PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kade Bell's first spring as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator was chaotic. And crowded. Way too crowded.
The Panthers had more than a half-dozen quarterbacks on the roster this time last year, far too many to get any real sense of who could do what and who could be what.
“How (was) I supposed to get everybody reps ... and then try and develop them (at the same time)," Bell said.
Things are far calmer now. Eli Holstein emerged from the masses to eventually become the starter and was putting together one of the finest freshman seasons in recent memory before injuries set in as the Panthers saw a 7-0 start fade to a 7-6 finish.
Holstein is healthy now, and there's a little more space in Pitt's quarterback room, which now just consists of Holstein, Julian Duggar (who started the Panthers' bowl game loss in place of Holstein), David Lynch and Mason Heintschel heading into Saturday's annual Blue-Gold spring game.
The upshot is that Bell had a chance to teach more this time around rather than focus on getting everyone's name right, as was the case a year ago. Bell estimates Holstein and company have thrown 900 passes over the last month, plenty of opportunities for them to learn, Bell to guide, and confidence to build.
Holstein certainly sounds eager to get moving after being forced to sit out bowl prep while he recovered from a leg injury. Bell made it a point to praise Holstein for the way he remained mentally engaged even as he rehabbed. The proof that Holstein has been listening comes during meetings, when Holstein sometimes knows the questions before Bell even asks.
“As a QB, when you can answer the questions before the OC tells you something, we’re going to be in a lot better situation,” Bell said.
Bell's up-tempo attack requires quarterbacks to think and move quickly. Holstein still wants to be a threat with his legs, even though he took a fair number of shots last season playing behind a line that at times had trouble protecting him.
While Bell doesn't have a problem with that, he's also just fine if Holstein takes the snap, makes the right read and gets rid of it to a group of playmakers that Bell believes could be better than what the Panthers had a year ago. Outside of running back Desmond Reid and the occasional big play from wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, there weren't a lot of big plays to go around.
“Last year, it felt like we only had 4-5 guys that could play that we trusted,” Bell said. “This year I think we’re going to be in the 7-8 range. ... The goal is to stretch the defense vertically as opposed to 13-play drives.”
Holstein needed to beat out Nate Yarnell to win the starting job last summer, a decision that wasn't made official until the start of the season. There are no questions this time around, making Holstein more comfortable trying to be a leader, though he noted getting people in line has rarely been a problem.
It wasn't uncommon during Holstein's childhood for his father, Scott, a strength and conditioning coach, to ask his preteen-aged son to go tell much bigger, much older college athletes where to go and what to do. All that practice has paid off.
“I’ve had the guys (here) tell me, ‘Hey, I need you to be on me this year,’” Holstein said. “And I told them, 'I’m going to be honest with you, but you’re not going to like me sometimes.”
Holstein isn't interested in winning any popularity contests. He wants to prove that the Panthers are much closer to the team that ripped off seven straight wins to start 2024 than the one that limped to the finish.
It seems that Holstein is in for the long(er) haul. The Alabama transfer insists he enjoys Pittsburgh, and after Bell signed a three-year contract extension during the offseason, ...
