The Pittsburgh Panthers opted to bench starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec after their fourth consecutive loss in Week 5. And surprisingly, this has prompted Jurkovec to try out a new position for the rest of the 2023 season.
Jurkovec is in the midst of his sixth and final season of college football, and it is safe to say that things have not gone to plan. The team success has not been there, and neither has his individual performance, completing just 50.9 percent of his passes on the year.
This led to Jurkovec being benched for sophomore quarterback Christian Veilleux as the Panthers look for answers offensively. This obviously leaves Jurkovec without much of a role in his final collegiate season, or so we thought.
Instead of just being a backup quarterback, Jurkovec has opted to change his position, trying out the tight end position at practice on Thursday.
Multiple sources have informed the Post-Gazette that Phil Jurkovec is changing his position. The sixth year senior will now play tight end. Jurkovec began working out at his new spot during today’s practice.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) October 6, 2023
The Panthers have a Bye Week in Week 6, so Jurkovec has a bit of time to learn his new position before they take the field again.
Regardless, it is a surprising decision for Jurkovec to try out this new position, and fans offered their opinion of the move on social media.
There is no timeline that would’ve convinced me that before the season Phil Jurkovec would get benched and be playing tight end at the bye week. Insane. https://t.co/oUuO21ahEv
— Nick Farabaugh (@Nick_Farabaugh) October 6, 2023
This is actually the funniest outcome possible. I’m all in on tight end Phil. https://t.co/KfR5xF9MiF
— The Loyal Sons (@TheLoyalSons) October 6, 2023
Can’t imagine too many had this happening on their bingo cards before the season. https://t.co/qQkHrvvJKK
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) October 6, 2023
I was going to suggest this last night and just didn’t want to hear that I was stupid or something for suggesting this.
Makes sense with Phil Jurkovec’s size.
And Pitt could use help blocking, as Phil is well aware. https://t.co/X14qoPcDAr— Amanda Godsey (@AmandaFGodsey) October 6, 2023
Being a Pitt fan is a weird experience https://t.co/zC0dCkNEL4
— Zack (@wilsonbeliever) October 6, 2023
Louisville faces Pitt next Saturday
Christian Veilluex, a Penn State transfer, will start at QB
Phil Jurkovec, who started the first 5 games of 2023, has moved to tight end https://t.co/lP2MTtESGa— State of Louisville (@thestateoflou) October 6, 2023
Considering it is the final season of eligibility for Jurkovec, it makes sense to be able to get on the field in some fashion. He also clearly has the size for the position, standing at 6-foot-5 while weighing 235 pounds.
This experiment could obviously flame out, but it is cool to see a sixth-year player like Jurkovec doing anything it takes to stay on the field.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.