Pat Narduzzi is faced with yet another pivotal hire in the wake of Charlie Partridge jumping to the NFL, and it has to be a hire that hits.
It remains to be seen exactly who Narduzzi will target to fill the void, considering Partridge served as the associate head coach and defensive line coach, but there will likely be a lot of interest.
Pitt is known for producing standout defensive linemen, and Partridge’s recruiting and development will be sorely missed, but there are still some young, talented defensive linemen on the roster. The next defensive line coach will be crucial. Once again, Narduzzi cannot miss.
Albany head coach Greg Gattuso is likely someone who would be interested in the Pitt defensive line coach opening. And he already has some experience in that role.
This isn’t to say that Gattuso will be a target in the eventual search, but he’d be an interesting candidate. It would be a departure from how Narduzzi has approached coaching searches this cycle, considering his age (61) and experience, but he’s a good coach with local ties.
Albany is coming off the best season of Gattuso’s 10-year tenure, an 11-4 season capped by a run to the FCS semifinals, but it’s a hard job. He has ties to the area considering he’s a Seton-La Salle graduate who went to Penn State. He was the head coach at Duquesne for a decade, and he served as the associate head coach and defensive line coach at Pitt under Dave Wannstedt.
Partridge was the highest-paid assistant at Pitt, and as he held the AHC title, his impact on the team was second-to-none — outside of Narduzzi. Pitt has the funds to bring in a big-time defensive line coach, one who can also hold that AHC title.
But if the desire is to stay the course with youthful hires, there are a couple of young assistants with local ties.
Malcolm Robinson, who currently serves as a defensive grad assistant, worked under Partridge last season. He was recently named to the 30-under-30 club by the Our Coaching Network and has received a lot of praise from Partridge. But he’s young and hasn’t had any position coach experience yet.
Bo Alexander, who is currently serving as the Eastern Michigan defensive ends coach, spent two seasons under Partridge as a defensive graduate assistant. He could garner a look.
Narduzzi will likely cast the net wide once again, conducting a national search, and the goal should be to bring in a candidate who — like Partridge — has experience in recruiting and play development. It’s easier said than done though.
The defensive line coach search should have more clarity in the coming days.
