Pitt Offense Preparing for Fresh Start Under Kade Bell
p/c: Matt Hawley
Following the departure of Kedon Slovis to BYU, the Pittsburgh Panthers brought in graduate transfer Phil Jurkovec prior to last season.
It was a reunion of sorts, for both Jurkovec and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr, who were together at Boston College.
As it turned out, Jurkovec’s time with the Panthers was simply a miserable failure. It then followed with Christian Veilleux, and eventually Nate Yarnell.
The end result was Pitt finishing 2023 with a 3-9 record - Their worst of the Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium Era.
There’s no doubt that Cignetti’s endorsement of Jurkovec ultimately cost him his job as offensive coordinator.
On December 10th, the Panthers hired Western Carolina’s Kade Bell, to be the next OC.
Western Carolina had tremendous, success offensively last year under Bell, averaging a Southern Conference best 37.6 points per game.
Bell will be taking over a Pitt offense that averaged only 20.2 points, along with 317.9 total yards a year ago; both last in the ACC.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi certainly went outside the box, with the Bell hiring, as he brought in a young, innovative coordinator, who has ran high-powered offenses.
As Pitt’s season opener with Kent State quickly approaches, Narduzzi has yet to announce his starting quarterback, which will either be Nate Yarnell, or Alabama transfer, Eli Holstein.
Perhaps a nice, silver lining for the Panthers’ offense in 2024 will be the amount of returning starters, including tailback Rodney Hammond and tight end Gavin Bartholomew, each of whom were considered transfer portal candidates.
The wide receiving corps should be a strength, with Konata Mumpfield, Kenny Johnson, coming off a very good freshman year, Daejon Reynolds. Just for good measure, Bell helped lure a couple of familiar faces to Pittsburgh, with CJ Lee and Poppi Williams; both of which played at Western Carolina, and already have an understanding of Bell’s offensive philosophy.
While most predict the Pitt Panthers to finish last in the ACC this year, it’s an opportunity for Bell and the offense to surprise people, given the low expectations, for the team as a whole.