Pitt was in dire straits, down 10 midway through the third quarter to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl played at Ford Field in Detroit last December. Having fallen far from its No. 18 ranking in the polls and 7-0 record and riding a five-game losing streak, Pitt was down 25 players to opt-outs, transfers or injuries, a group that included their top two quarterbacks.
Third-string walk-on David Lynch, elevated into a starting role, helped the Panthers stay attached for a while. But after two and a half quarters, Pitt looked to unheralded freshman Julian Dugger, who helped his team overcome the 10-point deficit and carried them through a record-setting overtime. Even in a heartbreaking loss, Dugger showed his coaches and teammates the kind of potential that earned him the backup quarterback job heading in spring camp the following March.
“You saw the bowl game,” coach Pat Narduzzi said, affirming Dugger as Pitt’s new backup last week. “They’ll have to defend him in the run game and the pass game, too.”
Dugger accounted for 160 total yards and three touchdowns in regulation, then ran or threw for four of Pitt’s five scores in overtime. It wasn’t a Heisman trophy-winning performance, but it was what Pitt needed in a desperate spot. And he did it after spending the vast majority of the season buried on the depth chart without the opportunity to learn the offense and its pieces through extended practice time.
Eli Holstein was sidelined with an injury lingering from the month prior. Nate Yarnell and Ty Dieffenbach had entered the transfer portal. Dugger was the last scholarship quarterback available on the roster as Pitt arrived at Ford Field to play its final game of the 2024 season, but limited reps meant the coaching staff was comfortable with him playing in spots while Lynch played the role of starter.
Eventually, Pitt decided to throw him right into the fire, and Dugger thrived in it. But it took time before Dugger was able to convince FBS schools he was capable of performing at college football’s highest level.
While keeping the Panthers offense afloat against Toledo, Dugger flashed a kind of hidden potential few others — even Pitt — believed in, at least at first. Former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. extended a scholarship offer to Dugger earlier in his high school career at Penn Hills, but it was for him to play a different position. That didn’t work for Dugger, who knew he was good enough to play quarterback in a power conference.
“He knew he had the support from our team, our coaching staff, his parents. If a kid believes in himself in a sport he plays, I say stick with your dreams, and he stuck to his guns,” Penn Hills coach Charles Morris said. “I think trying to force something that isn’t there diminishes a kid’s confidence.”
And it wasn’t until Narduzzi saw Dugger throw during a seven-on-seven camp at the Panthers’ practice facility on the South Side that they felt comfortable extending Dugger an offer to play quarterback in June 2024. It was validation of the belief Dugger and his coaches shared in his passing abilities. As a high schooler, Dugger worked too hard on cleaning up his footwork, speeding up his release and becoming a more polished thrower to let anyone steer him away from the position he had played since he was a kid.
Dugger had the tangible things colleges wanted — impressive athletic ability and a tall, strong frame. The first thing anyone notices about him is how much he looks the part — 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds with massive hands, broad shoulders and long, powerful legs.
The same traits that made him an outstanding basketball player at Penn Hills translated to quality high school quarterback play. In four years as a starter, he was an offensive engine all his own, accounting for 6,923 yards of total offense and 80 total touchdowns before graduating and enrolling early at Pitt.
“He was that guy,” Morris said. “All the kids rallied behind him. He was a leader. He’s passionate, and his talent, ... his gifts took over games at times.”
That is the first thing anyone notices about Dugger — his size and speed. One look at him, and you’d think he could play whatever position on the field he wanted.
But quarterback is a difficult position to play, and it’s even more difficult to recruit. The process can open a player up to extra scrutiny. You have to be more than a good athlete but smart, hard-working and eager to learn the ins and outs of being a field general. His athletic gifts were obvious, but Morris believed Dugger’s intelligence and work ethic were being overlooked.
“When people are recruiting the quarterback position specifically, they’re looking for every little minor detail,” Morris said. “It’s not as scrutinized if you play O-line, defensive back or receiver. They have their prototypical molds and things like that, but when you play quarterback, they’re looking for all the intangibles, too.
“When colleges came by, I tried to tell them those were all things Julian could do.”
Morris is now being proven right in real time because those are the traits that have earned Dugger a higher spot on Pitt’s depth chart heading into spring practices this year. It was more than only a couple of encouraging quarters played last winter.
“He’s like a big boy. Last year, he was a little boy. Shoot, there was times he’s hanging back and he knows it,” Narduzzi said.
“He’s night and day from a year ago. I think that bowl game did wonders for him. We all know he played darn well except for that one pass he threw and the missed tackle after that. But he’s grown up a lot. We’re really excited about what he’s done since December.”
Dugger won’t be the man for Pitt as long as Holstein is healthy, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see him on the field in 2025. After watching what Dugger could do with limited preparation, offensive coordinator Kade Bell has been hard at work this offseason, crafting formations and plays that play to Dugger’s multiple skills.
“There’s no question about it,” Narduzzi said. “There’s always going to be a special package for him.”
It’s a small opportunity, but Dugger’s proven he can turn a small opening into something bigger. All he needs is a chance.
First Published: March 22, 2025, 8:00 a.m.
