Pitt QB Nate Yarnell Has Earned the Chance He’s Been Given

Nate Yarnell entered last spring as the somewhat forgotten No. 3 on the quarterback depth chart, and he was the No. 4 two springs ago. It’s quite a change to enter this spring as the No. 1.

It’s been a long time coming for Yarnell, who has stepped up when called upon over the last two seasons, and he’s finally in the driver’s seat. Narduzzi — to his credit — has been vocal in his support of Yarnell over the last couple of seasons, but it resulted in naught. It wasn’t until Phil Jurkovec and Christian Veilleux flopped that Yarnell was given a chance. Hindsight is 20/20, but maybe there was something there all along.

Yarnell finished last season as the starter, and he’s taken more on his shoulders this winter, but Narduzzi isn’t the guy to ask when it comes to gauging just how far he’s come just this winter.

“I think it’s a great question for the players once they get up here,” Narduzzi said Monday. Okay, so what’s been said about Yarnell so far this spring?

“Nate, he’s really improving leadership skills,” Rodney Hammond Jr. said Wednesday. “I trust Nate 100%, so I believe in Nate, and he believes in me.”

“He’s doing a great job,” Gavin Bartholomew said Wednesday. “He has the biggest job right now I feel like, trying to get guys lined up. We’re going so fast that some guys might not have it down 100%, but he’s always there to say, ‘Hey you gotta line up there,’ or just with the O-line and protection. He’s doing a great job with the offense.”

Yarnell — a 6-foot-6, 215-pound quarterback from Austin, Tx. — made two starts last season. And in those two starts, against Boston College and Duke, he completed 36-of-54 pass attempts (66.7%) for 472 yards with four touchdowns (one rushing) and one interception.

Yarnell isn’t a big, freakish athlete or anything, but he is pretty steady. Whenever he’s 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. New offensive coordinator Kade 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.

Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Nate Yarnell (19) November 16, 2023 David Hague/PSN

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.

Narduzzi said that Yarnell has always been a guy who has been a leader, earning the trust of his teammates, but now it’s about coming into practices every day and showing up, leading on and off the field. Leadership is about making plays and being the guy, but it’s also about doing what’s best for the team.

Yarnell is just happy that he has a coaching staff that believes in his ability to lead the Panthers — and he’s approaching every day with the same mindset as when he was serving as a practice squad quarterback in practice.

“It means everything to have a coach have confidence in you and believe in you,” Yarnell said Monday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “It allows me to go out there and just play football and try to be the best that I can be.

“It’s definitely a different challenge, but it’s the same mindset. I always had the same mindset. I wanted to play, and I wanted to win. Now I’m in an opportunity to play, and I still want to win.”

Yarnell is playing for an entirely new offensive staff now. Frank Cignetti Jr. and his slow, plodding offense is gone, and Bell has brought in a staff that is a breath of fresh air. It’s a new system, but it’s one that he is very excited to lead. The up-tempo, motion-heavy spread offense is certainly exciting.

“The speed that we’re going to play at is something that I’m used to, something that plays to my strengths, and just seeing today in practice with coach Bell, it was so much fun with the passion that he brings,” Yarnell said. “I’m just excited to work with him during the spring.”

It’s certainly an adjustment. It’s fast, snapping the ball seven to 10 seconds after the whistle, but everyone’s getting reps. Through two spring practice sessions, without the pads on, everyone’s moving. Yarnell feels like that’s the way it should be — constant movement, lots of work and tons of reps with just about everyone. Bell is excited to see Yarnell continue to grow comfortable in the system.

“I thought he played really well watching the film of the last two games of the season,” Bell said last month at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “He’s gonna have the opportunity to go out there with the 1s, and it’s his job to lose.

“He’s been awesome since I’ve gotten here. He’s very cerebral, he’s been a great leader — he’s actually become more vocal than he has in the past, I’ve heard.”

Yarnell is excited for the opportunity, of course, but he’s also excited to play fast. He’s confident in the mental aspect, processing and reading defenses, but he’s played in up-tempo spread offenses before. Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein coached Yarnell at Lake Travis, and while the offense wasn’t as fast as it will be at Pitt, it was quick. Stein helped grow his game, but Yarnell feels like Bell is the perfect coach to help him reach the heights he’s dreamed about.

Kade Bell.

“(Bell is) hungry,” Yarnell said. “He wants to win, that was the first impression I got from him. He’s coming in here to make sure we get wins this year and that we are going up. We’re not here to be stagnant and fall. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s confident.”

Bell has been nothing but confident since he arrived at Pitt. He’s brought a new wave of confidence and energy to the offense, which has been bolstered by the young offensive staff, and it’s rubbing off on the offensive personnel. The quarterbacks are adapting to the new scheme, and the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends are, too.

There are open receivers everywhere during practice, and Yarnell is very excited to see that.

Yarnell trusts Bell, and the relationship — while young — is still blossoming. His goal this spring is to buy in completely with Bell and make sure that they’re on the same page. Because if they’re on the same page, Yarnell said, nothing can stop them.

Yarnell still hasn’t technically “won” the job yet. He’s the guy right now, and he’s earned the opportunity to be the guy and lead the offense, but he still has to continue to work for the starting spot. Narduzzi hasn’t had a whole bunch of conversations with Yarnell about the starting job, just one, but he’s watched how Yarnell has earned the opportunity.

“I had maybe one conversation, saying, ‘You’re going to be the guy going into,” Narduzzi said. “We expect you to play like it and prepare like it.’ And he’s done all of that, as far as the offense goes. It’s going to be one day at a time, but I just feel like for the last couple of years, I’ve felt as a head coach — and I don’t make those decisions. I’ve felt like this guy’s the leader and his teammates believe in him. I felt like he’s never taken snaps with the 1s or 2s.

“I think he did a pretty darn good job out there when he got in the game during the season. It was kind of like, ‘The guy’s never taken reps with the 1s or 2s.’ To me, he deserves the opportunity to find out where he can go from there.”