2024 Pitt Football Spring Season: Offensive Storylines to Follow

It’s safe to say that the offense — the offense in general — is the storyline of the spring for Pitt football.

It’s an entirely new offensive staff, led by new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, and it’s going to be a 180-degree shift from how things were done under former OC Frank Cignetti Jr. Pat Narduzzi had to completely flip the script and bring in a fresh, innovative voice. Bell was the perfect fit.

Pitt went 3-9 last season largely because of the offensive ineptitude, and that cannot happen again.

It’s difficult to say exactly how many “starters” that Pitt is replacing entering the season, but it’s not that many. Bub Means is the lone full-time starter who is being replaced, yet all three wideouts slated to start started games last season. Pitt started Jake Kradel and Blake Zubovic last season at the guard spots, but the returners started there, too.

Nate Yarnell ended the season as the starter, so technically, Pitt isn’t replacing its quarterback either. I know. It’s weird. It’s an offense that averaged just over 20 points per game last season, one of the worst in the FBS, but it’s fair to say the scheme didn’t help.

So, what are some of the areas I’ll be watching this spring as Pitt football hits the field again at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex?

Kade Bell.

What is the offense going to look like?

It’s one thing to hype up an explosive, new offense; it’s another entirely to deliver it. It’s going to be hard to match the hype on the field, but if nothing else, it’s worth the risk.

If it’s any consolation, the new offense will not be run by Frank Cignetti Jr. His offensive install seemingly took place over two seasons, and there may have been two or three games — from whistle to whistle — that the offense looked like they knew what they were doing. It was an unnecessarily bloated scheme that wasn’t taught all that well.

Jeremy Darveau said last week that the current offensive install was about halfway done. We’ll see about that, but the playbook isn’t 100 pages long. That’s a major plus. That sort of NFL-style playbook isn’t what college football is about anymore. Not if you want to score a lot of points and win — as Narduzzi said he wanted to do.

Bell has said that it’s not an overly complicated offense, more of an up-tempo spread scheme than the previous offense, sure, and it’s the tempo that will need to be accounted for.

Pitt didn’t move quickly last season, not even when the situation called for it. There will be a lot of no-huddle, and that will be an adjustment for all of the position groups. It’s likely why the new offensive coaching staff is tied to Bell in some way or another. It should help with hitting the ground running.

Narduzzi completely bought into what Bell wanted to do. It’s why he hired a young, innovative coach like Bell and then surrounded him with the coaches that he felt would best complement what Bell wanted to do in Pittsburgh. Bell sees a path to winning two ways, 1.) by bringing in the best recruits in the country, and 2.) by playing fast. Pitt can — consistently — do one of those options.

I don’t know exactly how much we’ll learn about the new offense this spring, and I’m sure there won’t be a player or coach who will say it’s going anything but swimmingly, but it will be interesting to watch how Bell runs the offense. How he interacts with the players and how he teaches the concepts.

Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Christian Veilleux (11) October 5, 2023 David Hague/PSN

Can Nate Yarnell hold onto QB1 through the spring?

It’s interesting the difference a year can make. Christian Veilleux was supposed to ascend the depth chart this spring.

But… both Narduzzi and Bell have said that Nate Yarnell is the guy — it’s his job to lose. He’s not the most experienced quarterback on the roster, that’s still Veilleux, but he finished last season as the starter.

Yarnell isn’t a big, freakish athlete or anything, but he is pretty steady. Whenever Yarnell has received a chance, he’s delivered. He throws a nice ball, but more importantly, he’s a quick decision-maker. That’s going to be the difference in running the new offense. Bell has been lauded for his ability to scheme his playmakers open. All Yarnell should have to do — in a perfect world — is progress through his reads and hit the open man.

That’s easier said than done, but if Yarnell flashed anything over the final two games of the 2023 season, it was the ability to stand in the pocket, progress through his reads and make the smart throw. It resulted in the smoothest Pitt offense of the season.

Yarnell probably isn’t going to go out and win a whole bunch of games with just his arm, but he won’t be asked to do so. It’s a scheme that is greater than the sum of its parts. He is, however, a solid quarterback who has a higher ceiling than perhaps expected with a full offseason under his belt.

