ACC Football: Biggest offseason question for every team

Pittsburgh Panthers: How far will Max Browne take this offense?

So Max Browne’s tenure as the USC Trojans starting quarterback didn’t turn out so great. His Trojans got smoked Week 1 by the Alabama Crimson Tide in Dallas last fall. Then some guy named Sam Darnold got to play and it was over for Browne in Los Angeles.

Replacing Cody Kessler wasn’t going to be easy, but having an undeniable talent in Darnold breathing down his shoulder really left Browne between a rock and a hard place. Needless to say, Browne elected to transfer after Darnold clearly became USC head coach Clay Helton’s guy.

Fortunately for Browne, he found an excellent landing spot this spring by going across the country to Pat Narduzzi’s Pittsburgh Panthers. Former college transfer quarterback Nathan Peterman revived his career while playing for Pitt. He projects as a mid-round quarterback with great upside in the NFL.

Perhaps Browne could follow in Peterman’s footsteps in 2017? Frankly, he was a bigger prospect than Peterman was when he was at Tennessee. Either way, he’ll have his opportunity to make a name for himself in the ACC Coastal for Pittsburgh.

Narduzzi knows defense and is a staunch believer in the pro-style offense. One could argue that Browne is the best starting quarterback in the Coastal entering this fall. He may not have a running back the caliber of James Conner to lean, but could Browne lead Pittsburgh to the ACC Championship Game? That’s not entirely out of the question. The kid used to start at USC for crying out loud!