Pitt will close out the 2021 season against Michigan State in the Peach Bowl next week. While the current season is not over, the reigning ACC Champions just pulled off a big move to get its quarterback for next year and created some buzz while doing it.

On Tuesday, former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis announced he has transferred to Pitt. The 6’3” quarterback has thrown for over 7,500 yards and 58 touchdowns in his three-year career with the Trojans. He penned a letter to The Players' Tribune and expressed why he was coming to Pitt: to win now.

"I was so excited when Coach Narduzzi called, because I knew that Pitt and this program were the right fit for me to keep developing into the best leader I can be," Slovis wrote. "I’m ready to win now — and talking to the players who are returning, and seeing how hungry they are for next season, that got me pumped."

Slovis was one of the top true freshman quarterbacks in the country in 2019 as he threw for 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was names PAC 12 Freshman of the Year and also a first team Freshman All-American by the FWAA.

In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he was first-team All-Pac 12 with 1,921 yards and 17 touchdowns. Entering the 2021 season, Slovis was an outside Heisman Trophy candidate and expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft, though this past season did not go as planned.

USC struggled, Slovis’ play slipped, and ultimately head coach Craig Helton was fired just two games into this past season. Slovis entered the transfer portal hoping to find a fresh start, and decided coming to Pittsburgh was the best option.

Despite the poor end to his USC career, Slovis had two really impressive seasons in his first two years, and perhaps injuries played a role in his declining play. Pitt is hoping that is the case and he can revive his once promising career leading the offense in 2022.

Slovis gives Pitt a veteran, experienced quarterback to give the offense a chance to remain one of the very best in the ACC and also the country. Behind Kenny Pickett and Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple, the Panthers produced one of the most explosive offensive seasons in school history in 2021.

Pitt climbed to its first-ever ACC Championship behind an offense that averaged 43 points per game. Pickett went from a late-round pick at the onset of the season to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in his senior year.

Of course Pickett is off to the NFL, and Whipple left for Nebraska a few weeks ago. Despite their absences for next season, the commitment of Slovis has things for this program pointing up for sure. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has yet to name a replacement for Whipple, but landing Slovis should create a buzz around the team when spring ball begins in a few short months.

Pitt had been linked to Florida State transfer Chubba Purdy and Texas A&M starter Zach Calzada in recent weeks through the NCAA transfer portal, but Pitt seemed to be holding out for a bigger name to replace Pickett. In Slovis, they found just that. His name brings instant credibility to the offense.

Pitt has had to use transfer quarterbacks in the past with names like Tom Savage, Nate Peterman, and Max Browne coming to mind. Obviously those players had mixed results, but with Slovis it feels different. The NCAA transfer portal has created a more free flowing movement for college athletes, and while some players are like lottery tickets, Slovis is not. He is coming to Pitt to be the starter in 2022 and has a track record to back that up, and the offense should benefit from his arrival.

Jordan Addison, Pitt’s Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver, will likely enter the season as a preseason All-American after catching 93 passes for 1,479 yards and 17 touchdowns through 13 games this season.

The offense also returns second-leading receiver Jared Wayne, who had 654 yards in 2021. Add in freshman All-American tight end Gavin Bartholomew to the mix plus three running backs that rushed for at least 450 yards in 2021, it's a nice starting point for any quarterback to work with, let alone the former Pac 12 Freshman of the Year and a player that once had first round pick buzz.

The final piece of the puzzle, player-wise, will be the offensive line. Pitt started four seniors and a junior in 2021, and with the extra COVID super-senior year available to all five of them, the Panthers could bring all five of its starters there as well, giving Slovis and the running game one of the most veteran blocking groups in the country.

Hiring an offensive coordinator and waiting on the status of the offensive line are the next big hurdles for Narduzzi, but on Tuesday Pitt got its quarterback for the 2021 season. Adding Slovis to its already impressive list of returning weapons, there’s a chance for Pitt’s high-powered offense to remain potent in 2022.