There was some level of speculation heading into fall camp as to who the number two quarterback would be for Pitt in the 2021 season. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi put those questions to rest on the first day by declaring it would be Nick Patti. Through two weeks of fall camp, the redshirt junior from New Jersey has held that spot and embraced it.

“It doesn’t really change at all,” Patti said after assuming the role of being the top backup. “Still competing throughout the season and trying to get better everyday and get everyone better.”

Patti was once the top backup for this team before back in the 2019 season. He earned a start and led Pitt to a win over Delaware. He even had an opportunity to step into a crucial moment against UCF the week prior and delivered with a touchdown pass and helped lead Pitt to an upset victory over the Golden Knights.

The Pitt quarterback still watches that lone start he made in 2019 against Delaware and tries to learn from it to this day. Playing in an actual game and having visuals of it is certainly different than watching practice and scrimmage reps, and he has tried to take advantage of that game film.

“When you get in the game it’s different than on the practice field,” Patti explained. “So when you get the real game reps you can learn a lot from every single rep.”

In the 2020 season, Patti dealt with COVID like some other players on the Pitt team and missed time. He lost his top reserve spot to Joey Yellen, who went onto start two games last season for Pitt.

“It definitely feels like forever ago, especially with all the COVID stuff that happened,” Patti told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “Time felt like it moved in slow motion. So it felt like a long time ago, but it’s good to look back and still learn from it.”

Despite missing some time, Patti still found a role last season. As Pickett worked his way back to full strength, the Pitt coaches decided to try and use Patti in some running situations. He scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in Pitt’s 41-17 win over Florida State. He said he felt at home, even if it was late in the season when he finally got his chance.

“It was normal,” Patti said of playing against Florida State. “Being comfortable out there and being able to play the year before and make a start the year before I was definitely comfortable on the field. It was just good to be out there playing again.”

Will there be anymore Patti designed runs in 2021?

“We’ll see,” the junior quarterback said with a smile. “We’ve got some stuff that we like so we’ll see how it goes.”

Patti regained his top backup spot after a strong showing in the spring game and the entire offseason as a whole. He’s the number two option behind Kenny Pickett, just like he was in 2019. Pickett’s unexpected return meant Patti would have to wait another year before he could compete for the full-time starting job and that’s something he has been OK with since that announcement.

“Just get to learn behind a great quarterback for another year,” he said of what it meant to have Pickett back in 2021. “I’ve got a good relationship with Kenny, so I was happy for him. Whatever decision he made, I knew it would be the best for him and I want the best for Kenny, so I’m happy that he came back.”

Patti has been focused on continuing to improve and to help the team. He is entering his fourth year in the program, and his third playing under offensive coordinator Mark Whipple.

“Another year of knowing the offense better and we got a lot of the guys back that we had last year, so just being comfortable with everybody and getting reps as we go.”