Pitt football: Panthers need to be careful with Phil Jurkovec

Pitt football and the Indianapolis Colts have much more in common than anticipated. Since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck, the Colts have had four different temporary starting quarterbacks. The Panthers will be on their second starting quarterback since Kenny Pickett departed for the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Panthers found a new starter in former USC transfer Kedon Slovis for 2021. On Dec. 5, Slovis entered the transfer portal, which caused a stir with former teammates at Pitt.

Not long after Slovis announced his decision to leave, former Gibsonia resident and Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec announced he’d be returning home to finish his collegiate career.

Jurkovec originally started his career at Notre Dame, where he played for two seasons, and then transferred to Boston College, where he could be a starter. He would be a three-year starter, with this 2022 season being his most difficult. The Eagles struggled with injuries at the offensive line as Jurkovec took a beating. He suffered a concussion, a rib injury, and a knee injury.

Jurkovec looks to finish his college career strong near his hometown and potentially make more boost for a potential NFL career. The Panthers are a team that has the resources and the talent to develop high-power offenses; like the last year of Pickett in 2021.

While the Panthers welcome  Jurkovec to the program, there has to be some concern with continuity with the offense.

In 2021, with Pickett and star wide receiver Jordan Addison, the Panthers had the third-ranked scoring offense in the nation (41.4 points per game). This season, Pitt’s offense was ranked 49th in the nation in points per game (30.8). The Panthers struggled significantly despite the talent of Slovis under center. Slovis completed 184-of-315 passing attempts for only 2,397 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.

The Panthers’ offense took a big step back this season as a lack of continuity and established chemistry and knowledge of the offense. While Jurkovec possesses a different skill level than Slovis as a reputation for being knowledgeable with the playbooks, there is still potential concern with a lack of continuity.

This is the same issue that Colts are currently experiencing as they were the ninth-rated scoring offense in the 2020 and 2021 NFL seasons with Phillip Rivers and Carson Wentz as the quarterbacks, respectively. This season, the Colts traded for Matt Ryan from Atlanta as Wentz failed to get the team to the playoffs last season. Instead of developing a young quarterback or drafting one early in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Colts traded for another aging/fragile quarterback in Ryan. Indianapolis has seen its offense whither, as it currently ranks 30th in the league in points per game (16.1).

Jurkovec is a talented and prominent quarterback that can create an immediate impact on the Panthers’ offense. The team, however, is once again negating the development of their recruited quarterbacks such as Nate Yarnell, Eli Kosanovich, and Jake Franti.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi has stated that Jurkovec will have to win the quarterback competition, instead of being handed the starting job like Slovis was.

Jurkovec has NFL-caliber talent and potential, but he will have a lot of work to make up for the Panthers’ offense to reload and get back to their prime in 2021. He will also have to endure the struggle of relearning an offense and its scheme for the third time in his collegiate career.