Kenny does not owe Pitt anything. He provided me my favorite Pitt football season since I became a fan my freshman year in 1996, and I can only say "thank you for everything" if he opted to sit out for the Peach Bowl.
However, there are some posts about Kenny's decision that is just not true. So lets disprove the myths:
1 - Kenny could miss his gigantic payday. Not really. With NIL, at no cost, Pitt boosters could literally insure Kenny as a top 5 pick. The premium would be huge, but the cost would be a drop in the bucket for gains that the Pitt brand would receive on a National stage with Kenny playing in the game.
2 - Kenny needs Whipple to play. Not really. The entire offense is going to somehow play the Peach Bowl without their Offensive Coordinator. Kenny has had three different OC's during his time at Pitt, so he is the most qualified player on the team to step outside of Whips playbook. Frankly, Kenny would be the best think to happen for the game day OC because Kenny would be a coach on the field for the rest of his team.
3 - Kenny's NFL stock will fall if he has a bad game. The NFL evaluators will likely applaud Kenny if he plays in the game because they value character, leadership, and toughness when evaluating a potential draft pick, not just stats. They will give Kenny appropriate weight in their evaluation that Whipple left him high and dry if he plays poorly because he was so good in every game this season. Kenny has always defied practical logic. He played on a broken ankle; came back for this season; stayed at Pitt etc. etc. Kenny's routine and practice has been to trust his family, trust Duzz, and be the textbook definition of a team leader. Leaders are not made, they are simply born into this world. If Kenny plays, he will have an army of teammates to support his decision, and likely NFL evaluators chomping at the bit to have a kid like this guiding their franchises.
H2P
'Wood
However, there are some posts about Kenny's decision that is just not true. So lets disprove the myths:
1 - Kenny could miss his gigantic payday. Not really. With NIL, at no cost, Pitt boosters could literally insure Kenny as a top 5 pick. The premium would be huge, but the cost would be a drop in the bucket for gains that the Pitt brand would receive on a National stage with Kenny playing in the game.
2 - Kenny needs Whipple to play. Not really. The entire offense is going to somehow play the Peach Bowl without their Offensive Coordinator. Kenny has had three different OC's during his time at Pitt, so he is the most qualified player on the team to step outside of Whips playbook. Frankly, Kenny would be the best think to happen for the game day OC because Kenny would be a coach on the field for the rest of his team.
3 - Kenny's NFL stock will fall if he has a bad game. The NFL evaluators will likely applaud Kenny if he plays in the game because they value character, leadership, and toughness when evaluating a potential draft pick, not just stats. They will give Kenny appropriate weight in their evaluation that Whipple left him high and dry if he plays poorly because he was so good in every game this season. Kenny has always defied practical logic. He played on a broken ankle; came back for this season; stayed at Pitt etc. etc. Kenny's routine and practice has been to trust his family, trust Duzz, and be the textbook definition of a team leader. Leaders are not made, they are simply born into this world. If Kenny plays, he will have an army of teammates to support his decision, and likely NFL evaluators chomping at the bit to have a kid like this guiding their franchises.
H2P
'Wood
