Heather Lyke's thoughts on Coach Narduzzi's future

[ERICCARTMAN]

Excerpt from 1/14/2019 PG article.

It’s important to note that while Lyke didn’t hire Narduzzi, she gave him a contract extension in December 2017, essentially confirming her commitment to a coach she inherited. That move directly followed a 5-7 season, Narduzzi’s worst of his four-year tenure, and was balked at in some circles for that very reason.

In the first season since that show of faith from Lyke, Pitt improved to 7-7 and played in the ACC championship for the first time. At the time, Lyke made it clear she wanted to ensure stability in Narduzzi’s program, and a little more than a year later, she hopes she took care of a major issue she noticed when she took over Pitt’s athletic department.

“I just was shocked at the amount of turnover and transition. It’s just really hard to build and sustain anything with that level of transition in a football program,” Lyke said. “In all programs, it’s hard, but in a football program in particular, with the volume of staff and people that it impacts, it is hard.”

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I wonder what the end game is here. We have lost 14 games the past 2 years and we are recruiting like a 5 to 7 loss team. Lets say he goes 7-5, 6-6, 8-4, 7-5, do we keep him for the sake of continuity or start from Ground Zero again with the hopes of winning the lottery?

 

[DiehardPanther]

I wonder what the end game is here. We have lost 14 games the past 2 years and we are recruiting like a 5 to 7 loss team. Lets say he goes 7-5, 6-6, 8-4, 7-5, do we keep him for the sake of continuity or start from Ground Zero again with the hopes of winning the lottery?

Pitt is an 8-5 type program with a good coach.

 

[BigBird80]

So she sees stability more important than wins?

 

[steelcurtain55.]

I wonder what the end game is here. We have lost 14 games the past 2 years and we are recruiting like a 5 to 7 loss team. Lets say he goes 7-5, 6-6, 8-4, 7-5, do we keep him for the sake of continuity or start from Ground Zero again with the hopes of winning the lottery?

If you ask the majority of the coaching community, Pitt is .500 give or take type team.

 

[bwh05]

Pitt is an 8-5 type program with a good coach.

If Cincinnati and Kentucky can win with a good coach can win here.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

If Cincinnati and Kentucky can win the a good coach can win here.

give me a 5-10-20 year record of those programs. They've had good coaches before. Mark Danatonio is a great example.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

The only football person in the Pittsburgh sports area code who might be looking for work in the nea future is AB.

So she sticks with Narduzzi!

Good plan.

 

[DiehardPanther]

If Cincinnati and Kentucky can win the a good coach can win here.

Stoops is 36-39 at Kentucky. He had 1 good year. Cincy is in the AAC. Stick to Power 5 schools for a reasonable comparison.

 

[bwh05]

Stoops is 36-39 at Kentucky. He had 1 good year. Cincy is in the AAC. Stick to Power 5 schools for a reasonable comparison.

He’s turned them around. Cincinnati routinely outperformed us. The problem is us

 

[sappycrease]

While on the topic of Cincinnati - I would hire Luke Fickell if the Narduzzi show ever comes to an end. Has looked good at Cinci, coached under Meyer and Tressell, great recruiter, deep ties in OH, etc.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

If Cincinnati and Kentucky can win with a good coach can win here.

Years ago and I didn't check wasn't Kentucky Football a joke?

I thought I remember them as a loser football program, UK decided to elevate football, and they did.

 

[DruidTM]

He’s turned them around. Cincinnati routinely outperformed us. The problem is us

How would Cincinnati have fared vs our schedule last year ?

Cincinnati hasn’t looked like anything special since Kelly left get real 4-8 two years in a row before 11 wins... if that happened at Pitt 4-8 twice you would want him fired

Kentucky as noted 36-39 with one good year

 

[oldpanther]

So she sees stability more important than wins?

Half the shrieking so called fan base, maybe 13000 or so, are more concerned wth the color of uniforms than with PItt football victories. There is no doubt that uniforms are more important for the above 13000, yellow vs gold very important, stripes or no stripes on the pants worthy of debate, hate all white and hate blue, the color of the helmet does not match the pants. Importance of winning and stability, not in the top 25 but man those uniforms are sweet.

