Pitt quarterbacks Tom Savage and Chad Voytik are still contending for the starting job, and at the end of spring drills, head coach Paul Chryst did not declare a winner. However, it appears as though the fifth year senior and former 5-star prospect has teammates on his side, including senior wide receiver Devin Street.
It’s been a rocky road for the journeyman quarterback, who has been on the roster of three teams (Rutgers, Arizona and Pitt) in his 5 years as an NCAA student-athlete. He will surely have determination on his side also, as this will be his last year to round out his resume for NFL scouts.
Savage’s arm strength is already drawing comparisons to 2004, when Joe Flacco was on the roster at Pitt — but that’s not all. “Everyone is going to be surprised by him,” said Street in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Tom has been working his tail off this summer.” When the best athlete on the offensive side of the ball speaks so favorably of a quarterback, it should turn heads. It indicates a certain level of trust, and if those with the loudest voices (like Street) show trust, it trickles down to the less experienced members of the team.
Pitt sure needs someone they can trust under center this year, as they enter the uncharted territory of the ACC. It sure has been a while since that trust in a quarterback existed – in fact, you might have to turn the page all the way back to the Tyler Palko years for an example. On top of the challenges of entering the ACC, Pitt fans are now hungry for an adequate leader after a chain of sub-par quarterbacks.
A Pennsylvannia native, Savage is 192-of-368 for 2,732 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career. He has one postseason win, a 45-24 victory over UCF in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl as the starting quarterback for Rutgers.
Although he hasn’t taken a snap in a game since the 2010 season for the Scarlet Knights, Savage should own the starting job by the time September rolls around. He hasn’t spent a year on the sidelines at Pitt learning the offense like Voytik has, but he sure has a chip on his shoulder and a great deal of unleashed potential.
At Pitt, when a reporter compares your arm to Flacco, and your top receiver proclaims his excitement for playing under you in the upcoming season, it should be an indication that you will be the man come fall.
Photo Credit: ESPN
