© Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Pitt QB Enters Transfer Portal
The Pitt Panthers lose another player to the transfer portal.
PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers redshirt junior quarterback Christian Veilleux is set to transfer from the program, he announced on social media.
Veilleux spent one season with the Panthers, joining last January as a mid-year transfer from the Penn State Nittany Lions. He threw for 1,179 yards, completed 94-of-184 passes, 51.1%, and seven touchdowns to eight interceptions.
He started last season on the bench behind Boston College graduate student transfer Phil Jurkovec.
Jurkovec struggled immensely throughout 2023, going 1-5 as a starter, throwing just six touchdowns and completing just 50.9% of his passes. His worst game came against rival West Virginia, where he threw three interceptions in a humiliating 17-6 loss on the road.
Vellieux played in the first game in the blowout against Wofford, completing five of his nine passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, but saw his first action against then ranked No. 17 North Carolina in Week 4.
He came in for Jurkovec, who suffered a concussion late in the first half, and played the rest of the game. He finished with a poor performance in a tough situation, completing just 7-of-18 passes. 38.9%, for 85 yards and two interceptions in the 41-24 defeat to the Tar Heels.
He would sit on the bench for the next game, as Jurkovec faltered in a 38-21 loss to Virginia Tech on the road, completing just 11 of his 22 passes, albeit, with two touchdown throws.
Veilleux got the start against then ranked No. 14 Louisville and would play a great game in the 38-21 upset at home on Oct. 14. He only completed 12 of his 26 passes, but had two big touchdown passes, had 200 passing yards and didn't turn the ball over, allowing the Pitt defense to return two pick-sixes for the victory.
He had his best statistical output in the game the following week against Wake Forest on the road on Oct. 21, completing 28-of-45 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Veilleux, the game ended in the worst way possible for him and the Panthers.
The Panthers led 17-14 with less than a minute left and Veilleux took the option, ran past the first down marker on third down and nine and slid down before going out of bounds to run more clock off.
The referees moved the ball behind the first down marker, saying that since he went down early with no Demon Deacons defender near him, that he gave himself up earlier than at the first down.
This rule came into effect after former Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett had the 'fake slide' in the ACC Championship game that led to the opening score.
A poor punt from Caleb Junko gave Wake Forest the ball at the 50-yard line. They would eventually go down the field and score the go-ahead touchdown with less than 10 seconds remaining, resulting in an improbable 21-17 loss.
Veilleux played terribly in the next contest against then ranked No. 14 Notre Dame on the road on Oct. 28, throwing zero touchdowns and four interceptions in a 58-7 defeat, one of the worst in program history.
He would start the next two games, which ended in losses to then ranked No. 4 Florida State at home on Nov. 4, 24-7, and to rival Syracuse at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 11, 28-13.
Veilleux completed just 15-of-35 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown and one interception in the defeat to the Seminoles.
His performance against the Orange saw him start well with a touchdown throw, which put the Panthers up at halftime. He then had a terrible second half, throwing a pick-six and losing two fumbles on handoffs, that the Orange would score touchdowns on offense.
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi sat Veilleux the rest of the season, opting to go with Nate Yarnell the final two games of the season. Yarnell led Pitt to a 24-16 win over Boston College on Nov. 16, completing 11-of-19 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown, while also running for a score as well.
Narduzzi confirmed that Yarnell would start for the Panthers to begin the 2024 season at the Spring Game, signallng who the program has faith in going forward.
Alabama transfer and redshirt freshman Eli Holstein also comes in as the choice for backup for not only the coaches, but his teammates to. During the Spring Game draft, the Gold Team took Holstein as the second quarterback, with Yarnell starting for the Blue Team.
Narduzzi gave credit to Holstein for his work during spring practices, especially his ability to hold on to the ball and not turn it over, something Veilleux struggled with last season.
The Ottawa, Ontario native from Canada started his collegiate career at Penn State, staying there for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He made one start at Penn State, throwing three touchdowns and completing 15-of-24 passes for 235 yards in the 28-0 win over Rutgers on Nov. 20, 2021.
Veilleux enters the transfer portal with two years remaining and will have immediate eligibility.
Along with Yarnell and Holstein, Pitt has two other scholarship quarterbacks in redshirt freshman Ty Dieffenbach, who will feature at third string on the depth chart, and freshman Julian Dugger, who will likely redshirt in 2024.
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