 

[McKee Place]

Their end game is probably just to field any old football program so that they can stay in the ACC and get the coin needed for the non revenue teams. Smart, IF things stay the same with attendance, tickets, basic recruiting etc. But they aren't staying the same. All those things are slowly but surely eroding. There's a little less showing up at games every time (Penn State doesn't count, they're gone from the sched forever), ticket sales can expect to be a struggle with no marquee games or prospects for championships, and that will reflect in continued struggles in recruiting. We are in this conference because of football and market we are supposed to deliver, and it's abandoning us. The end game will eventually be different than what they think.

 

[PantherBeliever]

So she sees stability more important than wins?

She believes stability will lead to more wins.

 

[DiehardPanther]

While on the topic of Cincinnati - I would hire Luke Fickell if the Narduzzi show ever comes to an end. Has looked good at Cinci, coached under Meyer and Tressell, great recruiter, deep ties in OH, etc.

Cincy has the 85th ranked Recruiting Class. Yup - great recruiter.

 

[ratking17]

Lyke is not wrong in her assessment of stability. That said, are there seriously some of you guys still doubting her at this point? No doubt if things do not improve win loss wise, she will can narduzzi. She is being smart though. For the time being.

 

[McKee Place]

Half the shrieking so called fan base, maybe 13000 or so, are more concerned wth the color of uniforms than with PItt football victories. There is no doubt that uniforms are more important for the above 13000, yellow vs gold very important, stripes or no stripes on the pants worthy of debate, hate all white and hate blue, the color of the helmet does not match the pants. Importance of winning and stability, not in the top 25 but man those uniforms are sweet.

The mods and Rivals / Yahoo should be glad so many people care enough about uniform colors and logos and the Steeler drama and bakeries and weird Netflix shows, because the board would be a ghost town without those threads and posts. Who is going to be regularly visiting the board otherwise? If not for those things, i might need to check the board maybe three times before Sept. One to see if any surprises on LOI day (no), one in April to see if Pickett has any competition for QB (no), then in August to see which critical players have been suspended for (gasp) having weed.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If not for those things, i might need to check the board maybe three times before Sept. One to see if any surprises on LOI day (no), one in April to see if Pickett has any competition for QB (no), then in August to see which critical players have been suspended for (gasp) having weed.

Wow. This is so true. I will be at the games but I've never been as apathetic with Pitt football. I just feel like with Narduzzi, the best we can possibly do us 8-4 and maybe nobody can do any better. Probably not but then what's the point?

 

[bwh05]

How would Cincinnati have fared vs our schedule last year ?

Cincinnati hasn’t looked like anything special since Kelly left get real 4-8 two years in a row before 11 wins... if that happened at Pitt 4-8 twice you would want him fired

Kentucky as noted 36-39 with one good year

I'm talking about when they were in the same conference as us. They're screwed like UConn now, but in the BE they cranked out 10 win seasons.

 

[sappycrease]

Cincy has the 85th ranked Recruiting Class. Yup - great recruiter.

He's recruiting to a non P5 school? Your comment couldn't have sounded anymore unintelligent and uninformed. Not surprising from you though.

He's well known on the trail for ties in the Midwest. He was an ace recruiter at Ohio State.

 

[FireballZ]

He's recruiting to a non P5 school? Your comment couldn't have sounded anymore unintelligent and uninformed. Not surprising from you though.

He's well known on the trail for ties in the Midwest. He was an ace recruiter at Ohio State.

Punch out early from the creamery today, Slick?

 

[jrnPitt]

Excerpt from 1/14/2019 PG article.

It’s important to note that while Lyke didn’t hire Narduzzi, she gave him a contract extension in December 2017, essentially confirming her commitment to a coach she inherited. That move directly followed a 5-7 season, Narduzzi’s worst of his four-year tenure, and was balked at in some circles for that very reason.

In the first season since that show of faith from Lyke, Pitt improved to 7-7 and played in the ACC championship for the first time. At the time, Lyke made it clear she wanted to ensure stability in Narduzzi’s program, and a little more than a year later, she hopes she took care of a major issue she noticed when she took over Pitt’s athletic department.

“I just was shocked at the amount of turnover and transition. It’s just really hard to build and sustain anything with that level of transition in a football program,” Lyke said. “In all programs, it’s hard, but in a football program in particular, with the volume of staff and people that it impacts, it is hard.”

Despite her comments on the coaching turnover at Pitt football it's my guess she had no problem with Narduzzi showing Watson and Sherman the door after last years sub par passing attack put forth by Pitt.

