Mike Yurcich was still at Texas when Christian Veilleux committed to Penn State in 2020, but the pair worked closely together during two seasons in State College.
The bond between an offensive coordinator and quarterback is important, and it was important when Penn State turned to Veilleux early against Rutgers in 2021.
In Veilleux’s lone ‘start’ at Penn State, against Rutgers as a freshman, he completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He did it the right way. And according to Yurcich, he did it the right way when entering the portal.
The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder shared Yurcich’s response from a Rose Bowl media appearance when asked about Veilleux’s cross-state transfer.
“You want the best for your players,” Yurcich said. “I get it. It’s part of the deal. He did it the right way, communicated very well with coach Franklin and myself. Support him as much as we possibly can and want the best for him moving forward.”
Mike Yurcich on Christian Veilleux’s transfer to Pitt: “You want the best for your players. I get it. It’s part of the deal. He did it the right way, communicated very well with Coach Franklin & myself. Support him as much as we possibly can & want the best for him moving forward pic.twitter.com/XsUck9nwMS
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) December 29, 2022
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.In two seasons at Penn State, he threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-35 pass attempts, but a majority of those numbers came in his lone start against Rutgers in 2021.
After five-star Drew Allar arrived last season and rose to No. 2 on the depth chart, Veilleux only attempted nine passes as a sophomore. He arrives at Pitt with three seasons of eligibility and the chance to immediately back up fellow transfer Phil Jurkovec.
Prior to committing to Penn State, Veilleux (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) held offers from Arizona State, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Michigan, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Ultimately, the native of Ontario committed to Penn State over Clemson, Tennessee and Duke.
With Drew Allar in place as Penn State’s starter following the Rose Bowl, with Beau Pribula and Jaxon Smolik behind him, PSU’s quarterback situation is in a good place going forward.
