Yarnell happy to be back on the football field
Nate Yarnell did not take a conventional path to Pitt, but the 6’6” and 190-pound quarterback is enrolled and on campus after signing his letter of intent in December. Yarnell is anxious to get back into the swings of things on the football field after a disappointing end to his high school career.
Prior to the start of his senior season, Yarnell broke the middle finger of his throwing hand. That injury sidelined him for the entire 2020 season. It was an unfortunate break for Yarnell, as he was excited to get the reigns of being the full-time starring quarterback this past season for Lake Travis High School in Austin.
In 2019, Yarnell was actually the backup to Texas signee Hudson Card. He got a chance to start when Card went down with an injury himself, and Yarnell ended up throwing for 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.
The small window of playing in 2019 attracted some college interest. Yarnell had 8 offers in total, including ones from Utah, Houston, and Tulsa. In the end, he felt most comfortable with Pitt and made his commitment back in April of 2020.
“Coach Narduzzi and Coach Whipple just really talked to me and they had offered me and when that happened I just got a really good sense of those coaches,” Yarnell told the media during a Zoom session on Wednesday. “That whole coaching staff, for them to take a shot at me all the way down in Texas it showed a lot of faith in me and that’s something when I chose a school. Pittsburgh is such a great town, there was nothing holding me back and I’m happy to be here.”
Yarnell may have even gotten more recruiting attention this year, but the injury kept him sidelined. He was happy to cheer on his teammates this past season, but being away from the game added new perspective for the Texas quarterback.
“I did my best to support my teammates, but it gave me a real sense of what matters to me and it made me really appreciate football and I’m not going to take it for granted,” Yarnell explained.
While Yarnell was injured, Lake Travis turned to sophomore Bo Edmundson to replace him. Edmundson himself has already picked up some Division-1 offers, and an impressive streak looks like it will be continued with that development.
Lake Travis has produced 10 consecutive Division-1 quarterbacks with Yarnell signing to play with Pitt this past December. He follows an impressive lineage that includes the likes of Baker Mayfield. The school is a quarterback factory and Yarnell has seen first hand what it’s like to play in that kind of legacy.
“Lake Travis just has a large history of great quarterbacks and having to live up to that is something that makes you work hard and makes you appreciate the drive it takes to be successful,” Yarnell said of his high school experience.
Now Yarnell is at the early stages of his college career. He joins a quarterback room with four players older than him, including Kenny Pickett, who has been the program’s starter for the past three seasons.
Yarnell was not discouraged that Pickett returned unexpectedly, but rather is taking the opportunity to soak up everything he can from the team’s starter.
“Obviously Kenny has been a great resource, just learning the offense and just getting in the weight room and watching the way he trains and watching the way he leads, I couldn’t see a better quarterback to learn from,” he said of Pickett. “I want to win and learning from Kenny is a fantastic resource for me to be a better quarterback. So when I heard he was coming back, I was more than happy to be able to learn from him and if I can do my best to compete with him than I’m set to be successful in the future.”
Yarnell is taking the steps in order to get ready for spring ball. He has no regrets about ending his high school experience early, as he said he was just happy to get back on the field after missing his senior season with an injury.
“Feeling better than I ever have, stronger than I ever have, and I’m just ready to get rolling,” Yarnell said.