Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi may have named Nate Yarnell the starting quarterback during the spring, but as we approach the start of the season, things still seem to be up in the air.
Narduzzi said there’s a battle between Yarnell and Alabama transfer Eli Holstein during training camp. It’s a fairly new development, considering the head coach said Yarnell would be the starter in January and then again at the end of spring camp.
“You could be a starter at the end of spring ball. It doesn’t mean you’re a starter,” he said. “That’s every position. I’m not just talking about the quarterback, but there’s a battle going on there, right? And they’re both pressing. They’re both working the tails off, coming in late, spending more time just to be the best. We’re seeing them compete every day. I love that. I love the competition. Got to love what you see out there. You got two really good quarterbacks battling.”
Narduzzi hopes not to have a repeat season with tumultuous quarterback play. Phil Jurkovec started last season as the team’s QB1 before Christian Veilleux jumped in for a few games, hoping to get the Panthers out of a rut. Yarnell finished the season as the starter. Consistency at quarterback has been a constant conversation between Narduzzi and new offensive coordinator Kade Bell.
“I trust Kade,” Narduzzi said. “You think about things, you live and learn, and sometimes you can trust too much in this world. I’ll be on top of it.”
Yarnell brings experience to the Pitt program. He played in four games last season and started in the final two (Boston College and Duke). He completed 41-of-62 passes for 595 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception.
Holstein is untested in the college world. He did not appear in a single game for Alabama, but Rivals rated him a four-star prospect and the No. 9 overall quarterback in the Class of 2023.
Narduzzi said the freshman quarterback brings a lot of speed. He joked that Holstein would probably beat Yarnell in a 40-yard dash fairly handily.
Narduzzi also said Holstein’s athletic ability and “what he does in the pocket” are advantages for the younger quarterback.
The 10-year head coach said he hasn’t set a deadline for naming a starter. However, the season opener against Kent State is just two weeks away.
“They’re both getting a ton of reps out there with the ones and the twos,” Narduzzi said. “We’re mixing it up and all that. With the way we rotate our receivers, they’re getting timing with everybody. … There’s a battle going on.”
Caleb Junko building confidence
After last season, Caleb Junko was having a bit of a difficult time mentally. His performances weren’t up to par, as he averaged 41.6 yards per punt, and his lack of consistency hurt the Panthers in multiple games.
This offseason has been about building up confidence, as special teams coach Jake Bronowski said in his introductory press conference back in February. It’s definitely improved, too, as Narduzzi has praised Junko’s “phenomenal” camp so far.
“Just overall confidence in myself, [Bronowski] helped reinstall that,” Junko said. “After last season, I kind of lost that. Even during the season, I didn’t have too much confidence in myself. That’s one of the biggest things with a punter and a kicker, is you need to have confidence in yourself. And I didn’t really do my job last year.”
That confidence has been slowly building back. It started with Bronowski helping him understand his role more. The two worked on the mechanics as well as the mental game. Junko said he’s a bit more compact, takes shorter steps and has significantly improved his drop.
Junko was also encouraged to attend a kicking competition in Orlando this past summer, where he competed against many other punters in college and ended up winning. All of that has come together for him at camp.
“He’s having a great stretch,” Bronowski said. “Every specialist kind of has a unique curve in terms of their development. He has been thrust into the role that he’s in, in terms of being a true punter now. He was very raw coming in last year. This offseason was all about getting some conviction behind what you’re doing, understanding the whys behind what you’re doing all the time, and that consistency is going to come. With that comes confidence, and that’s what we’re really starting to see from him.”
