Former Pittsburgh quarterback Phil Jurkovec was arrested in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, last week after authorities say he stole a vehicle from Allegheny Health Network’s Wexford Hospital.
According to court documents obtained by CBS News, the arrest happened on Sept. 18, when Jurkovec allegedly took a box truck from the hospital’s valet garage. 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: theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. He reportedly did not post bail, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled later this month.
Jurkovec’s football path has bounced around ever since he transferred from Boston College to Pitt in December 2022. He stepped in for the Panthers after Kedon Slovis and appeared in six games during the 2023 season, finishing 57 of 112 passes for 818 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
His role changed as the season went on. Jurkovec lost the starting job midway through the year and even attempted a move to tight end. He went undrafted in the 2024 cycle, then took part in minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers before leaving unsigned.
Before his stops at Boston College and Pitt, Jurkovec was one of the more highly regarded quarterbacks in the country. He originally signed with Notre Dame in the 2018 class after drawing interest as an early Ohio State target.
At 6-feet-5 and 215 pounds, he entered college as a four-star prospect, ranked as the nation’s third-best dual-threat passer and a U.S. Army All-American.
Jurkovec played in nine games at Notre Dame before moving on to Boston College, where he spent three seasons. His strongest college season came in 2020, when he threw for 2,558 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore under first-year coach Jeff Hafley, who's now leading the Miami Dolphins.
In Other News...
USC Now Faces A Different Oregon Offense Than Expected
Oregons passing game took an unexpected turn before its meeting with Portland State, when junior wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan broke his foot in warmups and was ruled out indefinitely. The injury forced the Ducks to adjust on the fly, and freshman Messiah Hampton filled some of the opening with 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns, giving Oregon a different look than the one USC likely spent part of the week preparing for.
The matchup now brings another wrinkle for the Trojans, because Oregon is also expected to have tight ends Kendre Harrison and Jamari Johnson available for the upcoming game. With McClellan sidelined and Hampton suddenly in a bigger role, USC has to account for an offense that is already shifting in real time, and the Ducks may keep leaning on personnel groupings and targets that werent central to the original scouting report. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Oregon Week With A Secondary Problem Fans Feared
USCs secondary is suddenly a point of concern as the Trojans turn the page from their win over Rutgers and into a far bigger test against Oregon. Alex Graham and Jontez Williams both picked up injuries in that game, and Lincoln Riley acknowledged after the fact that each is dealing with an issue while the staff waits to see how they respond in the days ahead.
The timing is less than ideal, given how much the matchup with Oregon asks of a defense on the back end. USC is already sorting through replacement options and monitoring both players closely, with the hope that neither absence becomes a longer-term problem. For now, though, it leaves the Trojans heading into the week with one of the concerns fans were bracing for. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Added Pressure To Oregon In The Title Race
Oregon answered its loss to Oklahoma State the only way it could, burying Portland State in a record-setting 84-0 rout that looked more like a stress reliever than a tune-up. Even so, the Ducks did not fully repair the damage in the eyes of the oddsmakers, with multiple sportsbooks trimming their national championship odds as other contenders, including Ole Miss, kept stacking results that reshaped the early title picture.
For USC, the timing matters. The Trojans are set to see Oregon in Week 4, and that matchup now carries a little extra weight as the Ducks try to climb back in the College Football Playoff conversation. A win over a team still trying to steady its title hopes would give USC its own boost in the national discussion, while Oregon will be aiming to show the kind of response that sportsbooks and voters tend to notice. [Read more 🡒]