Kedon Slovis gets the nod as Pitt's starting quarterback

There was no white puff of smoke wafting through a window of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

No fireworks over the Mon or horns honking on South Water Street.

Just two one-on-one meetings, quiet and private, between Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and his top quarterbacks Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti.

When Narduzzi told Slovis he was the chosen one and would open the season as the starter, the 21-year-old senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., kept up the mature persona he has put on display since arriving from USC.

“I was pretty cool,” he said.

Although he traveled through three time zones to arrive in Pittsburgh at the onset of winter, Slovis had no arrogant thoughts that the job was his. Patti, who was Kenny Pickett’s backup last season, felt the same, and the competition was on.

“They were out there all summer,” Narduzzi said. “It wasn’t just Kedon. Both worked their tail off, were both in the office for a long time.”

Narduzzi said he often left the office for home late in the evening, and the lights were still on over the Beano Cook Fields. Quarterbacks and pass catchers were working toward their goal of 10,000 throws before the start of camp.

“We’re going to find a way to get better than somebody else by just working on it,” Narduzzi said. “You can’t just have a talented arm, talented body and be a talented passer without working at it. You better study the game of football. I trust both of those guys will prepare like starters.”

Narduzzi said choosing one wasn’t easy. Slovis’ experience — 7,576 passing yards in 26 starts over three seasons — was only a box to check, not a decisive factor.

“I wasn’t going to say we’re starting this guy because of that,” the coach said. “It’s based on what we saw and the body of work from the first day of spring ball all the way through (Tuesday) night’s practice.

“They both have high IQ at that position. Both of them can lead our football team into an ACC schedule. We have confidence in both of them. Unfortunately at the quarterback position, there’s one guy. It becomes a one-man show.”

There’s a good chance Patti will play this season for what could be a variety of reasons. Two years ago, he scored two rushing touchdowns against Florida State as a wildcat quarterback.

“There’s going to be a time throughout the season where someone else is going to have to step up, just like any other position,” Narduzzi said. “Everybody has a lot of confidence in Nick Patti.”

Asked what separated the two quarterbacks, Narduzzi mentioned “accuracy.”

Slovis recorded a three-year, 27-game completion percentage of 68.4% at USC. Pickett’s was 67.2% during his Heisman finalist season last year and 62.4% in 52 games for his Pitt career.

“(Slovis) is a really, really good passer,” Narduzzi said. “Kedon is really, really good in the pocket. Nick is, too.”

Of course, Slovis’ knowledge of what offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. is trying to accomplish was a prerequisite even before the start of camp Aug. 1.

“I learned a lot,” Slovis said, “from understanding defenses to how this offense is supposed to work and the history of it, what it is designed to do. I know so much more about the game now than when I first came.

“(Cignetti) says it’s a time-proven offense. He says Joe Montana did the same thing. It’s worked over and over again, the same thing (NFL coaches) Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay are doing now.”

Slovis said Cignetti, who’s been coaching offense and quarterbacks at seven schools and six NFL teams since 1989, often cranks up a YouTube video from long ago and tells his players, “We ran this play to win the game.”

From all accounts, Slovis has won the trust and confidence of players and coaches, an achievement nearly as important as the ability to convert third downs with his arm.

“Those guys have to believe in the guy who’s getting the job done and the guy who’s getting the ball and calling the protections,” Slovis said. “The job of the quarterback is executing the offense, and job No. 2 is getting those guys to believe that you’re the guy and can do all those things and get in a position to win.”

Narduzzi is coming out of camp feeling good about his quarterback depth. Patti doesn’t have Slovis’ game experience, but he’s been a part of three different Pitt offenses since 2018.

“There are not a lot of people around the country who have what we have,” Narduzzi said. “You don’t want to have any problems, but if you do, we feel ready for it.”

Narduzzi said Patti took the news well.

“Nick Patti was the classiest guy in the world, understood, gets it, smart, just like you knew Nick Patti would be,” the coach said. “He’s a team guy. You have to love Nick Patti.”

Of course, there are no guarantees Narduzzi made the right decision, and he knows it.

“We’ll find out in real game action when the bullets are flying live,” he said. “The bullets haven’t been flying live (in practice).

“It’s going to be important for him to go out there and make quick decisions with the ball and put the ball on the money. It’s not an easy job.”