Kenny Pickett (American football)

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Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett vs. Clemson (cropped 1).jpg
Pickett with Pittsburgh in 2020
Pittsburgh Panthers – No. 8
PositionQuarterback
Class
Redshirt
Senior
MajorMarketing
Personal information
Born: (1998-06-06) June 6, 1998 (age 23)
Oakhurst, New Jersey
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolOcean Township (Oakhurst)
Career highlights and awards

Kenneth Shane Pickett (born June 6, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Early years[]

Pickett was raised in Ocean Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, and attended Ocean Township High School in Oakhurst.[1] Pickett led the Ocean Township Spartans to the New Jersey Central Group III semifinal game as a junior, leading his team to a 9-2 record.[2] 247Sports ranked Pickett as the No. 23 overall high school football player in New Jersey in his senior year.[3] During his career, he passed for 4,670 yards with 43 touchdowns and rushed for 873 yards and 17 touchdowns. He originally committed to play college football at Temple University, but changed the commitment to the University of Pittsburgh.[4]

College career[]

2017 season[]

See also: 2017 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pickett spent most of his true freshman season at Pittsburgh in 2017 as a backup to Max Browne and Ben DiNucci. He started his first career game in Pittsburgh's final game of the season against the second ranked Miami Hurricanes. During the team's upset victory, he completed 18 of 29 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown and also rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns.[5] Overall, for the season he completed 39 of 66 passes for 509 yards, one touchdown and one interception.[6][7]

2018 season[]

See also: 2018 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pickett returned as Pittsburgh's starter in 2018.[8][9] He started all 14 games, completing 180 of 310 passes for 1,969 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.[10] Pickett led the Panthers to their first ever ACC Coastal Division Championship in his first season as the full-time starter. [2]The Associated Press ranked the Panthers as high as the No. 24 team in the country at one point in the 2018 season.[11] The Pittsburgh Panthers went on to lose 14-13 to Stanford in the Sun Bowl.[12]

2019 season[]

See also: 2019 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pickett was again the starter in 2019, making 12 starts and missing one game due to injury. He completed 289 of 469 passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.[13] This was Pickett's first season with Mark Whipple acting as the offensive coordinator, who increased the amount of passes the offense threw each week. He led the Panthers to a 7-5 record heading into the postseason. The Panthers were selected to the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, Michigan and defeated Eastern Michigan 34-30. Pickett threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, including a game winning touchdown to wide receiver Taysir Mack in the final minutes of the game.

2020 season[]

See also: 2020 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pickett and the Panthers participated in a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, going 6-5. Pickett played in nine games and threw for 2,408 yards and 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions in that stretch.[14] The Associated Press ranked the Panthers as high as the No. 21 team in the country at one point in the 2020 season.[11] Despite being eligible for a bowl game, the Panthers collectively decided to opt out of participating in the postseason.[15]

2021 season[]

See also: 2021 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The NCAA granted all 2020 fall athletes an extra year of eligibility, and Pickett used this option to return as the Panthers' starting quarterback in 2021.[16]

Pickett took advantage of his final year of eligibility and broke out as one of the nation’s top players. He finished the regular season with 40 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions and 4,066 passing yards. His break-out season set several school records, has him in consideration for numerous conference and national awards, and established him as one of the top quarterback prospects. On December 16, 2021, Pickett announced his intentions of entering the 2022 NFL Draft.

Statistics[]

Legend
Bold Career high
Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Comp Att Yards Pct TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2017 4 1 1–0 39 66 509 59.1 1 1 125.8 26 98 3.6 0
2018 14 14 7–7 180 310 1,969 58.1 12 6 120.3 117 220 1.9 3
2019 12 12 8–4 289 469 3,098 61.6 13 9 122.4 95 110 1.2 2
2020 9 9 6–3 203 332 2,408 61.1 13 9 129.6 81 145 1.8 8
2021 13 13 11–2 334 497 4,319 67.2 42 7 165.3 98 233 2.4 5
Career[17] 52 49 33–16 1,045 1,674 12,303 62.4 81 32 136.3 417 801 1.9 20

References[]

  1. ^ Edelson, Stephen (September 8, 2016). "HS Football: Pitt-bound QB Kenny Pickett now Ocean's leader". Asbury Park Press.
  2. ^ a b "Kenny Pickett - Football". Pitt Panthers #H2P. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Panthers, Quarterback". 247Sports. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. ^ DiPaola, Jerry (June 4, 2016). "New Jersey QB Pickett commits to Pitt". TribLIVE.com.
  5. ^ Meyer, Craig (November 24, 2017). "Pitt's freshman quarterback Kenny Pickett makes winning impression in first career start". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  6. ^ Edelson, Stephen (August 14, 2018). "Edelson: Ocean Township's Pickett looks to make history at Pitt". Asbury Park Press.
  7. ^ Batko, Brian (April 13, 2018). "Kenny Pickett is the Conor McGregor of Pitt football. In his head, at least". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  8. ^ Berman, Mark (August 2, 2018). "ACC football 2018: Pittsburgh turns to QB Kenny Pickett". Roanoke Times.
  9. ^ "Kenny Pickett enters season firmly in charge at Pittsburgh". USA TODAY. August 9, 2018.
  10. ^ McGonigal, John (July 10, 2019). "Pitt QB Kenny Pickett bonds with Peyton Manning at offseason camp". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  11. ^ a b "Pitt Panthers Football Record By Year". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "Stanford Claims Fourth Sun Bowl Victory". sunbowl.org. December 31, 2018.
  13. ^ DiPaola, Jerry (September 16, 2020). "Pat Narduzzi labels Pitt's Kenny Pickett 'the most underrated quarterback in the country'". TribLIVE.com.
  14. ^ "Kenny Pickett College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Wilson, Mike (December 11, 2020). "Pitt announces it will abstain from postseason play in 2020". Cardiac Hill. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  16. ^ Coppola, Dalton (June 24, 2021). "Kenny Pickett, preparing for final campaign, isn't ready to leave Pittsburgh just yet". The Pitt News. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "Kenny Pickett College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2021.

External links[]

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