It’s taken half a season, but coaching changes are starting to be made across the college football landscape.
East Carolina fired head coach Mike Houston following a poor start to the season, the first head coach to be let go, and a handful of coordinators have been dismissed for poor results.
Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Seth Littrell earlier this week in the midst of an overwhelmingly poor start to the season. And the job will likely be one of the top openings in the coaching cycle.
It’s an interesting vacancy, a lucrative program with recent and historical success, and it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell is mentioned as a potential replacement.
On3’s Sooner Scoop released a Hot Board of potential Oklahoma offensive coordinator candidates and mentioned Bell alongside names like Indiana co-offensive coordinators Mike Shanahan and Tino Sunseri and UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.
“Why he fits: Bell has seemed to find success just about everywhere along the way,” Josh McCuistion of Sooner Scoop wrote. “He’s a guy who has rebuilt a Pittsburgh offense that was No. 108 in SP+ to end ’23 into the No. 39 group in 2024. That’s no small feat considering some of the ‘aversion’ to offense that has existed in the Steel City in years gone by.
“Why he doesn’t: He doesn’t have much experience around the Power Four and has no real obvious connection to the Sooners staff.”
It’s the first time that Bell has been linked to another opening, loosely linked, to be fair, but it certainly won’t be the last. Opportunity tends to arrive with success.
Pitt boasts one of the top offenses in the country this season, scoring 40.8 points per game and averaging 481.3 total yards per game — 10th in points and eighth in total yards per game in the country.
It’s a complete 180 from last season, resulting largely from Bell putting his playmakers — many of which were brought with him — in the position to make plays. The offensive scheme, an up-tempo spread system, has been a radical success in Pittsburgh. And as Bell has formed a dynamic duo with second-year quarterback Eli Holstein, points have come in bunches.
Narduzzi couldn’t help but be reminded of himself when interviewing Bell, and the relationship has only blossomed in their short time together. It was a risk, but he decided to put his complete trust in Bell — letting him implement a brand new offense (with a brand new coaching staff) and run it without interference.
It may be early, but Bell has been the best hire of the Narduzzi era.
Bell is perhaps the biggest reason Pitt is 6-0 for the first time since 1982. And that tandem of Bell and Holstein (with multiple seasons of eligibility together) is one of the reasons Narduzzi isn’t worried about the future.
“Kade has a good thing going here,” Narduzzi said when talking about the future of Bell in Pittsburgh. “He’s got Eli, and you’d be crazy to pass that up, but the great thing about coach Bell is he’s got a contract. And Eli doesn’t really have a contract, the transfer portal is wide open, people sometimes try to compare a coach with a player and say if coaches can do it, players can. But there would be a hefty buyout and all those things.”
Pitt is entering the second half of the season with all of its postseason aspirations in reach, riding the high of its best start in decades, but no one is looking to the future right now. The focus is on going 1-0 each week.
Kade Bell will likely be linked to further openings as the season unfolds, but he’s established himself — and his family — in Pittsburgh and is doing better than perhaps anyone could’ve expected.
It doesn’t seem likely that Bell will leave Pittsburgh. But of course, nothing is certain in today’s college football.
Kade was a home run hire by Narduzzi, but the down side is he will be in high demand and likely moving to either a head coach or higher paying OC position. Let’s enjoy this season for now.
I think one of the benefits of Bell long-term is his offense is predicated on quick (which tend to be smaller) players who can make plays in space. Those guys don’t leave early for the NFL or go to teams without a similar office.
Well, Matt Canada’s available again, at least.
The vultures are circling already.