No one knows how Phil Jurkovec will work out with Pitt this season, but one ESPN reporter expects him to be at least in the upper end of ACC quarterbacks.
ESPN’s David Hale ranked the ACC quarterback situations, with 80% going to the starter and 20% going to the situation around him, and he ranked Pitt as the sixth-best quarterback situation in the ACC.
It’s about where I, personally, would expect Pitt to check-in. The top tier is understandable, the second tier makes sense and Pitt’s placement feels about right.
Hale ranked it:
- North Carolina (Drake Maye)
- Florida State (Jordan Travis)
- Duke (Riley Leonard)
- Clemson (Cade Klubnik)
- Miami (Tyler Van Dyke)
- Pitt (Phil Jurkovec)
- Louisville (Jack Plummer)
- Wake Forest (Mitch Griffis)
- North Carolina State (Brennan Armstrong)
- Syracuse (Garrett Shrader)
- Georgia Tech (Haynes King)
- Boston College (Emmett Morehead)
- Virginia Tech (Grant Wells)
- Virginia (???)
It’s no secret that Jurkovec struggled in 2022, with a poor offensive line in front of him, but he’s in the position now where he’s best equipped to put together the best season of his collegiate career.
He might not have Zay Flowers and Hunter Long to throw to, but Jurkovec has a strong offensive line — that features Jake Kradel, Blake Zubovic and Matt Goncalves — and a star-in-the-making running back in Rodney Hammond Jr.
In three seasons at Boston College, Jurkovec completed 404-of-679 passing attempts (59.5%) for 5,183 yards with 35 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. And he added 429 yards and nine touchdowns on 195 attempts.
His debut season at Boston College, with current Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. as his offensive coordinator, Jurkovec completed 61% of his pass attempts for 2,558 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions — adding 150 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
After a poor 2022 season, Jurkovec can re-establish himself as a legitimate prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft with Frank Cignetti Jr. and a better offensive line before him.
I’m expecting PJ and the rest of the team to play well and surprise some folks. H2P !