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| (pittsburghpanthers.com) |
This morning, Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi named Kedon Slovis the starting quarterback heading into the 2022 season. Slovis won the competition over Nick Patti, who served as the backup to Kenny Pickett last season.
Slovis transferred in from USC in the offseason, where he spent three seasons. During his tenure there, he threw for 7,576 yards, 58 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He'll look to build upon those numbers while also trying to fill the void that is left over from Pickett's graduation to the NFL.
With the Backyard Brawl a week away, it is nice to see Narduzzi not wait until the last minute to name a starter. While it was expected to be Slovis all along, his play throughout the spring and summer certainly warranted this decision. That being said, Slovis will immediately be slotted into an emotional spot. Not only is it the first Backyard Brawl in years on primetime television, but he will most likely be going head-to-head against former teammate JT Daniels, who is expected to be the starting quarterback for West Virginia.
The spotlight will be bright on Slovis next Thursday. Pitt fans will be hoping he can return some of the magic and stability that we saw out of Kenny Pickett for so many years. Playing at a big program like USC for as long as he did, I feel confident that Slovis is the right guy for the job and he can lead the Panthers to a big win against the Mountaineers.