Life without Kenny Pickett isn't going to be as scary as one might think.
Pat Narduzzi and Frank Cignetti Jr. believe so, and you should, too.
Knowing that the all-time passing leader in Pitt history was on his way out following a 2021 ACC championship, Narduzzi landed Kedon Slovis from the transfer portal to compete with Nick Patti for the incumbent job. Not only did Slovis win it at the end of fall training camp, but he has commanded the respect and trust from his teammates.
If his locker room has given him their respect and their trust, then why shouldn't we?
It's easy to point out how great Pickett was as a Panther, and particularly from looking at last season.
Because he was.
But what are Slovis' expectations for this season? Realistically, I mean. Not just in a box-checking form based off of what Pickett did last season.
“I don’t want anybody to have to fill those shoes," Narduzzi said. "Kenny is Kenny. Kedon is Kedon. Kedon’s got to be Kedon. He’s not going to sit there and measure himself off of who Kenny Pickett was and a different offense. We just want him to play within himself and do his job, and I think it comes down to that. … I think once you start to change and try to be somebody else, maybe things go off the rail.”
We can look to Slovis' past to gauge an educated guess on what the 2022 Pitt offense could be, and where it could thrive.
Before Slovis injured his neck in September against Washington State, he had steam as a potential NFL draft prospect. A high one, too, as Pro Football Focus had Slovis as its second-rated quarterback in the 2022 draft class in the spring of 2021.
Now, a lot has changed since. But, entering the 2021 season, Slovis was a hot commodity and was thought of one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
If he can revert back to the 2019-20 Kedon Slovis while at Southern California, then Pitt's offense should be in business for another productive and perhaps elite 2022 season.
Consider this: Slovis led the NCAA in accuracy on throws of 10-or-more yards downfield at just above 62% in 2019. According to Pro Football Focus, out of every Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback to attempt at least 100 passes in 2019, no one threw a lower rate of uncatchable passes than Slovis.
His receiving corps at USC that season was a good one: current NFL players Michael Pittman Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and recently cut Steeler Tyler Vaughns. St. Brown led the Trojans in 2019 with 13.5 yards per catch and ceded that role in 2020 to recent first-round pick Drake London, who racked up 15.2 yards per catch with Slovis throwing him the ball.
Slovis was sensational for the Trojans in 2020. He completed 67% of his passes for 1,921 yards, 17 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a rating of 144.1 as USC ended the pandemic-shortened season 5-1.
That led to a ton of hype around Slovis entering 2021.
He regressed slightly -- but not much -- in 2021, largely due to missing time, splitting duties with Jaxson Dart, and with USC firing coach Clay Helton mid-season. In 2021, Slovis completed 65% of his passes for 2,153 yards with 11 TDs to eight INTs and a rating of 132.7. He played in nine games to Dart's six.
Now, look at what Pitt has around him in 2022.
Jared Wayne was one of three Pitt receivers last season to post at least 14.0 or more yards per catch, along with the since-departed Jordan Addison and Taysir Mack.
Transfer Konata Mumpfield registered eight touchdowns while averaging 11.9 yards per catch in an otherwise bad Akron offense.
Bub Means hauled in just 24 catches for Louisiana Tech last season, but he posted an insane 19.6 yards per catch. Among national qualifiers, Means would have tied for third in the NCAA with that mark with enough playing time.
"He's earned it," Wayne said of Slovis. "It was a great competition between him and Nick. ... He's very accurate with the ball. He's got a great arm. He can launch it. Really looking forward to him leading us this year."
Key word: "leading."
Slovis won't be in a timeshare for the position. Narduzzi has made it clear that Slovis is the Panthers' QB1, and there's no indication of a leash of any length that could prompt a swap to Patti, aside from some special packages designed to benefit Patti's mobility.
Slovis is a ride-or-die option that Narduzzi and Cignetti have poured their trust into.
“Experience is so important," Cignetti said. "How do you get better (at) playing quarterback? By playing. Kedon has game experience from USC. Certainly helps. Kedon’s a football player, man. He’s smart, he sees the game well, he’s a natural passer, he’s got a great delivery. So, he’s a blessed young man that has done an unbelievable job.”
The top factors for Slovis getting the starting nod have been made known, but these are also qualities that we've seen from him in season's past.
Accuracy. Consistency. The ability to push the ball deep. (Not to mention that he now has a strong, senior-stacked offensive line and a running backs room that's five-deep.)
It's all there for him to pick up, as he performed in 2019 and 2020 at USC.
Narduzzi and Cignetti wouldn't have leaned on Slovis -- a newcomer -- unless he earned the trust from the locker room.
It's not just about building an on-field rapport with the offense. Slovis knew from Day 1 in January that he would have to put in time off the field to establish interpersonal relationships with his teammates. He took that challenge to heart while subsequently battling Patti on the field.
“There’s 110 dudes on the roster, so I think that, to me, honestly, was the most challenging thing," Slovis said. "I want to get to know every single guy or at least have every guy get the chance to get to know me. It seems like you have a lot of time, but 110 guys is a ton of people. So I think that was my biggest focus going through.
"Football is football. I love coming in and learning about coverages and learning about a new offense. I can come in and do that whenever I want. I can do that at 10 o’clock at night, personally going through the stuff. I can watch film whenever I want, but there’s only so many times of the day where you can get with the guys and get to hang out and get to know someone.”
He knew he wasn't just going to arrive in Oakland as QB1, and that the team was going to have to accept him. Pitt's program is in too high-profile of a spot with an ACC championship defense and a stacked roster with the potential to repeat and the aspirations to go out and get more.
The locker room is run as a first-class operation (see former NFL wide receiver and ACC Network analyst Eddie Royal's comments about it), and Slovis treated it as such.
And he was a first-class human in doing so, evidenced by earning enough votes to be named a captain by his peers.
Point is, while the 2022 version of Slovis might not measure up exactly to Pickett, he can definitely become the first Kedon Slovis in Pitt lore. There's opportunity for the Panthers offense to be excellent again in 2022, and while it may not be the best in all of college football, it's going to be more than enough to keep Pitt in contention.
Will he win the Heisman? Most likely not.
Will he have a strong season in the ACC? That's more likely of a yes than it is a no.
Now, Slovis is going right into a battle in Week 1. The Backyard Brawl presents a quarterback matchup of Slovis' former USC teammate in J.T. Daniels, and the Mountaineers' pass defense wasn't a slouch in 2022. West Virginia allowed 200.7 passing yards per game last season, and opposing quarterbacks registered a 17:9 TD-to-INT ratio. The Mountaineers' rushing defense wasn't as solid -- sixth in the Big 12 at 130.9 yards allowed -- so Pitt could be compelled to lean on its ground game a little more.
Regardless of strategy, Slovis' experience will be counted on from the jump. He's focused on the Mountaineers, and has been all offseason.
"I think the whole time (while battling with Patti) you’re still preparing for September 1," Slovis said. "Regardless of whether you were announced as the guy or not, your mentality’s the same. Your mentality’s to be ‘the guy’ come September 1. It’s not like there’s been this huge changing thing. I’ve gotten some more reps. I like to think I’m preparing the same way."
