Ex-NFL QB Tim Hasselbeck says Phil Jurkovec's struggles at Pitt create 'a head-scratching case study'

When former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck meets with Pat Narduzzi on Friday in advance of the ACC Network’s telecast of the North Carolina/Pitt game, one of his questions will be a query that has many people befuddled.

What’s going on with the quarterback position at Pitt?

“Part of what you would have to ask (Narduzzi) is what kind of footing is Phil Jurkovec on?” said Hasselbeck, who has done football analysis for five networks for the past 15 years after eight seasons in the NFL.

He said Jurkovec is “kind of a head-scratching case study, if you will.”

“Obviously, (he’s) a super-talented player,” said Hasselbeck, who will call the game Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium next to veteran play-by-play man Wes Durham. “You wouldn’t get recruited and end up at Notre Dame if that wasn’t the case.

“He proved it when he came to Boston College and had a year that was outstanding and made them a significantly better program. In fact, I don’t know that people need to be reminded of this: Listen, people were talking about him like, ‘Hey, he’s maybe not going to stay in school for much longer. He’s going to be a first-round draft pick.’

“That was the talk.”

Especially after he threw for 2,568 yards and 17 touchdowns in an abbreviated, 11-game season in 2020.

“He had a great year,” said Hasselbeck, a former BC quarterback himself. “Obviously, there were some changes at BC. One of them the offensive coordinator. It just went sideways for him at Boston College.”

Jurkovec was the presumed starter at Pitt almost from the minute he set down his travel bags on campus. His injuries are behind him, and he’s reunited with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., but after three games the union hasn’t worked out to anyone’s expectations.

Hasselbeck said it’s never easy to evaluate quarterbacks, partially because they are protected from pass-rush pressure in practice.

“Sometimes, the decision is just made with somebody. I think you can understand how people would get there,” he said, “if a guy is a little more athletic, a little stronger, a little faster. But you don’t really know until you play when the lights come on.”

Since Kenny Pickett moved to the Steelers in 2022, Pitt has had issues at quarterback with two transfers, Jurkovec and Kedon Slovis, whose results have been uneven at best.

“Two years with two kids that had a ton of success somewhere else not having success, I think is a legitimate cause for concern,” Hasselbeck said. “Offensively, unfortunately, it kind of feels like it’s been a continuation of last year. The quarterback’s struggling to find completions. At times, inconsistency in terms of being able to run the football. It’s made it feel like a pretty lopsided team in terms of offensive and defensive contribution.”

Hasselbeck said retooling a college football roster is never easy, but he’s impressed with the job Narduzzi did this offseason after losing several key players to the NFL.

“Like is typical with Pitt, I actually think they have a lot of good players,” he said. “That’s not the case around college football sometimes. Somebody leaves or there’s a graduating class, and they’re just not able to replace it with similar talent. It’s a storied program that still continues to do a good job of attracting really talented high school players and probably even transfer players.”

He said Pitt’s defense has played “really well,” but the next challenge won’t be easy. Hasselbeck said North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is special.

“He’s as good as any quarterback I have seen as a prospect coming out of college in the 15 years I’ve been doing what I’m doing,” he said. “I think he’s that talented and that good. I think he’s going to be a better pro than a college player. I think he’s still kind of a young, ascending player.

“I’ve never said this about anybody: I think he’s a nearly perfect prospect.”

Durham, the son of legendary broadcaster Woody Durham, has been doing play-by-play throughout the ACC and the NFL over four decades. He said Maye is “the real deal,” but he also believes in Narduzzi’s ability to build a solid defense.

“You always felt pretty good about the plug-and-play ability of those guys on defense,” Durham said. “I think some of them have played pretty well. But in the stakes that they’re putting themselves in, you can’t afford to have a bad series, let alone a bad game.“