There were plenty of Pitt fans who did not want the coaching staff to delve into the transfer portal after the transfer failures over the last two seasons.
The memories of Kedon Slovis and Phil Jurkovec are still fresh, Jurkovec especially, but Eli Holstein is not like his predecessors. We don’t really know what to expect from Holstein at this point, but it’s certainly not a bad thing that he’s a blank slate. He has years to grow under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Kade Bell.
Holstein — a 6-foot-4, 240-pound quarterback from Alabama — is coming to Pittsburgh with four seasons of eligibility. He has not played a single down of college football, but he isn’t far removed from a dominant high school career either. And there’s a reason he was consistently rated as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the class of 2023.
His arrival is a massive win for the Pitt coaching staff, which worked quickly to secure his commitment after entering the transfer portal earlier this month, and it gives the coaching staff a lottery ticket to work with.
But this also isn’t a case where Holstein will just waltz into the starting spot.
Pitt now has five quarterbacks on its roster following Holstein’s commitment. But you can count the number of starts those five quarterbacks have made on two hands. Three of them haven’t seen the field since high school.
So, without a truly experienced quarterback on the roster, it’s anyone’s spot to win.
|
Games (Starts) |
Completions |
Attempts |
Passing Yards |
Passing TDs |
Interceptions |
Rush Yards |
Rush TDs |
| Nate Yarnell |
6 (3) |
51 |
76 |
790 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
| Christian Veilleux |
12 (5) |
117 |
219 |
1,461 |
10 |
8 |
21 |
0 |
| Eli Holstein |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Ty Dieffenbach |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Julian Dugger |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Yarnell ended last season as the Panthers’ starting quarterback, starting the final two games of the 2023 season. And in the process, he looked like the best quarterback on the roster. It wasn’t as if he looked like prime Kenny Pickett, but he looked comfortable running the offense, progressing through his reads and spreading the ball to his targets.
He completed 36-of-54 pass attempts (67%) for 472 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, adding another rushing touchdown, in those two starts. It wasn’t the stiffest competition of the season, facing Boston College and Duke, but it was Power Five competition, nonetheless.
Yarnell should still be considered the likely favorite to start the season opener against Kent State, but a true quarterback competition this offseason is about to be underway.
Holstein will have every opportunity to come in and immediately earn the starting spot, but it’s not as if he will just be handed the starting job.
It’s a tough ask to jump immediately from the scout team to the starting spot, even at a program like Alabama, but Holstein’s integration into the offense will be the top storyline of the spring. It’s a new offense, one that is entirely different from what the Panthers have run over the last two seasons, and Holstein is the type of quarterback who has the quick decision-making and needed athleticism to run it.
He was one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2023, flipping from Texas A&M to Alabama in the summer of 2022. As a consensus four-star recruit, he was rated as the 88th-ranked recruit in the class by 247Sports (eighth-overall quarterback) and 147th-ranked recruit in the class by Rivals (ninth-overall pro-style quarterback).
He held offers from the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas A&M and Utah before signing with Alabama last January.
Holstein was ultra-efficient in 2022 as a senior at Zachary, completing 159-of-244 pass attempts (65%) for 2,153 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions — adding 64 carries for 505 yards (7.9 yards per attempt) and nine touchdowns.
And he was even better as a junior, throwing for 3,264 yards, rushing for 515 more and scoring 43 total touchdowns on the way to a perfect 15-0 season — capped by a perfect season Louisiana state title.
Yarnell and Holstein appear to be in the best position to compete for the starting gig this season, but Christian Veilleux will also be in the mix. It wasn’t the easiest season for Veilleux, who struggled mightily against the toughest competition of the season, but he’s a toolsy quarterback who is only one season removed from being viewed as perhaps the quarterback of the season.
Ty Dieffenbach is in the fold after redshirting as a true freshman last season, and the big Californian has a lot of tools. But he’s still a mystery. And early enrollee Julian Dugger will likely redshirt this season as a true freshman.
Holstein adds a very exciting, high-potential quarterback to the room, one who should be able to grow into a talented Pitt quarterback, but it may not be in 2024. If he’s able to quickly pick up Bell’s offense and develop a rapport with his new teammates, maybe it will be. But at this point in time, it’s unfair to project him as a Day 1 starter.
