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Pat Narduzzi Linked to Michigan State Head Coaching Vacancy

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Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.

Michigan State has announced that it will fire head coach Mel Tucker for cause as early as next week, which means the University will not have to buy out Tucker’s hefty contract, and an attractive Power Five vacancy is about to open.

There will be a number of names linked to the Big Ten gig in East Lansing, Michigan over the next few weeks, and one of those certainly will be Pat Narduzzi. It’s already begun.

Narduzzi spent seven seasons at Michigan State, working under long-time head coach Mark Dantonio as the defensive coordinator. He built one of the top defenses in the Big Ten, earning the Broyles Award for the top assistant coach in college football in 2013 for his efforts, and he’s spoken highly of his time in East Lansing.

It makes sense that he’s linked to Michigan State considering the previous relationship. And The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman did just that, linking Narduzzi to Michigan as a “wild-card” option:

“The 57-year-old was a superb DC and brought plenty of edge to MSU,” Feldman wrote. “He’s been really solid in almost a decade running Pitt’s program and has had consecutive Top 25 seasons the last two years, going 20-7. Would he want to go back to East Lansing? I’m not sure about that. He has a good job in a great city, but he has been there a long time, and the Big Ten has a lot more stability than the ACC.”

Narduzzi is in the midst of his ninth season in Pittsburgh, with a 63-42 (41-25 ACC) record and the 2021 ACC championship to show for it. It’s been a poor start to the 2023 season for Narduzzi and Pitt, but there’s no denying the stability that he’s brought to the program over the last decade. And he’s currently under contract in Pittsburgh until 2030.

Michigan State will likely go through an extensive search before hiring its next head coach, and it will be able to offer very lucrative contracts, but Narduzzi doesn’t appear to be itching for an exit at this point.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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Steve Malik
Steve Malik
1 year ago

Go

Sharon
Sharon
1 year ago

Narduzzi should go. Please take Cignetti with you.

Cignetti & Friends
Cignetti & Friends
1 year ago
Reply to  Sharon

MSU AD would never allow that. And I would think Dantonio would advise against it too!
Maybe Cigs can down to Morganhole….he luvs it down there.

Dave
Dave
1 year ago

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass…

Giovanni
Giovanni
1 year ago

For the sake of almost always having a consistent top-10 Defense, when weighing all factors, it’s far better for Narduzzi to remain at Pitt. That is, only if he can recruit, and retain, a top offensive coordinator since the team can be quite good if the latter issue is successfully addressed. If so, I can tolerate his stubbornness and arrogance annoyance.

Sharon
Sharon
1 year ago
Reply to  Giovanni

I would agree, but his stubbornness and arrogance are the reasons he cannot recruit, and retain, a top offensive coordinator.

Me
Me
1 year ago

Calling this “Boo City” might be an indicator as to where his head is.

ian
ian
1 year ago

he’ll go i think, it’s been awhile and the big 10 is on the rise

Fjb
Fjb
1 year ago

MSU will have more attractive candidates than the Nard dawg. He’s proven that he’s an average head coach, but could make a great DC.

Cignetti & Friends
Cignetti & Friends
1 year ago
Reply to  Fjb

If Nardo just identified as something…that checked a few boxes….he’d be in like Flynn.

Cignetti & Friends
Cignetti & Friends
1 year ago

Article mentions former HC Dantonio of MSU but fails to say MSU brought him in now to help in the coaching…and most importantly the next HC selection process. And Nodoze was his boy there as DC, when they had their best seasons outside of 2015

ArmChairCritic
ArmChairCritic
1 year ago

He’d get to play Penn State more often.

srs28704
srs28704
1 year ago

Just don’t hire JMU’s HC as a replacement, he could keep the OC.

Rob
Rob
1 year ago

With the addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the likes of Penn St. , Michigan and Ohio St., MSU will be a middle of the pack team every year, winning 5-8 ganes depending on how the schedule shakes out.

Rob Radich
Rob Radich
1 year ago

Any chance of getting Capel to switch sports and go to East Lansing? Or maybe he can be a video coordinator for Izzo

Dave
Dave
1 year ago

He’s only brought stability because Pitt hasn’t fired him.

Let’s Believe
Let’s Believe
1 year ago

Has Narduzzi had some success at Pitt? Yes.
Has he done it the right way? Yes.
Family culture? Yes.
Do his players love playing for him? Yes.
His recruiting has improved a little bit.

But for every big win there’s 2-3 to teams he shouldn’t lose to. But what trumps all of that, at the end of the day it’s his PRIDE, EGO, and STUBBORNNESS that overrides all the good. That is why he has to go.

Let’s Believe
Let’s Believe
1 year ago

Other than the obvious QB situation, he could start by telling his team and in particular defensive players that nobody ever won a football game by dancing and talking.

Make 1 play and it’s a dance off 🕺 a
“Yeah, yeah, yeah bro.”
“It’s lit cuh”
“That’s what it is”

Next play… give up a big play.

And then we repeat… make 1 play and it’s back to a Dancing with the Stars audition.

Randino
Randino
1 year ago

Name a college football program where that doesn’t happen.

Pap
Pap
1 year ago

The only person spreading that rumor is his agent

Cjb
Cjb
1 year ago

My biggest concern is that we keep the CP. In whatever position we need to to keep him. Make him the head coach if need be, but a ton of the momentum for pitt has come from his recruiting and coaching the dline. I will say that despite his stubbornness, narduzzi still gets the secondary players ready for the nfl, but Charlie has to stay no matter what.

Cruzer
Cruzer
1 year ago

I can only pray that MSU is that stupid. Of course, they signed Tucker to a $9M per year contract so they’ve established their stupidity credentials.

Exiled
Exiled
1 year ago

While I would like to see Narduzzi go, this article is all fake news.
Narduzzi has not been named as a possible candidate by anyone.
All the names being floated about are young guys on the rise, not old retreads

Ryan
Ryan
1 year ago

MSU is not taking Tarduzzi. No way in hell. He cant win in the ACC let alone the BigTen.

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