Kedon Slovis pens heartfelt letter to USC, explains his transfer to Pitt

Former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis announced Tuesday his intention to transfer to Pitt, where he will serve as the heir to Heisman Trophy finalist Kenny Pickett. After confirming his transfer on Instagram, Slovis published a letter in The Players’ Tribune in which he thanked USC fans, while explaining the rationale behind his move to Pitt.

“If you would’ve told me back in high school that I would be the starting quarterback for USC, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Slovis’ letter starts off.

Slovis was a three-star recruit in the class of 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was ranked the No. 40 quarterback in his class, and as he clarified in the letter, he “didn’t exactly have a ton of big-time offers pouring in” prior to USC. He said he was “blown away” by all USC had to offer, and his freshman year ended up being “everything (he) could’ve hoped for.”

“I won’t lie: I thought we would continue that success throughout my career. But football is kind of like life — you can’t control everything. Whether it’s injuries, or having to navigate a season with COVID and so many unknowns,” Slovis said. “USC will always be a special place to me. But now it’s time for me to start a new chapter. For my next two years of eligibility, I’ll be playing quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh.

“To everyone at USC including my coaches, teammates and the entire staff: Thank you for everything. I’m glad I was a Trojan. I’ll always be one.”

Slovis entered his freshman season at USC as the backup quarterback — that is, until an early-season injury to JT Daniels thrust Slovis into the starting role. In 2019, Slovis thrived as a first-year starter, completing 71.9 percent of his passes for 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, while picking up several other honors such as All-Pac-12 honorable mention and FWAA Freshman All-American first team. In three seasons, including an injury-shortened 2021 season and COVID-shortened 2020 season, Slovis tallied 7,576 passing yards with a 68 percent completion rate, along with 58 touchdowns and 24 interceptions, before transferring to Pitt.

Slovis explained in the letter why he decided to play for Pitt, where he’ll serve as the heir to Heisman Trophy finalist Kenny Pickett. Pickett and the Pitt Panthers put together a historic 2021 campaign, going 11-2 and winning the ACC Championship, all while Pickett broke several program records.

“I was so excited when Coach Narduzzi called, because I knew that Pitt and this program were the right fit for me to keep developing into the best leader I can be,” Slovis said of Pitt. “I’m ready to win now — and talking to the players who are returning, and seeing how hungry they are for next season, that got me pumped. They have a lot of talented players coming back. And, man … getting to throw the ball to the guy who just won the Biletnikoff?? That’s something you don’t pass up. The culture and identity that Coach Narduzzi has created is everything I want to be a part of.”

Now, Slovis figures to be Pitt’s day one starter in the 2022 season, an opportunity for which he said he’s thrilled.

“I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a Pitt Panther — and I can’t wait to prove myself again on this stage,” Slovis wrote.