Kedon

Slovis

Daniels’ 2023 rookie season was derailed by a torn rotator cuff. His new landing spot will hopefully allow him to compete for a backup role for a Texans’ squad that was likewise hit by significant injuries last year. Also signed by the Texans on Thursday were TE Cole Fotheringham, WR Xavier Johnson, S Mark Perry and QB Kedon Slovis.

Slovis’ (6’2/223) career began at USC in 2019, but after losing the starting job to former No. 1 overall prospect Jaxson Dart in 2021, he made the jump to Pittsburgh in 2022 to replace Kenny Pickett. A down season at Pitt in which he threw for 2397-10-9 led to him transferring to BYU in 2023, where he nearly replicated those numbers (1716-12-6) over eight games played. Slovis ran a 4.55 at the NFL Scouting Combine, but his speed didn’t lead to much production as a dual threat, as he managed just 242 career rushing yards in college per PFF. Slovis could get a chance to earn a spot on the practice squad but we wouldn’t expect much more at this point.

Slovis (6'3/205) was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation ahead of the 2022 college football season, but fell off as turmoil built up at USC and head coach Clay Helton was fired. Not all of the misfortune should be pinned on Slovis, who could experience a resurgence as he transitions from an Air Raid system to more of a pro-style system at Pitt. Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus recently released his Top 10 QB list, pinning Slovis as the ninth-best quarterback in all of college football. It will be interesting to see if that holds true in the fall.

Slovis (6'3/205) didn’t blow expectations out of the water in 2021 the way some anticipated he might ahead of last season, but it’s important to note the external factors -- including the firing of head coach Clay Helton early on in the season -- that created a difficult environment for Slovis to find success in. Crissy Froyd of NBC Sports EDGE and Sports Illustrated recently caught up with Slovis, who said he felt he was adjusting to a pro-style Pitt offense that features a complex run game element at a quick pace. The change in schemes could serve Slovis, who comes from an offense filled with Air Raid concepts, well. " feel like I can run this offense pretty well and do it pretty perfectly,” he said. “I try not to let other people dictate where I’m at or how good I am because I know how good I am, my coaches know how good I am and my teammates know how good I am. At the end of the day, that’s going to come to fruition and show up on the field.”

Slovis (6'3/205) didn’t have the 2021 that several anticipated he might have, but it was a tumultuous season for USC in areas that extended far beyond just the quarterback. There were bright spots, though. According to Pro Football Focus, Slovis’ 113.8 passer rating on 20-plus yard passes last season led all Pac-12 quarterbacks. He finished out the year with a 65% completion percentage, 2,153 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Slovis (6'3/205) entered the transfer portal on December 13th, and decided in less than a week to play ball at Pitt in 2022. Slovis’ days began to look numbered with the Trojans after freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart took the reigns of the quarterback position later in season. In three seasons at USC, Slovis has thrown for 7,559 yards, 58 touchdowns and 24 interceptions, and threw for 2,151 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Slovis will have wide receiver Jordan Addison to throw to in 2022, who is coming off a season in which he caught 93 passes for 1,479 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the best receiver in the nation.

Slovis (6'3/205) has entered the transfer portal following another unsuccessful season at USC in which he dealt with injury and in which fellow signal-caller Jaxson Dart assumed the starting position. Slovis completed 65% of his passes for 2,153 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Slovis (6'3/205) missed this past week’s 62-33 loss to UCLA with the injury and he has not returned to practice. Freshman QB Jaxson Dart started in his place and looked the part, but struggled. If Slovis is unable to get on the field for the season finale and Dart starts to put it together, we could be looking at him entering his name into the transfer portal the same way his predecessor JT Daniels did. This will be a situation to monitor throughout the week as the Trojans prepare for 13th ranked BYU on Saturday.

Slovis (6'3/205) suffered a lower leg injury during last weekend’s 31-16 loss at Arizona State. Slovis completed 16-of-28 passes for 131 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in the loss and was eventually replaced by freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart. Interim head coach Donte Williams said that Slovis’ injury should not require surgery, as Slovis will also have more time to heal now that Saturday’s matchup against Cal has been postponed due to Cal’s recent problems in dealing with COVID-19.

Slovis (6'3/205) looked lost a times, and he gave way to freshman QB Jaxson Dart. The latter completed 8-of-17 passes for 89 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, but he also ran for 16 yards and a score. The fan base is turning on Slovis, and the team needs two wins in the next three games just to attain bowl eligibility. Perhaps we’ll see interim HC Donte Williams look for a bullseye at California next Saturday, benching Slovis and starting Dart.