Time to Give Narduzzi His Due-zzi

Passive-aggressive? Yes. Self-righteous bravado? Yes. Controversial? Yes. Overachiever? Yes. Winner? Yes. 

Perfect coach for Pitt Football? Absolutely. Pat Narduzzi has proved to be an excellent coach, but, more importantly, a perfect fit for the Pitt football team. 

For 8 years, Pat Narduzzi has patrolled the Pitt sidelines as head coach of a proud, yet often forgotten College Football program. Before becoming head coach, Pitt had been mired in mediocrity. In fact, Pitt had three consecutive 6-6 seasons under former coach Paul Chryst. Enthusiasm around the program was at its lowest point since the second Johnny Majors era (1993 – 1996). Before that, Pitt had to endure Todd Graham as head coach for one year, and Mike Haywood for a few weeks before being fired because of a domestic incident. Not only was Pitt an embarrassment, but they were also unstable, had no credibility, and were heading towards the doldrums of college football. 

In 2015, energy, enthusiasm, and optimism returned as Pat Narduzzi was named the 36th head coach in program history. Pitt has not looked back since the day they hired Narduzzi. However, fans, media members, and pundits rarely acknowledge how successful Narduzzi has been. It may surprise many to realize that Pat Narduzzi has the second highest winning percentage among Pitt Football coaches in the last 50 years (.602). Only Jackie Sherrill had a higher winning percentage as Pitt Football coach (.842). Narduzzi has a higher winning percentage as Pitt coach than Foge Fazio, Mike Gottfried, Paul Hackett, Paul Chryst, Walt Harris, Dave Wannstedt, Todd Graham, and even Johnny Majors. The reality is, Pat Narduzzi has had a GREAT tenure as Pitt coach and should be commended for his outstanding work.

Over the past 8 years, Narduzzi’s teams have challenged the notion that Pitt cannot reach a “next level.” 

In 2021, Pitt proved they can reach an elite level by winning the ACC Championship with a 10-2 record. In doing so, Pitt defeated a solid SEC team on the road (Tennessee), an ACC powerhouse (Clemson), and Wake Forest in the ACC championship game. Furthermore, the team reached a New Year’s six bowl game for the first time since 2004. They nearly won the Peach bowl despite being down to their third quarterback with limited college football experience. Not only has Narduzzi helped Pitt reach new heights via the ACC championship, he also has other notable wins including Clemson (2016), Penn State (2016), Miami (2017), Clemson (2021), Tennessee (2021), Wake Forest (2021), West Virginia (2022), and UCLA (2022). Here’s the best part: Pitt continues to improve their program which will help it maintain success into the future. Pitt has its highest ranked recruiting class in years, one of the best in the country.

In addition to big wins, revitalizing the program, and recruiting improvements, Narduzzi has helped countless players reach the NFL. Players such as Kenny Pickett, James Conner, Calijah Kancey, Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson, and many others. This past year, the Pitt Football team had six players drafted to the NFL. A good college coach must help players reach the next level, otherwise it will be difficult to continue recruiting high-level talent. Players want to know their coach is trying to get them to reach the NFL, otherwise, they will not choose to play for Pitt. A good example of how Narduzzi prepares his players for the NFL is when Pitt needed a new offensive coordinator before the 2019 season. He told quarterback Kenny Pickett he would hire a pro-style offensive coordinator. Soon after, Narduzzi hired former Steelers QB coach, Mark Whipple. A proven offensive mind with a pro-style system. We all saw how Kenny Pickett developed under Whipple. Pat Narduzzi deserves credit for hiring Whipple, and creating an environment for his young, talented quarterback to develop to his full potential. 

Moreover, Narduzzi’s defensive system preaches a simple, aggressive approach that players like. Their corners are taught to play aggressive man coverage, and their linebackers and defensive lineman attack the football. He wants his defense to play fast. This was on full display when they caused Wake Forest Quarterback Sam Hartmann to throw 4 INTs in the ACC Championship game, and former Clemson Quarterback DeShaun Watson to throw 3 INTs en route to a historic Pitt upset victory.

While Narduzzi has had great success thus far in his tenure, he has had some disappointments. Pitt had a disappointing 1-3 record against Penn State, including a 51-6 debacle, in the short-lived revitalized intrastate rivalry. Also, Pitt was badly outplayed in the 2018 ACC Championship game against Clemson. In 2020, Pitt had blowout losses to Notre Dame and Clemson. Additionally, Pitt has been largely unsuccessful in bowl games (2-4). Despite those failures, the totality of Narduzzi’s tenure has been outstanding. Like him or not, he will be here for a long time, as he should.

College football has an ever-changing landscape including NIL, transfer portal, and conference realignment. Narduzzi has helped Pitt navigate through unsettled waters and helped Pitt achieve heights it has not reached since 1982. This fall, Pitt football embarks on yet another chapter of its illustrious 133-year history. Pitt fans should be grateful to have a solid, steady, experienced head coach running the program. I know I am! Hail to Pitt!

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/pat-narduzzi-1.html

https://www.si.com/college/pittsburgh/recruiting/pitt-panthers-new-commits-top-10-recruiting-rankings