 

[DiehardPanther]

He's recruiting to a non P5 school? Your comment couldn't have sounded anymore unintelligent and uninformed. Not surprising from you though.

He's well known on the trail for ties in the Midwest. He was an ace recruiter at Ohio State.

There are a lot of Non-Power 5 schools ahead of him, and anyone with a pulse could recruit well at OSU.

 

[paulbl99]

Years ago and I didn't check wasn't Kentucky Football a joke?

I thought I remember them as a loser football program, UK decided to elevate football, and they did.

UK is the The Real Blue....not State College U

 

[McKee Place]

Lyke is not wrong in her assessment of stability. That said, are there seriously some of you guys still doubting her at this point? No doubt if things do not improve win loss wise, she will can narduzzi. She is being smart though. For the time being.

Canning is never our problem. Finding an upgrade is often a problem. And in this case, curing the greater disease that limits our recruiting, not the current carrier.

They can fire the coach every 5 years or every 5 months if they want. But the things that really limit our recruiting go way beyond the coach.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

She believes stability will lead to more wins.

Well it’s pretty much all we got going for us so yeah, let’s go this route.

Wat the hell else are we gonna do?

 

[McKee Place]

Well it’s pretty much all we got going for us so yeah, let’s go this route.

Wat the hell else are we gonna do?

Stability with a possibly subpar coach probably won't work. But from hard experience, we are pretty well assured that firing up the coaching carousel is almost certainly worse. So I agree.

And i really do think Narduzzi coaches above his talent. Not a ton. But some. He is not a problem as a coach. But our whole recruiting support mechanism around him needs an overhaul. Support the guy, not with threats of expulsion, but with the means to get talent the likes that other, more dynamic programs clearly are doing. Get your head out of the freaking clouds, and into the sewer, Gallagher.

 

[BigBird80]

Stoops is 36-39 at Kentucky. He had 1 good year. Cincy is in the AAC. Stick to Power 5 schools for a reasonable comparison.

I think Pitt should drop from being a P5 school. They don't have the athletic budget nor fan support to stay there.

 

[sappycrease]

There are a lot of Non-Power 5 schools ahead of him, and anyone with a pulse could recruit well at OSU.

Narduzzi wouldnt.

 

[McKee Place]

I think Pitt should drop from being a P5 school. They don't have the athletic budget nor fan support to stay there.

If things continue in the direction they appear aimed, that decision could be thrust upon us eventually. In a Templesque manner.

 

[anon_vmuicqnzlyp3u]

Cincy has the 85th ranked Recruiting Class. Yup - great recruiter.

Our is 53rd (247 )and they are not a P5 but let's not let facts cloud anything

 

[briano25]

Im over narduzzi. Unfortunately, nobody else would take this job. He just can't recruit. This class is Mac level

 

[PantherBeliever]

Well it’s pretty much all we got going for us so yeah, let’s go this route.

Wat the hell else are we gonna do?

This is pretty much where I'm at, or normal routine of rotating coaches hasn't worked. It's not accepting mediocrity it's just I'm willing to try something different.

Walt and Wanny have been the most recent successful coaches at Pitt, not saying they were the greatest, but I think it does show stability as HC has paid off a little bit.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Our is 53rd (247 )and they are not a P5 but let's not let facts cloud anything

I never said Narduzzi was a great recruiter. Try to keep up.

 

[anon_vmuicqnzlyp3u]

I never said Narduzzi was a great recruiter. Try to keep up.

Well then don't compare his recruiting to a P5 coach. There are 65 P5 teams we came in 53rd. I would say he is recruiting ok considering the limitations

 

[DiehardPanther]

Well then don't compare his recruiting to a P5 coach. There are 65 P5 teams we came in 53rd. I would say he is recruiting ok considering the limitations

The poster said the HC at Cincinnati was a great recruiter. I was refuting his point. I did not compare Narduzzi’s Recruiting Class to Cincy’s. Try and keep up.

 

[anon_vmuicqnzlyp3u]

The poster said the HC at Cincinnati was a great recruiter. I was refuting his point. I did not compare Narduzzi’s Recruiting Class to Cincy’s. Try and keep up.

He is when he is at a P5. Please try and keep up

 

[DiehardPanther]

He is when he is at a P5. Please try and keep up

Neither Luke Fickell or Pat Narduzzi are great recruiters. Fickell is a younger version of Narduzzi.