Now that both Jim Tressel and Mark Dantonio are retired, they have more time on their hands to check out what’s going on around the college football landscape.
Both Tressel and Dantonio were at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Tuesday morning for Pitt’s summer practice, checking in with Pat Narduzzi and getting a look at how Pitt has progressed this summer.
“Coach Dantonio, who I worked with for 11 years, and his brother’s here, and then Jim Tressel is also here,” Narduzzi said before practice. “So, I might even get some comments out of those two guys. Two legends, Hall of Famers.”
Narduzzi has a prior relationship with both coaches, connected with both coaches from his — and his father’s — time at Youngstown State in the mid-80s.
Tressel took over at Youngstown State in 1986, replacing Narduzzi’s father Bill, but the younger Narduzzi would transfer to Rhode Island to finish his playing career not long after. Dantonio served as YSU’s defensive coordinator from 1986-90.
Narduzzi and Dantonio returned a decade and a half later when he was hired as Dantonio’s defensive coordinator at Cincinnati in 2004, spending three years there, before he followed Dantonio to Michigan State — serving as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator from 2007-14.
And of course, Narduzzi was then hired by Pitt as its new head coach following the 2014 season.
Ah yes, the Coaching profession. A fine example expounded above with both Cronyism and Nepotism which is wide spread in NCAA and NFL. Fake it until you make it. D1 P5 athletes led by D3, NAIA, FCS former athletes, walk-ons, and Coaches children. … And then complain when an NFL HoF takes over a School (NIL, transfer portal roster turnover) without having abided to how the good ol’ boy club operates. Almost like their needs to be flavor-aide (aka kool aid) in the cups instead of sports drinks (gatorade). … And then complain about $ ruining Sports in NCAA FB… Read more »
Take a breath.
Wasn’t Nick Sabin a product of D2 or D3? He’s done ok.