Monday night’s news of Pitt defensive end Dayon Hayes hitting the transfer portal came as shocking news. Tuesday morning’s announcement of Christian Veilleux following in his footsteps, not so much.
The redshirt junior quarterback announced via X that he entered the portal with two years of eligibility left.
I would like to thank the University of Pittsburgh, as well as coach Narduzzi, Coach Cignetti, and coach Bell. I had a great time here in Pittsburgh. I will be entering the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility. #H2P pic.twitter.com/XUCoEX3YdQ
— Chr1st1an Vei11eux (@VeilleuxQB11) April 16, 2024
With a crowded quarterback room, it was rather expected that at least one of the scholarship signal callers would jump into the portal once it opened at midnight.
The 6-foot-4 Ottawa native spent one season with the Panthers after transferring from Penn State.
Veilleux wound up taking over the starting job for a period of time in 2023, making five starts in seven overall appearances. He completed 94 of 184 passes (51 percent) for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns.
After taking the reigns from Phil Jurkovec, Veilleux threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start to upset No. 14 Louisville
A week later, he threw another two touchdowns in a solid outing on the road against Wake Forest. However, he would follow it up with a four interception performance against No. 14 Notre Dame, which was the beginning of the end for his time as the starter in a Panthers uniform as he threw eight picks on the year.
Following spring ball, with Nate Yarnell solidified as the starter in Kade Bell’s offense, Veilleux was expected to assume the third string role behind that of Alabama transfer Eli Holstein.
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