Pat Narduzzi was in somewhat of a lose-lose situation when it came to replacing Charlie Partridge. He lost his best, most trusted assistant coach and likely knew that whoever he hired to replace Partridge would be under the microscope.
It’s no slight to Tim Daoust, who was hired away from East Carolina to replace Partridge, but there wasn’t any way that Pitt was going to upgrade the position.
The debate about whether or not Daoust is the right man for the job is one thing, but the comparisons to Partridge are unfair. He isn’t Partridge and isn’t going to be Partridge. So, who is he?
He’s a veteran defensive coach who has extensive ties to Narduzzi from their time together and what appears to be a lasting friendship.
“Tim and I have known each other for years and he’s an incredibly impressive person and coach,” Narduzzi said in the Pitt release. “He has coached everything on defense and is a tremendously effective teacher and evaluator. From a personal standpoint, he is a great family man and values developing relationships. I’m really excited about bringing him to Pitt and I know our players and staff will really enjoy working with him.”
Daoust, who has served as the defensive ends and linebackers coach at ECU, in addition to holding special teams coordinator responsibilities, has spent the last three seasons at East Carolina.
“My family and I are incredibly excited to join one of the most tradition-rich programs in all of college football,” Daoust said. “Pat has long been a mentor for me. I understand and embrace the responsibility of the position. I’m ready to get to work on bringing another championship to Pitt.”
Narduzzi has considered hiring Daoust in the past. According to a report from 93.7 The Fan in 2015, he considered Daoust for his first defensive coordinator hire. It went to Josh Conklin instead. Daoust was once again linked to Pitt in 2017 when the defensive line coach opening reappeared, but it went to the man that Daoust is now replacing.
Daoust served as a graduate assistant under Narduzzi twice in the early days of his coaching career — once at Northern Illinois in 2002 while Narduzzi was the linebackers coach, and once more at Cincinnati in 2005 when Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator. Narduzzi helped Daoust get his start in the industry.
Daoust coached at Western Michigan (2006-09) and Central Michigan (2010), serving as a defensive line coach and safety coach, before getting his break at Syracuse in the early 2010s. He was hired by then-head coach Doug Marrone to serve as the Oranges’ new defensive ends coach.
He spent five seasons at Syracuse, rising to a hybrid role of assistant head coach, defensive line coach and special teams coordinator, and he experienced his highest level of success with the Orange.
The calling card of the Daoust defensive lines in the early 2010s was similar to what he’ll be asked to do at Pitt: stopping the run and racking up tackles for loss and sacks. The 2013 season was a particularly good season for the ‘Cuse defensive line — finishing top 25 nationally in tackles for loss, sacks and run defense.
He also helped future NFLers in Chandler Jones and Jason Bromley in their reaching their professional dreams, with both drafted out of Syracuse.
But that was a decade ago now. And after the entire Scott Shafer coaching staff was fired by Syracuse following the 2015 season, Doaust has largely bounced around the Group of Five level. He’s had stints at Ball State, Western Michigan, Sam Houston State and ECU before arriving at Pitt.
He spent one season as the defensive coordinator at Ball State in 2016, leading a solid turnaround from the prior season (second in tackles for loss and third in rush defense in the MAC), and he took a job as the co-defensive coordinator at Western Michigan.
The two-year stint in Kalamazoo, Mich. ended early, fired in the middle of the 2018 season following a three-game losing streak.
Daoust was more successful at Sam Houston State as the assistant head coach and defensive line coach in 2019 and 2020. The Bearkats had one of the best defenses in the FCS during his stint, one of the best in the FCS in getting after opposing quarterbacks and stopping the run.
Daoust was once again at the helm of a defensive line unit that did a good job stopping the run (18th in 2022 and 29th in 2023 in the FBS) at ECU. The Pirates managed just 18 sacks in 2023, which is a concern, but it was a really tough situation to succeed in.
Daoust has very, very large shoes to step into, but as touched upon, it would be unfair to say that he has to fill the shoes left by Partridge. He, by all accounts, appears to be a solid defensive line coach who recruited decently at Syracuse. It will be about seeing what Daoust can do now with what should be a much-improved defensive line room in 2024.
Pitt added Kansas State transfer defensive end Nate Matlack, Indiana transfer defensive tackle Nick James and Clemson defensive end David Ojiegbe from that group of visitors, and it was exactly the kind of boost the room needed.
Matlack has one season of eligibility to play in a defensive scheme best suited for his skill set. He’s a long, athletic edge who racked up 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in a 3-4 defensive scheme that didn’t ask him to get after opposing quarterbacks. Now he’ll be able to play to his strengths off the edge.
James and Ojigbe are former four-star recruits who will have multiple seasons of eligibility in Pittsburgh. Three for James, and four for Ojiegbe. James fills a massive void at defensive tackle, able to come in and immediately serve as a big, athletic pass rusher up the middle. Ojiegbe is basically receiving a fresh start. He’s an incredibly intriguing pass rusher who came to Pittsburgh to work with Partridge initially.
Dayon Hayes is still in place. He was much better than the stats indicated last season, and it’s not unrealistic to expect double-digit tackles for loss and sacks in 2024. Nate Temple and Bam Brima provide that veteran experience, and Jimmy Scott emerged down the stretch last season on the edge. He’s a former four-star recruit himself.
The ends are in a good place. It’s a little bit more concerning inside. James is nearly a lock. Sean FitzSimmons seems primed for a breakout season, and Nakhi Johnson and Elliot Donald are both still waiting for a chance after arriving as four-star recruits in 2021. They’re both on the inside now.
Isaiah Neal, Whittington and Brewu all have a potential path to playing time. It’s just incredibly difficult to crack the rotation as a freshman — even a second-year freshman. One more veteran defensive end would be a plus but recently converted defensive no tackle Nakhi Johnson may be that addition.
Pitt is known for dominant defensive line play. Partridge may no longer be in the picture, but there have been good defensive linemen to come before him, and there will be more in the future.
welcome aboard Coach Daoust … H2P !
Cool now go get Hines Ward as Wide Receivers Coach.
If not Hines think about Perry Parks from Coastal Carolina for WR Coach.