Former Pittsburgh quarterback Phil Jurkovec was arrested in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, after police say he stole a vehicle from Allegheny Health Network’s Wexford Hospital.
According to court documents obtained by CBS News, the arrest came on Sept. 18 after Jurkovec allegedly took a box truck from the valet garage at the hospital. Police were told by a rental company employee that the truck disappeared while he was loading items from an event.
Jurkovec was later tracked down by police using GPS and charged with two felonies: one count of theft by unlawful taking and one count of receiving stolen property. He reportedly did not post bail and has a preliminary hearing later this month.
Jurkovec’s time at Pitt followed his transfer from Boston College in December 2022, when he stepped in for then-Panthers quarterback Kedon Slovis. He appeared in six games for Pittsburgh in 2023, completing 57 of 112 passes for 818 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
His role changed during the season after he lost the starting job, and he later attempted a move to tight end. Jurkovec went undrafted in the 2024 cycle and also took part in minicamp for the Pittsburgh Steelers before leaving unsigned.
Before his college stops in Pittsburgh and Boston College, Jurkovec began his career as a highly touted recruit. He originally signed with Notre Dame as part of the Irish’s 2018 class after drawing attention as an Ohio State target.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he was a four-star prospect, ranked as the nation’s third-best dual-threat passer and named a U.S. Army All-American.
He played in nine games at Notre Dame before transferring to Boston College, where he spent three years.
His strongest college season came in 2020, when he was a sophomore at Boston College and threw for 2,558 yards and 17 touchdowns under first-year coach Jeff Hafley, who’s now leading the Miami Dolphins.
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