We are entering the second straight season in which we have public knowledge of an ongoing quarterback battle at Pitt.
Last year's cooler talk surfaced when the competition opened between transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis and returning veteran Nick Patti, which didn't end up being as much of an open competition as perceived as Slovis not only won the job, but he was also elected a team captain.
This year's quarterback contest is much different.
Phil Jurkovec is all-but solidified as the second consecutive incoming transfer to take over Pat Narduzzi and Frank Cignetti Jr's offense, as the former Notre Dame and Boston College quarterback transferred home to play out his final season of college football.
There is, was, and won't be a question as to whether the job is his. It is.
But, as Narduzzi said Tuesday on the South Side, the battle to back him up is down to two contestants: Redshirt sophomores Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell.
"(Jurkovec has) been outstanding like we thought," Narduzzi said. "I think he got, maybe, 25 snaps the last two scrimmages. We've seen a lot of good things in practice. Just going to keep him safe and the find out what we've got. I think, right now, Christian and (pauses) my man Nate, they're in a battle right now, and Ty (Dieffenbach) has done some really nice things. They're in a battle for that number two spot, and we'll just keep evaluating, and it'll be something that goes into the summer."
Veilleux transferred from Penn State over the offseason, after being usurped by Drew Allar as the incumbent quarterback to take over for the departing Sean Clifford. In five games with the Nittany Lions, Veilleux completed 23 of 35 passes (65.7%) for 282 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 161.7 rating. Most notably, he came off the bench in Penn State's win over Rutgers in 2021 after Clifford exited in the first quarter with an injury. In that game, Veilleux completed 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns as the Nittany Lions won 28-0.
Pitt fans surely won't forget Yarnell coming in nearly cold in his firs career college football game in Week 3 of last season at Western Michigan. With Slovis and Patti both unavailable for the game in Kalamazoo, Yarnell stepped in to manage the game and complete 9 of 12 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, as Pitt rocked the Broncos 34-13 behind a smothering defensive effort. He then completed 1 of 2 passes for 16 yards at the end of the first half of the Sun Bowl, as Patti temporarily exited with an injury.
Yarnell stands just a bit lankier than Veilleux, while Veilleux is more prone to throw on the run as Yarnell prefers to play inside the pocket. Each are former three-star recruits, but Veilleux was more coveted as a prospect coming out of Ontario, Canada.
The three are feeding off of each other with less than two weeks remaining in spring camp before the spring game takes place April 15.
"I think everybody's got a different style," Jurkovec said. "They do stuff that's good. I thought Nate did a really nice job in two-minute the other day, and Christian, he's athletic and he throws the ball really well. So, trying to just see whatever they're doing well and try to apply it to my game."
Having a backup shored up will be a massive component for Pitt to nail down in 2023. Jurkovec has had an injury history and some snaps could be ceded to either of Veilleux or Yarnell this season.
Interestingly, Yarnell is the only quarterback among the top four -- the true freshman Dieffenbach included -- which returns from last season. Having that extra year in Cignetti's offense, just as Jurkovec essentially does from his time with Cignetti at Boston College, could give Yarnell a leg-up at least in this portion of spring camp and perhaps over the summer when it comes to the backup job.
This, all the while Jurkovec becomes re-acclimated with Cignetti's offense.
"I would say learning everything again, but it's a lot of the plays that I've run for years," Jurkovec said. "It's just a different defense that we're going against, but the same plays."
