With summer camp just days away, Pitt football is gearing up for a return to the football field. And with that return to the field comes added expectation.
There’s even further expectation upon Phil Jurkovec’s shoulders, and it’s not just in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
The Maxwell Football Club named Jurkovec to its preseason Maxwell Award watchlist Monday, adding him to a shortlist for college football’s most outstanding player.
Jurkovec, of course, exited Boston College via the transfer portal and returned home to Pittsburgh to finish his college career. Following two seasons at Notre Dame and three at Boston College, Jurkovec is ready to make his mark at Pitt.
“It’s really an amazing opportunity looking at it,” Jurkovec said at the ACC Football Kickoff Wednesday. “It’s wild. It was shocking how it’s been able to work out. I’m so grateful to everybody, coach Narduzzi, all the coaches for giving me the opportunity to represent Pittsburgh.
“I think that’s the biggest thing. I’m from Pittsburgh. I have so many family and friends from the area. I just want to have a great year for them.”
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.
In his debut season at Boston College, with 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. But it was only down from there as injuries and poor team play impacted his performance.
With just one season of college eligibility and the best offensive line in front of him since that 2020 season at Boston College, Jurkovec has one last chance to showcase the ability that made him an NFL Draft prospect — and lead Pitt to an ACC title.
Jurkovec, were he to win the award, would become Pitt’s recipient of the Maxwell Award, joining Tony Dorsett (1976) and Hugh Green (1980). Kenny Pickett was a finalist for the award in 2021.
Best wishes Phil … bring it home. H2P !
Interestingly, I saw that Slovis also was named.