We do know that there will be a Pitt quarterback competition this offseason, and it will be very interesting to keep an eye on.
Pitt QB Depth ChartÂ
QB 1 — Nate Yarnell OR Christian Veilleux OR Eli Holstein
QB 2 — Ty Dieffenbach
QB 3 — Julian Dugger (Redshirt)
Whoever lit the fire under Nardog…or whatever happened, has changed him into
a new man……a closer in fact. bring em in and close them immediately.
Sign here on the dotted line.
I guess it’s a high-class problem as they say … at least for Narduzzi and Bell. It will be an unfortunate problem for QBs that don’t top the list. I suspect that 1-2 of the current group will leave given that their chance of seeing the field for the next 2-3 years could be limited. I doubt Dugger leaves, at least not immediately. H2P !
It’s a Great problem to have – if managed well. Let the best man win and play NO favorites!!!
H2P!
The ONLY Pitt QB that hasn’t looked like a deer in the headlights over the last 2 seasons has been Nate Yarnell. I would go into next season with Nate as my starter until someone proves they can be better.
Especially since Nate should have started all 12 games this past season. I believe he could have won us at least 7, probably 8 games, well, maybe, if Cignetti wasn’t the O.C..
Probably next Max Browne.
Max Browne and Eli Holstein are similar in one way only. They both transfered to Pitt.
Karl. Since when are you in charge of the depth chart?
Try this:
1- Nate Yarnell
2- Dieffenbach or Holstein
4- Dugger
CV – portal after spring.
CV would have to sit a year if he transfers since he used up his one free transfer.
I thought transfers were pretty much wide open now … maybe CV’s somehow is not. in any case, if he isn’t going to play at Pitt anyway, why not sit out somewhere else ?
As for potential other losses … whoever of the group among Yarnell, Vielleux and Dieffenbach are not in the top 2 QBs going into the season, could possibly leave. Otherwise, barring injuries, they might not see the field for 2-3 years.
There will be a competition in name only. Barring injury, Holstein will be the starting QB. Anybody who thinks otherwise is a moron.
Holstein has never taken a college snap. He is leaving Alabama because it is unlikely he will win the job there in the next few seasons.
Only a moron would name a starter based on how many stars a recruiting web site gave him.
I think what Rob is saying is that to land a five star quarterback like this, the o.c. typically promises him that he is there to start. And, like last season, Jurkovic had that same promise. Now, I hope that’s not true, but it’s a possibility.
Of course, if Holstein does become the starting QB, it just might be because he earned the job…not really competing against any true starters in that QB room.
Also, remember that Phil came here as a 5th yr senior while Eli is only a redshirt freshman…would be crazy to promise the QB job to a kid that has never played a single down of college football.
I hope you’re not correct Rob, but you could be.
I would bet Coach Bell, in his first season of a golden opportunity is making no promises. His career is in front of him. He has a formula that’s been successful. A division 1 OC at 30 years of age? Not too shabby. My thinking is he’s going with performance over promises. A guy like Coach Bell, with a few good seasons could set himself up for his own Power 5, er 4, whatever program. H2P
I just hope they have a real QB competition. Did Jurkovic really beat anybody out last year for the starting job in training camp? As bad as he was in games, I think it’s safe to say the answer is no, and we see how well that worked out. Don’t repeat the same mistakes, please.
It’s a different OC so in theory it should be since they have never really worked with each other. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
I was a little hesitant because I’m still a fan of Yarnell but I was surprised to see this commit. If only we had Bell as our OC for the 2022 season because Pitt would probably be in the CFP. I do think CV will be gone before the fall season starts and I’m almost thinking Yarnell will be too after the ’24 season.
The new OC Coach Bell will surely provide an open competition for the QB position and select the guy who provides the best chance to lead the team to the most wins in 2024. It’s going to be an exciting, refreshing year for Pitt football!!
Enough with the transfer QBs, develop the ones you actually recruit.
Well put BB. Nardi hasn’t develop a QB since he’s been with Pitt. The only time was with Whipple and Pickett.He’s been a portal guy with QB’s before there was a portal.
Obviously, he thought that Pitt has the best chance of him being a starter in the next season. I am not sure. He wasn’t able to beat out the current Alabama QB Milroe. Did anyone get impressed by Milroe? I think Yanell will beat this one.
Holstein baby!!!!