The Pittsburgh Panthers head into the 2024 season looking to recover from 2023’s dreadful 3-9 campaign, the program’s worst season in 25 years.
Quarterback Kedon Slovis entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season, and the Panthers struggled to replace him. Three different quarterbacks saw action during the miserable 2023 season, leading to just 20.2 points per game, one of the lowest marks in the country.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi and first-year offensive coordinator Kade Bell have spent the offseason trying to bolster the quarterback position, leading to a heated competition between Alabama Crimson Tide transfer Eli Holstein and redshirt junior Nate Yarnell, who had five touchdown passes in four games for the Panthers last season.
According to ESPN, both quarterbacks will play in Pitt’s season opener against the Kent State Golden Flashes on August 31.
While it seemed like Yarnell had a leg up on the job, Holstein’s strong play in camp made it so Narduzzi decided to extend the competition into the regular season.
“Eli has made some major, major improvements. It’s like he caught up. To me, they need to be put into a game-like situation and let it go from there,” Narduzzi told reporters on Monday.
An old adage is if you have two quarterbacks you have zero quarterbacks, so Narduzzi and the Panthers will likely have to commit to one of the players before the team’s schedule ramps up.
[ESPN]
