Former Pitt and Pine Richland quarterback Ben DiNucci earned an invite to Broncos minicamp on Wednesday.
DiNucci starred at Pine Richland as a senior in 2014, throwing for 4,269 yards and 46 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He led his team to a WPIAL Class AAAA title and then all the way to PIAA Class AAAA State Final, where they lost to St. Joseph’s Prep.
He originally signed to Penn, but when Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi joined the program in late 2014, he soon offered DiNucci and flipped his commitment.
DiNucci redshirted in 2015 and saw little time in 2016 before finally making impact as a redshirt sophomore in 2017. Starting quarterback Max Browne struggled after transferring in from USC and this allowed DiNucci to play in games. He came off the bench in four games before earning the starting job in the middle of October after Browne suffered a season-ending injury.
He struggled to lead the Panthers to success the rest of the season and first-year quarterback Kenny Pickett started the final game, where he starred in a 24-14 upset of No. 2 Miami. DiNucci finished his 2017 season with 88 completions on 158 attempts for 1,091 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.
DiNucci transferred to then FCS powerhouse James Madison for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He excelled during that time, throwing for 479 completions, 5,716 yards, 45 touchdowns and having 6,718 total yards on offense, with all four stats ranking in the top ten in program history. DiNucci also led James Madison to the FCS National Championship game in 2019 against North Dakota State, where they lost 28-20.
The Dallas Cowboys drafted DiNucci with the No. 231 pick in the Seventh Round of the 2020 NFL Draft. DiNucci played three games for the Cowboys during the 2020 season, making one start. He started in place of quarterback Andy Dalton, who was in concussion protocol, against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 31 during Sunday Night Football. DiNucci completed 21 of his 40 pass attempts for 180 yards, suffered four sacks and lost two fumbles in the 23-9 defeat.
DiNucci spent time with Dallas the next two seasons, but did not play for them again and the team waived him prior to the 2022 season.
He recently played with the Seattle Sea Dragons in the 2023 season of the XFL. DiNucci led the league with 2,671 passing yards and 242 completions, while throwing for 20 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. He helped Seattle to a 7-3 record and a wild card spot in the playoffs where they lost 37-21 to the DC Defenders on Sunday.
DiNucci will now have the chance to rebuild his NFL career or at the very least, make an NFL roster thanks to a great season in the XFL.
