Candidates to Watch for the Pitt Offensive Coordinator Opening

Frank Cignetti Jr. spent two seasons at Pitt as the offensive coordinator, and that will be the extent of his most recent tenure in Pittsburgh.

Pat Narduzzi announced Sunday that Cignetti will not return as the Pitt offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach next season — opening the door for another offensive coordinator hire in the Narduzzi era.

“I want to thank Frank for his service and dedication to our football program the past two years,” Narduzzi said in the press release. “We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

Jim Chaney, Matt Canada, Shawn Watson (two seasons), Mark Whipple (three seasons) and Cignetti (two seasons) have served as offensive coordinators for Narduzzi in his nine seasons as the Pitt head coach.

The next offensive coordinator that Narduzzi hires will be the most important of his nearly 10-year tenure, and while Narduzzi has a “type” when it comes to offensive coordinators, he has to nail this one.

So, while this is just speculation with some notable options that Narduzzi could look at, here are a few candidates that PSN has on the Pitt OC radar.

Mike Shanahan — JMU offensive coordinator

Shanahan will be a popular choice over the next couple of weeks, considering his success at JMU and his status as a native of Western Pennsylvania.

Shanahan, 33, has served as the JMU offensive coordinator since 2021, working in Harrisonburg, Va. since 2018, and he’s done a good job for a program that has made the jump to the FBS level.

He graduated from Norwin High School and played college ball at Pitt in the early 2010s. And since serving as an assistant at Pitt in 2014 and 2015, he’s followed former Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.’s brother Curt from Indiana (Pa.) to Elon to JMU.

JMU ranked among the top offenses in the FBS in 2022, averaging 37 points per game and 452.5 yards per game, and the Dukes are averaging 35.2 points per game and 430.3 yards per game this season.

Dino Babers — former Syracuse head coach

It’s no secret that Narduzzi and Babers are good friends. In the buildup to Pitt’s loss to Syracuse at Yankee Stadium earlier this month, Narduzzi talked about how the Narduzzi and Babers families spend time together when possible.

So, with Babers, 62, recently out of a job after being fired by Syracuse, it does create a link.

Babers actually spent a season at Pitt as the running backs coach in 2003, and he went on to serve as an assistant at UCLA and Baylor before taking over the head role at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green.

He had success at both Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green, but his time at Syracuse — aside from a 10-3 season in 2018 — largely resulted in failure.

Brennan Marion — UNLV offensive coordinator

This one is a long shot, a near impossibility, but it cannot be ignored.

Marion, a Greensburg, Pa. native, spent the 2021 season as the Pitt offensive coordinator and was public with his desire to serve as the offensive coordinator following Mark Whipple’s departure in 2021. But Narduzzi went with Tim Salem in the Peach Bowl and Cignetti as the eventual hire.

Marion, 36, who had success with his Go-Go offense at William & Mary and Howard, before coming to Pitt as the wide receivers coach (and eventually Texas) has had a lot of success at UNLV.

Marion will likely be an in-demand Power Five offensive coordinator this season, if he doesn’t get hired by San Diego State as the head coach.

Joe Moorhead — Akron head coach

Moorhead is another Pittsburgh native who has spent time at Pitt in the past.

Moorhead, 50, currently serves as the head coach at Akron, but the Zips have gone 4-20 over the last two seasons in the MAC. So, it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll continue on the same path.

After serving as a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1998 and 1999, Moorhead spent a few years at Georgetown, a few years at Akron and a couple of years at UConn before being hired as the head coach at Fordham.

A successful two-year tenure at Penn State led to a head coaching opportunity at Mississippi State, but it lasted just two seasons — going 14-12 (7-9 SEC).

Dana Holgorsen — former Houston head coach

Houston fired Holgorsen, 52, today, and he adds an intriguing option to the coaching carousel.

Holgorsen was a candidate for the Pitt head coaching job in 2010, going as far as interviewing for the job, and it ultimately resulted in naught. And he would find his way to West Virginia as the head coach for eight seasons.

Holgorsen had spurts of success at both WVU and Houston, but his greatest success came during the years he spent as an offensive coordinator at Texas Tech, Houston and Oklahoma State.

Seth Littrell — Oklahoma Sooners offensive analyst

Littrell, 45, appears to be another longshot with Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby linked to Ole Miss, but he would be a solid addition.

Littrell has served as an offensive analyst at Oklahoma this season, following his dismissal from North Texas after seven seasons, and he’s 44-44 all-time as a head coach.

But he does have success as an offensive coordinator at Arizona, Indiana and North Carolina.

Others: Mack Leftwich (Texas State offensive coordinator), Sean Lewis (demoted Colorado Buffaloes offensive coordinator), Matt Canada (former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator)