Cignetti: Former Pitt QB Slovis Didn’t Want to Compete With Jurkovec in 2023

PITTSBURGH — Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. had an initial plan with quarterbacks Phil Jurkovec and Kedon Slovis, following the 2022 season.

He wanted to bring in Jurkovec, not initially as a starter, but as someone to compete with Slovis for the starting position in 2023.  This all occurred before Slovis chose to leave after the season and transfer to BYU for his final year of collegiate eligibility.

“We were actually bringing in Phil Jurkovec before Kedon left,” Cignetti said at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Tuesday. We wanted Kedon to compete with Phil and obviously he didn’t want to…”

Cignetti and Jurkovec had a relationship prior at Boston College, where Cignetti served in a similar role. He worked to improve Jurkovec’s game and it showed in the stat sheet, as he completed 205 of his 336 pass and threw for 17 touchdowns compared to five interceptions in 10 games in the 2020 season.

Jurkovec struggled with injuries in 2021 and behind a weak offensive line last season. The Pine-Richland alum now has the chance to come back in his final collegiate season in front of a hometown crowd.

“You can just see the experience in the system,” Cignetti said on Jurkovec. “The accumulation of reps, I’m so impressed with him. First off, we know he’s a great leader. We know he’s tough. He brings that Pittsburgh grit. Those teammates got great respect for him. He’s done such a great job just making the right decisions. He understands the play designs. He understands all three phases, whether it’s the run game, the protection or the passing game. In terms of running the offense. The checks that might happen at the line of scrimmage. I’ve really been impressed with his accuracy. He’s playing great football and I’m really proud of him.”

The respect that Jurkovec has garnered from his teammates is something that Slovis lacked at Pitt. Teammates had little respect for Slovis and his lack of leadership, which redshirt senior defensive back Marquis Williams posted about on Twitter this summer. 

Cignetti also loves the quarterback room. This includes redshirt sophomores in Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell, as well as first-year Ty Dieffenbach.

Slovis struggled at Pitt in his sole season under Cignetti in 2022. He played terribly in poor losses, particularly against Louisville, where he threw two poor first half interceptions, and completing just 14 of 31 passes in a loss to North Carolina. Slovis finished with just 10 touchdowns, which included three games he didn’t throw one, to nine interceptions in 2022.

One part of the game that Slovis also struggled in was standing strong in the pocket and using his feet to avoid sacks. Cignetti said that his lack of mobility is something his quarterbacks won’t have an issue with this season. It also helps that the other position groups, the wide receivers, running backs, offensive line and tight ends have one year in his system and are ready to go.

“We’ve developed young wide receivers, the tight end group has gotten better, the running backs know the system and now we have quarterbacks that not only can play in the pocket, but now they can extend plays,” Cignetti said. “Plus, I mean you see our guys. They’re 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 and they can sit in that pocket and deal that ball. When you look at the makeup of our offense, the scheme hasn’t necessarily changed a whole lot, but probably how you call the game’s going to.”