PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Including the transfers there aren't just two quarterbacks coming to Pitt his year. There are three. Phil Jurkovec is the most recognized, then you might know of the Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux. The third is a freshman new to the position.
California quarterback Ty Dieffenbach was California receiver Ty Dieffenbach just three years ago. Never played the position until his sophomore year in high school, now he's at a Power 5 school at quarterback.
The early enrollee joked that during the COVID year he was able to sleep a lot which allowed him to grow. The now 6'4" sophomore said he was at practice early in the season when his high school coach noticed something.
"He saw me throw a ball back when we were running routes," Dieffenback said. "He said 'hey, come here, come try this, take a three-step drop'. From that day on I put in 100% effort towards it. Ended up winning the starting job and that was all."
Now the kid who was a receiver and kicker on the team was suddenly the most important player on the team.
"It was very tough at first," Dieffenbach admitted. "I was 15-years-old on varsity playing against 17-18-year-olds. There's one specific practice where we were working a QB run and my OC and I were arguing about hitting the hole. I was like 'coach I got to go outside'. He said 'go inside'. I went inside and it worked. He was right."
"I met with him a lot and my head coach, and we just worked."
Now he's working with Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti. The man who once coached some of the greats in the game is also coaching an 18-year-old who has barley played the position.
Someone who has never taken a snap under center in his life because his high school ran everything from the shotgun.
"He's got all these old tapes of Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Namath," Dieffenbach said. "We are in the meetings and we are watching those tapes. It's great to see how I'm going to be learning what those great quarterbacks learned."
He's also leaning on the current Pitt group. He is roommates with 6'6" sophomore QB Nate Yarnell and said Veilleux and Jurkovec have been great in helping him. If there is one advantage he might have over the others on the roster, as a former receiver he knows what it's like to play that position.
"I understand what kind of ball receivers like to catch," Dieffenbach said. "Where they want it on a dig, stuff like that."
He's thousands of miles from home at a time he would still be playing high school basketball. While he misses the sport his father played in college, he's glad he's here learning. Dieffenbach said he's with his football family and with all he has to learn, has no time to think about much else.
