Kenny Pickett, preparing for final campaign, isn’t ready to leave Pittsburgh just yet

Dalton Coppola

Sports Editor

Headfootball coach Pat Narduzzi was preparing to lead an exhausted 4-7 Pitt team into a seemingly meaningless contest against the No. 2 Miami Hurricanes in November 2017. Pitt fans didn’t have much to be excited about a er another season of mediocrity and a campaign that would conclude without a trip to a bowl game.

Narduzzi had been acting as the operator to a quarterback carousel with Ben DiNucci and Max Browne all season long, unable to nd the stability he needed to win consistently. But ahead of the matchup against the highly ranked Hurricanes, Narduzzi decided to change things up, sending then- rst-year quarterback Kenny Pickett under center for his rst career start in the season nale.

In a game that will go down in Pitt football history, Pickett led the Panthers to a 2414 upset win. e Panthers spoiled one of the most storied college football programs in the nation’s run at a national title a er Pickett accounted for all three Panther touchdowns in the game — including the game winner.

A er scrambling for 22 yards and diving for the front pylon, Pickett secured a Pitt victory. e Panther Pitt erupted as Pickett’s teammates swarmed him in the end zone and, for the rst time in what seemed like years, Pitt fans had something to be excited about — their quarterback of the future had arrived.

Pickett, a native of the Jersey Shore, decided to trade in the sandy shores for the bridges and hills of Pittsburgh, nearly six hours west of the Garden State. e physical di erences were obvious, but what stuck out to the quarterback most were the people of Pittsburgh. Although Pickett was initially wary of spending his next four years in an urban area, he quickly realized Pittsburgh and the people who lived there were unlike any other city.

“I’m not a city kid,” Pickett said. “I was not drawn to the city, I really wanted more of a See Pickett on page 58 Quarterback Kenny Pickett could have left for the NFL Draft, but after falling in love with Pittsburgh, he opted to spend another year in the Steel City.

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