PITTSBURGH — Kenny Pickett remembers being a freshman at Pittsburgh in the summer of 2017 listening to the seniors tell the newcomers to enjoy the ride because of how quickly it goes.

He didn’t think much of it at the time. There was too much for the strong-armed, strong-willed true freshman quarterback from New Jersey to absorb. His career was a whiteboard with nothing on it. His final season was a distant speck on the horizon.

Now it’s here. Again. And suddenly Pickett is the old guy standing up in the room trying to impart the same kind of wisdom he once received.

“You blink, and (your time) is up,” Pickett said.

Well, almost.

Pickett participated in Senior Day last fall then opted to take advantage of an NCAA waiver issued in response to the pandemic to return for a fifth season. While the NFL remains the ultimate goal, Pickett allowed there’s unfinished business to do with the Panthers.

“I think there’s an opportunity for this team to have a really special year,” Pickett said. “I’m right where I want to be. When I made the decision, I told myself I’d be all in on it. I’m all in on it and ready to go.”

He certainly looks it. The player who once seemed uncomfortable in the spotlight — a spotlight that found him immediately after he stunned unbeaten and second-ranked Miami in his first start in November 2017 — has morphed into a confident, self-assured 23-year-old. He’s signed a couple of name, image and likeness deals and is even doing a weekly paid-for radio hit on a local sports talk station.

They’re all part of the trappings of being a four-year starter at a Power Five school, trappings Pickett is doing his best to enjoy. While he hasn’t grown an inch since arriving — he’s still listed at a sturdy 6-foot-3 — Pickett seems to be walking taller. He’s become an expert in Mark Whipple’s pass-first offense and is eager to help the Panthers hop off the treadmill that’s left them largely running in place for most of his career.

Pitt has fluctuated somewhere between 5-8 wins consistently for more than a decade, including a 6-5 mark in 2020 when the optimism surrounding a 3-0 start dissolved following losses to Miami and Notre Dame, games Pickett missed with a sore left ankle.

The setbacks highlighted just how valuable Pickett has become to the Panthers. Maybe too valuable.