Pitt quarterback Davis Beville enters transfer portal

Pitt redshirt junior quarterback Davis Beville announced via Twitter on Thursday that he’s entering the transfer portal.

Beville played in three games in 2021 — two non-conference blowouts against New Hampshire and UMass as well as a loss to Michigan State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Despite the lack of playing time in his three seasons at Pitt, Beville said he’s appreciative of the experiences and lessons he learned while at Pitt.

“Thanks to Coach Narduzzi and the entire support staff for helping me grow as a player. More importantly, thank you for helping me become a better man during my time at Pitt!” Beville said in a statement. “After a lot of prayerful thought and conversation, I will be exploring my options as a graduate transfer with three years of eligibility remaining. I know that my best football is in front of me and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”

Newly hired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has maintained that every starting spot in his offense is for the taking. But it seems Beville opted to bow out of the quarterback competition at Pitt.

Beville’s time at Pitt may leave a lot of fans wondering what could have been. When he enrolled at Pitt in 2019, the then-high school standout was one of head coach Pat Narduzzi’s highest-ranked recruits. But things didn’t pan out for the top-30 quarterback recruit. Beville redshirted in 2019 and saw limited time while serving as an alternate backup to quarterback Kenny Pickett.

With redshirt senior Nick Patti and junior transfer Kedon Slovis entrenched in a battle for the starting quarterback job, Beville likely found himself as the No. 3 option for Cignetti. With an obstructed path to playing time, Beville will weigh his options on where to take his talents next.

Beville leaves the Panthers after appearing in a total of nine games, none of which he started. The most significant playing time Beville saw was in Pitt’s 31-21 loss to Michigan State in the 2021 Peach Bowl. After Pickett opted out of the contest and Patti injured himself midway through the second quarter, Narduzzi tasked Beville with leading the offense. Beville finished the game completing 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

At 6-foot-6, more than 200 pounds, an athletic skill set and a four-star pedigree, Beville will likely have several options on where he’ll play in 2022.

Beville’s departure clears up another scholarship spot on Narduzzi’s roster, taking the number of active scholarships from 85 to 84. Narduzzi now has the option to offer one more scholarship spot on the roster before the 2022 season, if he sees fit.