May 8—Former Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec is returning to the South Side, only this time he's walking through a different door, dressing in another locker room and playing a new (at least, relatively new) position.
Jurkovec accepted an invitation to the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie camp that begins Friday and runs through Sunday.
"I'm excited," he said Wednesday. "We'll see. I'm going to give it my best shot."
Jurkovec's story has been filled with good news and bad for much of the past nine years, including a Class 6A state championship and All-American career at Pine-Richland, a football scholarship to Notre Dame, transfers to Boston College and Pitt, a benching in his hometown after only five games in 2023, a move to an unfamiliar position and, now, an opportunity in professional football.
When he transferred to Pitt before last season, he was immediately anointed the starting quarterback by coach Pat Narduzzi, but the start to the season didn't go well.
He completed barely half of his passes (57 of 112) for an average of 163.6 yards per game and threw three interceptions. All three picks came in a 17-6 loss at West Virginia.
He played quarterback for the next two games, but he was replaced by Christian Veilleux for the sixth after Pitt lost four of its first five.
He said he wasn't bitter about losing his job, and he remained a member of the team through the last seven games.
"It happens. The season wasn't going well," he said.
Jurkovec moved to tight end — it was his idea — and practiced every day after having played there only briefly well before going into high school. He made only a brief appearance at the position in the Syracuse game and another on special teams against Florida State.
"I just looked for a new position to play and see where I can help out," he said. "I learned a lot. I was just practicing, doing my best, seeing what would come of it."
He said learning blocking techniques was "different."
"You have to go through the steps and practice it. It's just being an athlete."
By the end of the season, Jurkovec said he was feeling comfortable at tight end, but he was never in a game long enough to record a reception.
Still, he has the classic build for a tight end (6-foot-5, 245 pounds), and he understands the position after years of throwing passes toward it.
"It's an important position. It can be hard to defend against," he said.
Jurkovec, 24, said he has yet to formulate alternate plans after football. He hopes the weekend camp with the Steelers leads to further opportunities later this spring and summer.
"I guess I'm not there yet," he said. "I have this opportunity, and I'm going to take it."
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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