Pitt FB Recruiting

Pitt Extends Offer to Transfer QB Cole Gonzales

Published

4 weeks ago

December 18, 2024

Following the transfers of Nate Yarnell and Ty Dieffenbach, the Pitt Panthers are in search of a veteran quarterback and have identified a target.

While on his official visit today, Pat Narduzzi and Pitt extended an offer to Western Carolina transfer quarterback Cole Gonzales.

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Gonzales arrived in town Wednesday and will be staying through tomorrow before a scheduled visit over the weekend to Charlotte.

This past season, Gonzales (6-foot, 195 pounds) passed for 2,543 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2023 with Kade Bell as his offensive coordinator, Gonzalez threw for 2,803 yards and 28 touchdowns.

The former first-team All-SoCon selection has thrown for 6,682 career yards and 51 touchdowns in three seasons at Western Carolina. Gonzales is the son of Florida Gators wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales.

During his visit, Gonzales took a couple of minutes to talk to Pittsburgh Sports Now about the offer, his early thoughts on Pitt and his relationship with Bell.

“When I first got in the portal, Kade was the first guy to call me and my eyes lit up, my heart started pounding and I got super excited,” said Gonzales. “While talking to him, he told me that he wanted to get me up here, meet Coach Narduzzi and it all was a dream come true because it’s all kids dream to play at the highest level and the ACC is bigtime football.”

Being so familiar with him and his skill set, Gonzales is someone that Bell didn’t need to research or scour over his game tape. At the start of the visit, Gonzales received the news and told PSN that he understood the current situation with Eli Holstein.

Courtesy Cole Gonzales

“I just got offered by Coach Narduzzi in his office. I sat down and talked to him at the facility, and it was very exciting,” Gonzales said. “I know the situation here; they have a big-time quarterback in Eli Holstein and they also lost a couple of guys to the portal, and they need another guy. As a coach’s kid and knowing this offensive system, I’m not afraid of competition. I know that they need guys to push guys, I’m willing to come in and work hard if they need me. I’m just going to keep my options open and if they need competition up here, I’d be all in and here for it.”

Bell and his offensive went through a lot of highs and lows last season. After starting out on fire and scoring at will, things slowed down in a big-time way, which coincided with the Panthers’ current 5-game losing streak. Having played for him for three seasons and knowing Bell’s offense so well, Gonzales couldn’t speak highly enough about his former coach and cautions Pitt fans to have patience.

“Coach Kade Bell is one of the smartest football coaches that I’ve ever been around my entire life,” said Gonzales. “I’ve been around football my entire life with my dad being a coach himself. He just gets it. He works his butt off every day and works with the guys that he has. He understands the playmakers that he has and what their abilities are and how to put them in a position to do well. He’s run this offense for a long time and yeah, it was his first year in an ACC program, so it takes time to develop it. Coach Bell is a great offensive coordinator and knows how to get his playmakers the ball and in space to work. He knows how to dial up an offense and read a defense like the back of his hand so just give him time. Once he gets the right guys, this thing will roll.”

Gonzales started the visit Wednesday and it will continue through Thursday. It’s important to note that Gonzales told PSN that he intends to follow through with his official visit to Charlotte over the weekend. However, Pitt is obviously high on his list, and he’s loved everything about the visit to this point.

“The city has really stood out. I’ve never been to a big city before and I’ve loved it. I landed here today and got over to the facility, which is awesome. I saw how the facility is connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers facility which is pretty unique. I’m going to see the stadium tonight and I’m super excited about that.

“I have a bunch of former teammates and staff members here that have welcomed me with open arms. And overall, the Pitt players and all the coaches have been super welcoming and super nice, which really stands out to me and tells me the type of community Pittsburgh has. As a player, you want to go into a program that is welcoming, that believes in you and is willing to work with you. Pitt is an outstanding program, and I just feel blessed that I have the opportunity to possibly come here to play.”