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By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With Paul Chryst’s long-rumored move to Wisconsin becoming official Wednesday night, Pitt will now embark on its fourth coaching search in the past five years.
Pitt is in better shape than it was three years ago, but there’s still a healthy amount of uncertainty facing the program, and a hefty part of that is tied to whoever will be on the sideline when the Panthers open the 2015 season Sept. 5 against Youngstown State.
With Chryst in a state of limbo for a few days — still coaching Pitt but being publicly linked to Wisconsin — Pitt started reaching out to potential candidates through back channels, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Pitt has gauged the interest of former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano, as well as Marshall coach Doc Holliday.
Schiano, 48, coached Rutgers from 2001-11 when both the Scarlet Knights and Panthers were in the Big East. During that time, he raised the Rutgers program from doormat to conference title contender, peaking with an 11-2 season in 2006. He left in 2011 for the Buccaneers and compiled an 11-21 record in two NFL seasons before he was fired in 2013.
Holliday, 57, has extensive ties to former rival West Virginia, where he played for the Mountaineers from 1976-78 and served as an assistant for 22 years before taking the Marshall job in 2010.
He has a 39-25 record over five years with the Thundering Herd, culminating in a 12-1 mark this season.
Pitt appears to be starting its search with candidates that have previous head coaching experience. Given the improvements Chryst made to the Panthers the past three seasons — especially with the running game, centered around James Conner — Pitt appears to favor candidates who could be ready to win right away.
The one exception could be current offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph, 42, who is being considered for the job, according to a source. Rudolph came to Pitt with Chryst in 2012, and has served as his offensive coordinator since then. Rudolph, who will coach Pitt in the Armed Forces Bowl Jan. 2 against Houston, doesn’t have head coaching experience, but might represent the best chance at maintaining stability throughout a coaching search.
If he does not stay on as head coach, it’s likely he will join Chryst at Wisconsin.
Also in the pool are Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi and Iowa State offensive coordinator and former Kansas coach Mark Mangino.
Narduzzi, 48, has assembled one of the nation’s best defenses, and the Spartans have had double-digit wins in four of the past five seasons. Narduzzi has never been a head coach but is generally regarded as one of the brightest coordinators in the country and could have a high ceiling.
Mangino, 58, who would have interest in the job, a source indicated, is a New Castle native and went 50-48 in eight years at Kansas and won the 2007 Orange Bowl.
As the search progresses, more names are likely to pop up. From mid-major coaches such as Memphis’ Justin Fuente and Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck to other coordinators, such as Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, who interviewed for the Pitt job in 2011.
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...ad-football-coach-search/stories/201412170248
O please let it be Mangino, so they don't continue smashing us every year.
With Paul Chryst’s long-rumored move to Wisconsin becoming official Wednesday night, Pitt will now embark on its fourth coaching search in the past five years.
Pitt is in better shape than it was three years ago, but there’s still a healthy amount of uncertainty facing the program, and a hefty part of that is tied to whoever will be on the sideline when the Panthers open the 2015 season Sept. 5 against Youngstown State.
With Chryst in a state of limbo for a few days — still coaching Pitt but being publicly linked to Wisconsin — Pitt started reaching out to potential candidates through back channels, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Pitt has gauged the interest of former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano, as well as Marshall coach Doc Holliday.
Schiano, 48, coached Rutgers from 2001-11 when both the Scarlet Knights and Panthers were in the Big East. During that time, he raised the Rutgers program from doormat to conference title contender, peaking with an 11-2 season in 2006. He left in 2011 for the Buccaneers and compiled an 11-21 record in two NFL seasons before he was fired in 2013.
Holliday, 57, has extensive ties to former rival West Virginia, where he played for the Mountaineers from 1976-78 and served as an assistant for 22 years before taking the Marshall job in 2010.
He has a 39-25 record over five years with the Thundering Herd, culminating in a 12-1 mark this season.
Pitt appears to be starting its search with candidates that have previous head coaching experience. Given the improvements Chryst made to the Panthers the past three seasons — especially with the running game, centered around James Conner — Pitt appears to favor candidates who could be ready to win right away.
The one exception could be current offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph, 42, who is being considered for the job, according to a source. Rudolph came to Pitt with Chryst in 2012, and has served as his offensive coordinator since then. Rudolph, who will coach Pitt in the Armed Forces Bowl Jan. 2 against Houston, doesn’t have head coaching experience, but might represent the best chance at maintaining stability throughout a coaching search.
If he does not stay on as head coach, it’s likely he will join Chryst at Wisconsin.
Also in the pool are Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi and Iowa State offensive coordinator and former Kansas coach Mark Mangino.
Narduzzi, 48, has assembled one of the nation’s best defenses, and the Spartans have had double-digit wins in four of the past five seasons. Narduzzi has never been a head coach but is generally regarded as one of the brightest coordinators in the country and could have a high ceiling.
Mangino, 58, who would have interest in the job, a source indicated, is a New Castle native and went 50-48 in eight years at Kansas and won the 2007 Orange Bowl.
As the search progresses, more names are likely to pop up. From mid-major coaches such as Memphis’ Justin Fuente and Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck to other coordinators, such as Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, who interviewed for the Pitt job in 2011.
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...ad-football-coach-search/stories/201412170248
O please let it be Mangino, so they don't continue smashing us every year.
