'Gambler' Nate Yarnell, 'aggressive' Kade Bell entrusted to pull trigger on Pitt's new offense

Pitt quarterback Nate Yarnell has been called “a gunslinger … a little bit of a gambler” by no less an authority than coach Pat Narduzzi.

Likewise, offensive coordinator Kade Bell isn’t afraid to take chances, according to line coach Jeremy Darveau, who is working with Bell at their third school in the past seven years.

“He’s not going to be a conservative type of guy,” Darveau said. “That’s why I love him.”

Circumstances and upward mobility in their respective careers have thrown Yarnell and Bell together on a Pitt offensive unit that fans might not recognize Saturday at the Blue-Gold spring game at Acrisure Stadium. Bell will keep a majority of the new plays and designs on the shelf to keep secrets safe until the opener, but by all accounts players are pleased with what might be possible this season.

Bell has earned a reputation for finding holes in the defense, and sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson said one change from 2023 might help him in that regard.

“I’m coming in motion, getting free releases (off the line of scrimmage),” Johnson said. “I didn’t get a lot of free releases last year. I was kind of in the same spot. There’s just a lot of movement, and I like the movement (Bell) incorporates in his offense.”

Darveau, who served on coaching staffs with Bell at Valdosta State and Western Carolina, said his friend and colleague hasn’t changed since 2018 when he was a 25-year-old play-caller.

“He’s still going to be that fiery offensive coordinator,” Darveau said Thursday in a voice made hoarse after shouting through 14 practices. “He’s still going to be an aggressive play-caller. A four-minute drill isn’t always just hand the ball off. Sometimes, you’re going to throw it. Sometimes, you’re going to run a screen. Sometimes, you’re going to do all sorts of different things. You never really know.”

Bell’s father, Kerwin, hired Darveau as the offensive line coach at Valdosta State in 2018, and a productive friendship ensued among the three men.

“That first year he started calling plays is when we won the national championship (in Division II),” Darveau said.

When Darveau and Bell were at Western Carolina last season, the Catamounts led the FCS in total offense, averaging 504.1 yards per game while scoring at a 37.5-point pace (fourth in the nation).

The goal is to transition smoothly from FCS to the ACC, which won’t be easy. For example, when Pitt was playing Florida State last season Nov. 4, Western Carolina had a game at Wofford.

Darveau said his players are starting to get a handle on the offense.

Drive for Success ???? Jeremy Darveau

Get to know the leader of the OL unit ????

Go behind the scenes in the morning with Pitt's new offensive line coach ????#H2P » @CoachDarveau pic.twitter.com/UP6QSBNGtL

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) April 11, 2024

“When we started out, you run a play and those first 100 times you’re just praying to God they’re going in the right direction,” Darveau said on a video posted on Pitt football’s X (formerly Twitter) account. “These last couple hundred times as we wrap up spring ball, now you’re really looking for these fine details. That’s where I think we are right now, and I think we’re in a really good spot.”

Yarnell is the trigger guy entrusted to get the football out of his hands quickly and take a chance when the time is right.

Narduzzi said Yarnell was “locked in” Thursday. “He threw a couple of dimes out there. He seemed a little bit different.”

Although there is no definitive, public depth chart, Yarnell’s immediate backup appears to be redshirt freshman Eli Holstein, who was the second quarterback selected in the spring game draft Wednesday. Without checking his notes, Narduzzi said Yarnell and Holstein have committed the least amount of turnovers in practice. He said Christian Veilleux is doing “a nice job” while learning his third offense in three seasons after transferring before 2023 from Penn State.

The spring game will present a unique test for all three quarterbacks.

Holstein and redshirt freshman Ty Dieffenbach will be working behind the Gold offensive line that includes older guards Jason Collier and B.J. Williams and right tackle Ryan Baer. Yarnell and Veilleux are on the Blue team with backup offensive linemen who are gaining experience while left tackle Branson Taylor, guard Ryan Jacoby and center Terrence Moore are out with injuries.

“Our new continuity is without those guys,” Darveau said. “We’ve been able to grow. We certainly miss them. We certainly love them. We can’t wait for them to come back. But that’s college football. You have to be able to adapt and conquer when you do lose guys.”