Phil Jurkovec appears to be making a switch to a brand new position with Pitt in the midst of an open week.

Following his apparent benching as the Panthers starting quarterback, the sixth-year senior is giving up his starting spot and will not catch passes rather than deliver them. According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Noah Hiles, Jurkovec will play tight end, practicing there for the first time during the Panthers’ practice on Thursday.

It’s an interesting change for Jurkovec considering how far along he is in his college career. But he has struggled in 2023, hovering just over a 50% completion rate and averaging just 163.6 yards per game while throwing 6 touchdowns vs. 3 interceptions.

After Pitt’s loss to Virginia Tech dropped it to 1-4, the team is set to start Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux, according to a Wednesday report from Hiles.

We’ll see how things pan out for the Panthers down the stretch, not only with Veilleux apparently being tapped as QB1, but with Jurkovec at the TE spot.