Walt Harris put a stop to the quarterback derby last Thursday, naming redshirt sophomore Tyler… Walt Harris put a stop to the quarterback derby last Thursday, naming redshirt sophomore Tyler Palko the team’s starter.

Harris cited the need for stability at quarterback as one of the driving forces behind finalizing his decisions. The team has only one week left to prepare for its season opener on Labor Day at South Florida.

“We have a starting quarterback, and we’re going to stick with him,” Harris said. “We’re going to give practice time to him so he has a chance to improve his game.”

The competition at quarterback had been extremely fierce since spring practice, when Harris said that the race was even. Throughout training camp, Harris never identified a front-runner, and as late as last Wednesday, he said the race was still “too close to call.”

While part of Harris was happy to have finally reached a decision, there was another part of him that knew how difficult breaking the bad news to Luke Getsy would be.

“The hardest thing I’ve had to do as a head coach was talk to Luke Getsy — because of the competitor that he is and the talented player that he is,” Harris said.

With Palko being named the starter, Getsy’s future at Pitt is now uncertain. He stressed the fact that he loves being at Pitt, but also talked about his “options.” Should Getsy remain at Pitt, he would likely spend the next three years as Palko’s backup.

If Getsy does in fact transfer, it will have to happen soon. If he goes to another Division-I school, he will have to do so by the 12th day of that school’s semester in order to gain admission. Otherwise, he will have to sit out the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

There has been talk of Getsy transferring to Akron, where he would join former Pitt offensive coordinator J.D. Brookhart. But Getsy has yet to confirm whether or not he will transfer.

Palko said he was relieved that the competition was over and also had a few kind words to say about his fellow quarterback.

“Luke made me a better player, bar none,” Palko said. “He forced me to come out here and perform to my highest level, and that’s all you can ask from a competition. I respect him as a football player and as a person, and how he competes. But coach [Harris] had to make a decision. That decision was made, and I’m just glad it is over with, and we’ll move on from here.”

Palko, a three-time WPIAL Class AAA champion at West Allegheny, was one of the country’s top recruits three years ago, earning Pennsylvania Player of the Year and USA Today All-American honors.

Palko has always worked hard on and off the field, and was even named “Chairman of the Board” by the coaching staff for his dedication during winter workouts. Harris had plenty of praise for Palko’s dedication, going as far as comparing him to Boomer Esiason, whom Harris coached while with the New York Jets.

“Tyler reminds me of the way Boomer Esiason used to practice. Boomer would know what everyone was doing,” Harris said. “I think, with the football team, it gives great confidence to those guys that the guy touching the ball every down is working harder than anyone out there to get himself ready to play.”

Palko exuded confidence when he spoke with the media the day after he was named the starter. He is not backing down from his claim that he can win two national championships in his career at Pitt.

“I never back down from what I’ve said,” Palko said. “This year, we can go and surprise people, but we need to take care of South Florida first, then continue to work hard and bring back the pride in the University.”