If Christian Veilleux is going to become Pitt’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, that could have an impact on the coaching staff plans for Pat Narduzzi in the upcoming offseason. That decision could very well center around keeping Frank Cignetti Jr. at offensive coordinator for another season after the Panthers have mightily struggled on offense this year.
Much of that revolves around whether Narduzzi sees Veilleux as Pitt’s next superstar quarterback who can give the program a chance at another ACC championship the way Kenny Pickett did in 2021. But much of that starts with how Pitt finishes its 2023 season as it sits with a 2-6 record.
Veilleux, a redshirt sophomore who transferred to Pitt in January 2023, had the worst of his three starts for Pitt this season against Notre Dame Saturday when he completed 14 of 29 passes for 127 yards, no touchdown passes and four interceptions in the Panthers’ 58-7 loss. His 57.5 passer rating was a sharp fall from his 133.3 rating against Wake Forest the week before and 136.2 rating against against Louisville the week prior to that.
But bumps to a young redshirt sophomore quarterback will happen, especially against one of the best teams in the country like Notre Dame. But the important aspect for Pitt will be how Veilleux bounces back from that performance and if he can turn into their trusted starting quarterback and leader over the next two seasons.
Veilleux is learning from his performance against Notre Dame, particularly how they used a Cover 2 defense that confused him during the game.
“It’s unbelievable teaching moments for all the players,” Cignetti said of Pitt’s film study after the Panthers’ Wednesday practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Christian is on his fourth start. What he learned Saturday in South Bend, he’ll be able to take with him for the rest of his career. Al Golden, the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, did some really good things on defensive coverage packages that [Veilleux] will only learn from the more that he plays. That will help him respond quicker and make more decisive decisions.”
“I’ve got to play comfortable, stand back there and take a hit while I go through progressions,” Veilleux said. “Notre Dame’s defense did a great job. The way they played Cover 2 made it hard for me to identify. But that’s one of those defenses that when you play, you get those reps, understand it and learn from it.”
If Veilleux starts for Pitt’s final four games of the regular season, he’ll have a foundation of seven starts with Pitt’s offense going into next season — should he choose to stay. That could give him the chance to stack the lessons he learns to become the Panthers’ starting quarterback who brings the offense back to being one of the best in the ACC.
Part of getting to that point will be building around Veilleux’s strengths at quarterback, which include a strong arm, a quick release and accuracy.
“What impresses me is watching Christian throw a football,” Cignetti said. “He can really spin it. He’s got a real nice delivery. It’s quick, compact and the ball comes off his hand really well. That helps him make all the throws. He sees the field well and he’ll only see it better as he plays and coverages change on him.”
Narduzzi has acknowledged that Pitt plans to change its scheme around Veilleux’s strengths, which coincide with the evidence shown in our Post-Gazette film studies of Veilleux’s early performances. If Cignetti can develop a game plan that accentuates those strengths and produce results, it could give Pitt a strong finish to a bad season.
“The quarterback hits and sacks have gone down because of that style of calling the game,” Cignetti said. “The better passer you have, you feel like you can win one-on-ones. If you have a wide receiver out there on a corner, you feel like the quarterback is going to get the ball out quick. You can trust that, if you beat the coverage, you’ll get an accurate ball.”
Pitt has came into the last two seasons with new starting quarterbacks out of the transfer portal with Kedon Slovis in 2022 and Phil Jurkovec in 2023, and neither lasted the full season as the team’s definitive starter. The last time Pitt had a quarterback who came into the season as the known starter, the Panthers won the ACC championship led by the Heisman candidacy of Kenny Pickett, who was the full-time starter for Pitt for four seasons.
But in Pickett’s path there, it took years of growth to break program records set by Dan Marino and ACC records set by Deshaun Watson. The most touchdowns Pickett threw in any of his first three seasons as a starter was 13 in 2019 and 2020, and both were coupled with seasons he threw nine interceptions. But that exploded to 42 touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 2021. That’s the best statistical season of any quarterback in Pitt history, and it was a product of the continuity Pickett had with the Panthers.
“Continuity for a quarterback is so imperative,” Cignetti said when asked about the impact of the transfer portal. “Being able to play in the same system, have the same language, the same terminology and have the same people around you who understand what a play looks like when it’s called [helps the quarterback] understand what it looks like and where he needs to go with the ball.”
Cignetti, who has coached at both the collegiate and NFL levels across 34 years, says he’s seen firsthand the impact of continuity for a quarterback.
“I had an experience in San Francisco with Alex Smith,” Cignetti recalled. “Great quarterback, great guy. But by the time I got to San Francisco with him, he was on his [third] offensive coordinator. That’s really difficult because it’s all about repetitions and understanding play design. That helps them make good decisions and play fast and accurate.”
In comparison, Pickett played under Shawn Watson as Pitt’s offensive coordinator in 2017 before Narduzzi switched to Mark Whipple in 2018. Whipple’s offense didn’t excel for the Panthers in his first two seasons, as in 2020, they ranked 10th in the ACC in scoring, 14th in yards and eighth in passing yards. But in his third season, Pitt ranked either first or second in the conference in all those categories.
Pitt’s offense during Cignetti’s first season ranked sixth in scoring in the ACC, seventh in total yards and 10th in passing yards, but those rankings have dropped to 13th in scoring and last in total yards while remaining 10th in passing yards in 2023.
If Pitt were to keep Cignetti at offensive coordinator in 2023 with those numbers, the primary reason would have to be steeped in the faith that Veilleux can become Narduzzi’s next superstar quarterback if he stays in the same system.
But that would also require two factors: a) Veilleux would need to have the talent to actually get there, and b) Veilleux would need to have confidence in Cignetti as his coordinator.
If you ask Cignetti, Veilleux has the talent and the leadership Pitt needs.
“He’s a tremendous leader and puts a lot of time and effort into his preparation,” Cignetti said. “When he chose to come here in January, it was about the journey. He knew he had three years of eligibility, and it’s not about where he was in January but where he wanted to go within those three years.”
And if you ask Veilleux, Cignetti is a big reason why he came to Pitt — and a coach he wants to play under.
“He’s a real coach,” Veilleux said. “A lot of guys will just sit you down and ask, ‘Why did you do this? This is what you’re supposed to do.’ But when we watch film, coach Cignetti is supportive and a teacher. Any time something happens, he’ll break it down and explain where my eyes should’ve been. From that, you can pick a key to move onto your next read. I came here because I believe in the kind of person coach Cignetti is, and he’s a great teacher of the game.”
If both the coordinator and the quarterback mean what they say and Veilleux shows promise in his final four games this season, that could give Narduzzi a difficult decision to make this offseason about his offensive coordinator. Cignetti is Narduzzi’s fifth offensive coordinator in his nine seasons as Pitt’s head coach. If Cignetti were to return in 2024, he would tie Whipple for having the longest tenure at the position during that span.
But if Cignetti’s hypothetical return were to prove fruitless, it could be one of the biggest gambles of Narduzzi’s career. Pitt faces No. 4 Florida State Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, and a loss would guarantee Narduzzi’s second losing season in nine years. If an incorrect gamble on the wrong offensive coordinator were to lead to consecutive losing seasons for Narduzzi, it could call his tenure with the program into question just after his 20-win run across the 2021-22 seasons.
Christopher Carter: ccarter@post-gazette.com and on Twitter @CarterCritiques
First Published: November 1, 2023, 8:26 p.m.
