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Pitt's quarterback situation took a bit of a hit this offseason with the loss of backup Trey Anderson, who is leaving the program, and the decommitment of 2015 recruit Alex Hornibrook. The Panthers are adding some depth to the program, though, as Tennessee Vols quarterback Nathan Peterman is coming into the program.
The key here is that he provides immediate help. Per the Trib, he has graduated and was taking graduate courses at Tennessee, making him eligible to play this fall. He will have two seasons of eligibility left to play for the Panthers alongside current starter Chad Voytik.
The link in getting him seems to be new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, who served in that capacity with the Vols in 2012 when Peterman was a true freshman. Chaney, according to Rivals, recruited Peterman as well. Peterman has played sparingly at Tennessee in two seasons, completing only a total of 20 passes for under 100 yards during his time there, while tossing two interceptions to zero touchdowns.
Peterman hasn't played much but was a highly-ranked recruit. Rivals rated him as the No. 8 Pro Style quarterback in 2012 and as a four-star recruit.
He obviously will help fill a void left by Anderson and looks to be the leading candidate to back up Voytik in the short term. If immediate playing time is the goal, it's somewhat surprising that he would come to Pitt where Voytik looks to be firmly entrenched as the starter. That's not to say that he can't push him for the job, but when he could have gone to any number of smaller schools and started immediately, it sort of makes you wonder why Pitt, right? That's especially true considering that Voytik has just as much eligibility left as Peterman.
Part of the reason is that he appears to have slipped to the Vols' third-string quarterback. Peterman got a start in place of starter, Justin Worley, against Alabama this season. He was relieved in that game, though, by Joshua Dobbs and Dobbs passed him up for playing time the rest of the year. 247 also notes that Tennessee is bringing in three quarterbacks for 2015, meaning he would have even more competition there. He may not play at Pitt with Voytik around, but he should be the backup heading into this season and will have a better chance to get on the field here.
For Pitt, this has to be considered a positive. They not only found a replacement for Anderson, but by all accounts, Peterman can be an upgrade that started a couple of games for a major conference program. He not only was a higher-rated recruit, but also provides two years of eligibility as opposed to Anderson's one. Bertke could come into the mix in 2016 as well, but having a third option is a nice luxury to have ... assuming all stick.
Overall, it's good to get a little bit of depth for the upcoming season.
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