Pitt QB Nick Patti Leading Competition to Start in Sun Bowl

Redshirt senior Nick Patti has taken an early lead in the Pitt Panthers' quarterback competition.

PITTSBURGH -- The departure of starting quarterback Kedon Slovis has left the Pitt Panthers with another quarterback competition on their hands, mere months after Slovis had to battle for and earn the starting job during last summer's training camp. 

His direct competitor from before the beginning of the 2022 season, redshirt senior Nick Patti, is the front-runner to start for the Panthers against No. 18 UCLA, according to head coach Pat Narduzzi, who addressed local media for the first time since he and his team accepted an invite to the Sun Bowl in early December. 

"I’d say, based on today’s practice and we’ll do it daily, but Nick Patti was on fire today," Narduzzi said. "So off of today, it’s Nick Patti."

But it's not a done deal. Patti is competing with talented redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell, who was listed as the third-stringer behind Patti all season long and is now a real part of the position battle. 

Yarnell made one start this season - at Western Michigan while Slovis and Patti were injured. Yarnell completed nine of 12 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown in his only appearance this season. Narduzzi praised his toughness in the aftermath of that win. 

Patti's lone action this season came in the Tennessee game. He entered at halftime for the concussed Slovis and completed nine of 20 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown while playing on an injured ankle that kept him out for several weeks after. Patti had made one start before that - a win over Delaware in 2019 in which he threw for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception - and was used in the run game at various points throughout his four-year tenure at Pitt. 

There are still 11 days until kickoff against the Bruins and Narduzzi isn't tipping his hand just yet. He said the evaluation of his two signal-callers will be a daily process. 

“I don’t know [who will start]," Narduzzi said. "It's a battle right now [between Nate Yarnell] and Nick Patti, no doubt about it. ... We’ll see what happens.”

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