Pitt's Kenny Pickett Reminisces on ACC Championship

PITTSBURGH — Former Pitt Panthers star quarterback Kenny Pickett finished his career with one of the best seasons in program history.

He completed 334-of-497 passes, 67.2%, for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns to seven interceptions, as he led the Panthers to their first 10-win regular season in more than 40 years and their first ACC Championship. His passing yards and passing touchdowns are program records for a season.

Pickett would also excel in that ACC Championship vs. Wake Forest. He completed 20-of-33 passes, 60.6%, for 253 yards and two touchdowns, which also included a 58-yard rushing touchdown on the "fake slide" to open the game.

He would also throw for six touchowns in the 44-41 home loss to Western Michigan in Week 3, tied for the second most touchdowns in program history in a single game. He also threw for a program record 519 yards in the 38-34 home loss to Miami in Week 9.

His play earned him First Team All-ACC, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, First Team All-American honors and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Pickett finished his Pitt career with 12,303 passing yards and 81 passing touchdowns, both program records.

He reflected on that 2021 season with former Pitt quarterback Pat Bostick on the Panthers Insiders Show on 93.7 The Fan and how much it meant to him, even more than three years on.

Pickett credited head coach Pat Narduzzi and also former offensive coordinator Mark Whipple for their work during that season to get Pitt to the top.

“It was incredible,”Pickett said. “Especially in 2017, coming in together as freshmen and all the guys, all the veterans that were on the team, all we talked about was winning the ACC championship. We broke down on ACC champion … all we did was talk about trying to win the ACC. We believed that we could do it, it took some time, but sometimes in football, it does take a little bit of time.

“We had incredible players, incredible coaches and to see everybody come together that senior season and do exactly what we knew we were capable of doing and what we said that we were going to do, it was unbelievable.

"My favorite time playing football was in 2021 at Pitt, some of my best friends, life-long friends, coach Duzz I talk to every other week, coach Whip I talk to every other week still. It was truly a family atmosphere, and they’ll be just like family to me for life.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers took Pickett with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he had two difficult seasons, going 14-10 overall and completing 446-of-713 passes, 62.6%, for 4,744 yards and 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

They traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he would win Super Bowl LIX, coming in late in the game, closing it out, as he took the knee in victory formation in the 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

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