Pat Narduzzi and the No. 20 Pitt Panthers are receiving more and more national attention by the week, and Narduzzi himself is finally receiving some credit for the dramatic turnaround this season.
Narduzzi is one of the four ACC coaches added to the Bear Bryant Award, along with Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee. The Award is given annually to the top head coach in college football.
Narduzzi is no stranger to national coaching awards either, having won the Broyles Award — the top assistant coach in college football — in 2013 at Michigan State.
Narduzzi is in his 10th season at the helm of Pitt football, and after the worst season of his tenure in Pittsburgh, he’s rebounded with the best start of his career. Pitt is 6-0 for the first time since 1982 and ranked inside the AP Poll. But he doesn’t care about awards or rankings or anything of the sort.
“Didn’t talk about (being ranked) last night at all,” Narduzzi said last week. “But Tuesday just talk about like, hey, refocus; doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past. That’s just the name of the game. That’s what I’ve done forever. And I don’t care the ranking. I don’t care the preseason ranking. The only ranking we’ll brag about is what our postseason ranking is and trying to win a championship. Those are the rankings you worry about.
“Right now, midseason, if you get too caught up, look at us, we’re ranked, good luck to you.”
Narduzzi needed a spark after last season, and more importantly, he needed to embrace the modern age of college football. So, he did so. It can be difficult sometimes for a long-term coach to make a change from what he’s been doing, but the changes Narduzzi made during the offseason have led to major success — and set the Panthers up for more.
Narduzzi is in Year 10 at Pitt largely because he’s brought stability — and success — following a tumultuous post-Dave Wannstedt era. Pitt didn’t want someone who viewed the job as a stepping stone, and he’s certainly raised the floor and ceiling of the program.
There have been ups and downs, but throughout it all, Narduzzi has certainly been good for a program that went through Michael Haywood, Todd Graham, Keith Patterson, Paul Chryst and Joe Rudolph either being hired or coaching at least one game between 2010-2014.
“I’m loyal, and I think they were looking for some loyalty,” Narduzzi said over the summer.
Pat Narduzzi is 71-50 (45-31) in his nine-and-a-half seasons in Pittsburgh, and the Panthers are receiving College Football Playoff buzz in the midst of the best start to a season since the early 80s. Narduzzi has set the Panthers up for further success.
He signed a long-term deal with Pitt in March of 2022, extending his contract through the 2030 season.
