REPORTS: Former Penn State football QB named starter at Pitt

It was unfortunate timing for the former Penn State football quarterback Christian Veilleux. During the 2021 season, he looked like a viable backup option. He was thrown into action during his true freshman campaign when Sean Clifford wasn’t able to continue against Rutgers. Veilleux went out and performed very well but he was beat out by Drew Allar for the QB No. 2 position last season. He stayed on the roster in 2022 but Veilleux decided to transfer in the offseason to in-state rival Pittsburgh Panthers. Now, it has been reported that he will finally get his chance to be a starting quarterback at the FBS level.

Former Penn State football QB named starter at Pitt

It was first reported by Noah Hiles of the Post-Gazette that Phil Jurkovec will no longer start at QB for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Jurkovec transferred in from Boston College to help spark the offense. However, he has been anything but a spark. Through the first 5 games of the season, Pitt has a 1-4 win/loss record and Jurkovec is only completing a little over 50% of his passes. Pitt is currently on a four-game losing streak so the change is necessary.

Hiles wrote, “Sources told the Post-Gazette that Jurkovec informed his teammates that he had been benched Wednesday morning during a players-only meeting for members of the Panthers offense.” Hiles continued, “Christian Veilleux, a redshirt sophomore, is expected to replace Jurkovec as the team’s starting quarterback.”

Christian Veilleux left Penn State on good terms

I don’t think any Penn State fans would have a negative thing to say about Veilleux and his decision to transfer from Penn State. Now, some might comment on the school he chose to transfer to. But in all seriousness, it was a reasonable decision. He saw an opportunity to get more playing time and he is now going to get his chance. In his Penn State game against Rutgers, he finished completing 15 of 23 passes for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns. Pitt will play Louisville on October 14th which will likely serve as Veilleux’s first start. It certainly would be ironic if Pitt needs a former Nittany Lions to spark their season.

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