SHARON, Pa. -- The final story in a series breaking down Pitt's roster in advance of training camp concludes with the quarterbacks and specialists, which are losing All-Americans within their respective rooms from the previous season.
Kenny Pickett swapped hallways after being drafted in the first round by the Steelers, which means Pat Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. have a battle on hand between a pair of seniors: Southern California transfer Kedon Slovis and in-house product Nick Patti.
Narduzzi has already said the competition will be decided throughout August camp, but until that happens and leading up to the Panthers' Sept. 1 season opener against West Virginia, speculation will run wild regarding the eventual incumbent starter.
RETURNING QUARTERBACKS: Patti (redshirt senior), Eli Kosanovich (redshirt junior), Nate Yarnell (redshirt freshman), Jake Frantl (redshirt freshman).
DEPARTING QUARTERBACKS: Pickett, Joey Yellen, Davis Beville.
NEWCOMING QUARTERBACKS: Slovis (transfer), Derek Kyler (transfer).
ANALYSIS
Who will it be?
Slovis arrives from USC after starting 26 games over three seasons. He completed 68% of his passes for 7,576 yards with 58 touchdowns to 24 interceptions in his career as a Trojan. Last season, he completed 65% of his passes for 2,153 yards, 11 TDs, and eight INTs, as the Trojans turned in a 4-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark within the Pac-12 Conference.
Patti has served as the backup to Pickett since 2019, after redshirting in 2018. He played in nine games last season and started the Peach Bowl against Michigan State as Pickett sat out to begin preparations for the NFL draft. The redshirt senior threw the ball just 19 times in his nine games played, but he completed 14 of those for 161 yards. He added two rushing touchdowns, including a 16-yard scramble in the Peach Bowl on which he sustained a broken collarbone.
The decision to start one over another will ultimately come down to which passer Cignetti prefers for his offense. They are each built similarly -- Slovis is listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and Patti 6-foot-3, 225 pounds -- but Patti is the more mobile of the two while Slovis thrives better in a clean pocket.
Cignetti's most-recent experiences in the NFL should surely come as an influence to his choice as the starter. He has worked with former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford, two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, and four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers, which offered different skill sets at the position.
Its worth noting that, generally speaking, Patti looked like the better of the two quarterbacks in the Panthers' spring game, but a whole summer of work and another month of camp could change that. Patti has years of experience with the program and inherently has a stronger presence in the locker room, but that doesn't mean Slovis hasn't gained it over the spring and summer months. This battle is a true one and will be decided within weeks.
Down the pipeline is four-star quarterback Kenny Minchey, who currently is the top-rated recruit in Pitt's 2023 class, according to 247Sports. Per their rankings, Minchey is the fourth-highest-rated QB recruit to ever commit to Pitt, behind Pat Bostick, Tyler Palko, and Chad Voytik. He is the highest-rated QB to commit to Pitt since Narduzzi was hired as head coach in 2014.
RETURNING SPECIALISTS: PK Sam Scarton (redshirt junior), PK Ben Sauls (redshirt sophomore), P Cam Guess (redshirt sophomore), LS Byron Floyd, PK/P Caleb Junko (redshirt freshman), LS James Fineran (redshirt freshman).
DEPARTING SPECIALISTS: P Kirk Christodoulou, LS Cal Adomitis.
NEWCOMING SPECIALISTS: P Sam Vander Haar.
ANALYSIS
Give credit where it's due: Adomitis was a first-team All-American selection by the American Football Coaches Association, and he received the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation's top senior long snapper. He was voted as a team captain and, after his strong 2021 season, was chosen to play in the Senior Bowl. He is now in NFL training camp with Cincinnati.
The departure of one of the nation's best long snappers will have to be filled by Floyd or Fineran after each player sat out last season. With Christodoulou moving on, the Panthers are also in the market for a new punter, which will likely be between Guess or Vander Haar.
The Australia native Vander Haar arrives from the Prokick Australia program, a pipeline which has produced dozens of elite college and NFL players over the years. Christodoulou was a product of this camp.
Scarton made 17 of 21 field goals and 69 of 72 extra points last season. His season-long was from 47 yards. He was 5-for-7 on kicks from 40 to 49 yards. Sauls should resume duties as the team's kickoff specialist, after registering 44 touchbacks on 104 kickoffs last season.
Previous position breakdowns:
Monday: Defensive backs
Tuesday: Linebackers
Wednesday: Defensive line
Thursday: Offensive line
Friday: Wide receivers/tight ends
Saturday: Running backs
