Former Pitt TE Promoted to Power Four Offensive Coordinator Job

Former Pitt tight end Nate Byham received a major promotion when it comes to his coaching career in college football.

On Monday, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Stanford was promoting Byham — who spent the past two seasons as the Cardinal tight ends coach — as the offensive coordinator and will take over the play calling duties.

Sources: Stanford is promoting tight ends coach Nate Byham to offensive coordinator, as a corresponding move with the Frank Reich interim hire. Byham is also set to be the play caller.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 31, 2025

It comes as a corresponding move to the hiring of Frank Reich as the new Stanford head coach. Reich replaces recently fired head coach Troy Taylor, who was dismissed by general manager Andrew Luck “amid findings by two outside firms that he had bullied and belittled female athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly made “inappropriate” comments to another woman about her appearance,” ESPN reported.

Byham, 36, joined the Stanford staff in December of 2022 as the tight ends coach after eight years at Albany. His first coaching gig saw him as the tight ends coach and run game coordinator from 2015-2021. Then, he was promoted as the associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for the 2022 season.

The Cardinal are coming off their first season in the ACC in which they went 3-9 overall and 2-6 in conference. Pitt will travel to take on Stanford during the upcoming season on Nov. 1.

A native of Franklin, Pa., Byham was recruited by Dave Wannsdedt in the 2006 class as a four-star, top-10 tight end prospect. He became a starter by his sophomore season where he recorded 15 catches for 210 yards with one touchdown.

In 2008 as a junior, Byham as an All-Big East first team selection after starting 12 games as he totaled 20 catches for 260 yards and on touchdown. During his final year at Pitt, he served as a captain and earned All-Big East second team honors after hauling in 10 receptions and 108 yards.

Known as a solid run-blocking tight end, Byham was selected in the sixth round by the of the 2010 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. In 29 career NFL games between the 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Byham recorded 11 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Byham becomes the third member of the Pitt 2009 team to become a Power Four offensive coordinator with former quarterback Tino Sunseri at UCLA and wide receiver Mike Shanahan at Indiana