothing is guaranteed, especially in a league where starting jobs are limited and rosters can change in a flash. But the trust he’s building with teammates new and old is showing up every day.

“It’s all about just having some comfortability with these receivers and tight ends and skill position guys the O-line. I mean, that’s half the battle when you go somewhere new. Learning names, getting comfortable with route runners and whatnot. It’s feeling right at home.”

The “home” part goes way back for Rudolph. Even before he was a Steeler, he lit up Heinz Field in college. In 2017, Rudolph shredded Pitt for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns while at Oklahoma State. A performance that may have lingered in the mind of then-GM Kevin Colbert.

“Yeah,” Rudolph recalled. “He told me he was there and he said that was maybe the lead, deciding factor. That’s what I remember him telling me.”

That performance helped lead to Pittsburgh selecting Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Years later, it’s the connection not just the arm that might give him staying power.

The answer was something personally I loved hearing because Colbert would sit behind me in the press box and I always wondered if that particular game sold him on Rudolph. Hard to get past that type of performance. It lingers on yah.

Now, with a roster packed with talent and plenty of quarterback competition, Rudolph is more focused than ever.

“Absolutely like, knee-jerk reaction when you sign the guys we gave the offseason. It’s exciting. You gotta stay healthy, and you gotta bring everything together.”

So, while the crowd roars in Latrobe might sound like just another training camp afternoon, to many fans and maybe to Rudolph himself it’s a little louder. A little more meaningful. A little more like belief.

And for a guy who’s stayed the course, learned the lessons, and never quite let go of the dream, that belief is everything.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com