I don’t know how many games he wins last season if he starts from the season opener against Wofford, but I’m pretty confident in it being more than three.

I do expect Veilleux to compete though. Eli Holstein, too. Bell has said he wants to get all of his quarterbacks reps, see what the strengths and weaknesses are and lay the foundation of the room. It’s — realistically — going to come down to Yarnell, Veilleux and Holstein.

You can only take so much away from spring practices, so I don’t think anything is going to change by the time the spring game rolls around in April.

Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) September 23, 2023 David Hague/Pittsburgh Sports Now

What is the role of the playmakers?

Pitt needs a legitimate star — a difference-maker who can mask the flaws of an imperfect offense. Maybe the new up-tempo offense will spread those opportunities around to a collection of running backs and wide receivers, but I don’t see a true No. 1 option right now.

Gavin Bartholomew is the No. 1 tight end. He should be utilized in a variety of ways, so maybe it’s finally time for his true breakout season.

But if Pitt is to experience any sort of offensive renaissance, it has to be a team effort. Konata Mumpfield, Kenny Johnson and DaeDae Reynolds are a solid returning group. It may finally be time to accept Mumpfield for what he is, a solid wideout, but maybe the new system will help him. Johnson has a ton of potential — maybe the highest potential to emerge as a WR1.

Poppi Williams and Censere Lee know the offense. They’ve had success in the offense. I think Williams has a lot of intrigue as a slot receiver. They should both play a lot. And outside of that fivesome?

Unproven talent. Izzy Polk, Lamar Seymore and Zion Fowler-El all played in a game last season, and all three will have the opportunity for more. Che Nwabuko is still around — still faster than the wind. I don’t know exactly how deep the receivers will rotate, but it’s probably a good bet that six-ish wideouts are in the mix. Eight wideouts caught double-digit passes for Western Carolina last season.

I don’t think there’s going to be a true running back rotation, not like last season, but there will be some rotation. Rodney Hammond Jr. is back, and I still think he’s the most talented running back on the roster. He — should — have a strong season. Finally.

Desmond Reid was an All-American at WCU last season, and he has the dual-threat ability out of the backfield that should lead to his number being called. Derrick Davis Jr. is emerging as a leader in the room — and the fastest in the room, too.

There may not be a whole lot of star power, as it currently stands, but it’s not an offense that’s devoid of talent. There should be enough talent to effectively operate Bell’s system.

Pitt offensive lineman Ryan Baer listens to his coaches as the Panthers play Virginia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Mitchell Northam / Pittsburgh Sports Now.)

Will the offensive line be able to keep up?

It’s fair to say that the offensive line was poor in 2023. The unit was unable to generate consistent push in the run game, there was no movement and the quarterbacks were constantly under pressure. It wasn’t a recipe for success.

Injuries didn’t help with consistency, and Darveau said that the No. 1 priority this season is to stay healthy, but injuries did help with experience. That experience showed — perhaps — which of those linemen who received opportunities should see the field and which shouldn’t.

Branson Taylor and Ryan Baer are returning as the tackles, and while it was an up-and-down campaign for the pair, it helps to have that experience. Darveau lauded the way they’ve fully bought into the system. They’re both big, bulky tackles, but they’re not immobile — or they won’t be by the time the season rolls around.

Aside from learning the playbook, the up-tempo scheme will be the toughest adjustment for the line. Michael Stacchiotti will have his work cut out for him in the Pitt Iron Works, molding the linemen into players who are able to withstand the onslaught. It’s already a work in progress.

There’s a solid amount of experience returning. Pitt should feel good about Terrence Moore returning as the starting center. There are still questions at the guard spots.

Ryan Jacoby was in line to start last season as the starting left guard before a season-ending injury knocked him out last August. He’s likely in the mix for that job again. BJ Williams, who started six games as a true freshman (which I don’t think anyone expected), is likely opposite him. That’s what I would do. Lyndon Cooper can play all three interior spots.

Former offensive line coach Dave Borbely would say he liked to have the five best linemen on the field regardless of position. I don’t know how Darveau operates yet, but there’s a decent mix of linemen out there.

Jackson Brown and Terrence Enos Jr. are in the mix on the outside. Jason Collier Jr. is inside. I would have liked to see signee Caleb Holmes this spring, but he won’t be arriving until the summer.