Kenny Pickett returning for fifth year
On the eve of National Letter of Intent Day, Pitt's biggest addition for the 2021 roster came in the form of a current player deciding to stay. Pitt senior quarterback Kenny Pickett tweeted that he will be back for the 2021 season and that is a move that changes a lot heading into the offseason.
Pickett has been Pitt's starting quarterback for the past three seasons and he currently ranks fifth in program history in passing yardage with 7,984. He is also 8th all-time in Pitt history in passing touchdowns with 39 in his career. Pitt owns a 21-15 record with him as the starting quarterback.
Pickett played in nine games this season, and threw for 2,408 yards and 13 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Following a two game absence midseason, he returned and helped the team to three wins in their final four games, including a 34-20 victory over Georgia Tech in the season finale.
It had been assumed Pickett would enter his name into the NFL Draft. He had been invited to the Hulu Bowl and was rumored to be invited to the prestigious Senior Bowl as well to showcase his abilities before April's Draft. The 2021 draft is believed to be deep at the quarterback position, while the 2022 draft has some uncertainties and with a strong season next year Pickett can potentially raise his draft stock.
Pitt had some question marks at quarterback entering this offseason and beyond. In the two games Pickett was down with an injury, Pitt only managed to score one touchdown when the offense was led redshirt freshman Joey Yellen. Sophomore Nick Patti owns one career start that came back in 2019, and freshman Davis Beville played sparingly this season. The race for the starting job certainly raised some question marks with the depth left behind Pickett.
The return of Pickett changes things in a big way.
The offense started to click when he returned from injury. Pitt generated over 500 yards of offense in the two of the team's final three games of the season, including a 556-yard showing in a 47-14 win over Virginia Tech. Pickett threw for his second career 400=yard passing game with two touchdowns against the Hokies that day.
The return of Pickett should only help the development of heralded receiver Jordan Addison. As a freshman, Addison caught 60 passes for 666 yards and four touchdowns and the pair should continue to grow together heading into next season.
Pitt's overall team outlook will look different heading into next season. The team is losing some key defensive players like Patrick Jones, Damar Hamlin, and Rashad Weaver, along with offensive line mainstay Jimmy Morrissey, but Pickett's decision is certainly a big boost heading into an important offseason that really kicks off with signing day tomorrow.