Kenny Pickett, the driving force behind Pitt's 11-2 ACC Championship season will not play in the Peach Bowl against Michigan State on December 30th. Pitt's Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback tweeted that he has withdrawn from the game and will begin preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft.

The rumors of Pickett not playing in the bowl game swirled for the past week or two after he indicated in multiple interviews he was unsure about his status. It is now a reality for the Pitt football team as the they begin to prepare for Michigan State without their starting quarterback.

Pitt knew it would be without Pickett for the 2022 season, but will get a first taste of life without him in the Peach Bowl. Michigan State is ranked last in the country in pass defense, which should be a favorable draw for a backup quarterback.

The presumed starter in the game will be current No. 2 quarterback, Nick Patti.

Patti is a redshirt junior out of the state of New Jersey and came to Pitt in the 2018 recruiting class. He has one career start, as he filled in for Pickett in the 2019 season. In that game, Patti delivered a 17-13 win over Delaware. He threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

The junior quarterback has filled in at times over the past three seasons when Pickett has missed a play here or there. He is 12-of-14 for 140 yards on the season, with a season-high 58 passing yards in the opener against UMass.

Patti has been incorporated into Pitt's game plan with his legs in the past. He was used in a trick play in the 2019 upset win over UCF, and ultimately had to play meaningful snaps that game while Pickett was injured and he threw a key second half touchdown against the Golden Knights.

In Pickett's first game back from injury in 2020, Pitt opted to use Patti as a goal line quarterback to run the ball and he produced two touchdowns on the ground in a win over Florida State. For his career, Patti has 458 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with three rushing scores.

Aside from Patti, Pitt has another quarterback with starting experience. Joey Yellen, an Arizona State transfer, started two games in 2020 while Pickett was sidelined with an ankle injury. Yellen totaled 402 yards and one touchdown that year, while throwing three interceptions. Pitt lost to Miami and Notre Dame in his two starting assignments. As a freshman with the Sun Devils, he had a four-touchdown game against USC in his lone start that season.

Davis Beville, a former four star recruit from South Carolina, will also be in the mix. Beville impressed in the spring game back in April, but has limited game experience. He has 88 career passing yards in his three seasons in Pittsburgh.

All three quarterbacks will move up the depth chart for the next two weeks of bowl practice, and it will serve as an extended audition for the 2022 starting job. Pitt is without an offensive coordinator at the moment, but it is still a chance to impress the rest of the staff with more reps.

The Pitt coaches are exploring multiple options in the transfer portal to find Pickett's replacement, but Patti and company have a chance to make an impact in practice leading up through the Peach Bowl against Michigan State. .