In what could be described as the biggest surprise to no one, multiple outlets are reporting that Pitt has hired J.J. Laster, former WCU wide receiver coach (currently at Old Dominion). I get hiring people familiar with your scheme, but I wonder if they are overlooking more qualified people. For better or worse this program has hitched it's wagon to Kade Bell & Friends. I hope and believe it's for the better.
Report: Pitt hires WR Coach
- Thread starter Usuallyunusual-partdeux
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Thanksgiving at the Bell house should go well this year… 
Wonder what we'd be saying if UNC pillaged Duquesne's coaching staff/players, because it's tough to say this is much different...
Bell is running the offense. He wants his people.
Bell's success will be decided by Bell, not the coaching skills of his people.
Saying that, they better be able to recruit.
Part of changing the offensive coaching staff was to bring in new ideas and a new approach. Like you, I get the familiarity, but a diverse group of coaches with different backgrounds could've helped. This could all work out great, but if Pitt fired Narduzzi tomorrow, I don't think anyone would've been thrilled if they went out and hired WCU's entire coaching staff. With that said, the entire staff should be on the same page with this offense, so from that standpoint it should be a well-oiled machine. Let's hope the players can adapt.
A little tougher without the $$$ to recruit top talent.
The guy wants people who he trusts that can help implement his scheme. SOP for most coaches.
Eh. It’s always the higher up’s job to make sure the hires are worthy of being hired. That’s not to say Narduzzi doesn’t do that, but you should never give deference to a coordinator.
That’s one reason it’s rumored that Jamey Chadwell didn’t get consideration for a better job despite his success. He has let every AD know that he will be bringing his entire staff with him. And schools don’t believe some of those guys belong on a major college staff. And so the AD isn’t just going to defer to Chadwell.
In the end, if Bell’s offense is so complicated he needs an entire staff of “his guys” to teach it, it was the wrong hire. Modern college football is about having a playbook so small it can fit on a napkin, and concepts that are easy to understand.
I’m guessing Bell knows that, and hopefully he has seen first hand that these dudes are grinders on the recruiting trail.
I’m guessing Bell knows that, and hopefully he has seen first hand that these dudes are grinders on the recruiting trail.
Yeah, this was pretty much a given when Underwood left.
I disagree that the coaching skills of his people don't matter. You obviously want them to be competent.
And FBS recruiting vs FCS recruiting is a completely different ballgame. The time commitments are much more exacting. Bell himself remarked about how much time he had spent on the road in his first press conference.
Can the transition be made successfully? Of course. But I don't know how ideal it is to not have a better mixture of guys who have been doing it at the P6 level recently vs guys who were in FCS last season. Lots of blind faith being exhibited here. And we're talking about a team that is 17-16 under Bell's dad - so they haven't exactly been the toast of the FCS.
Yeah, I mean don't get me wrong - I don't want old geezer retread hires, either. But, after losing Partridge, it'd have been nice to bring in one or two guys who came with a little bigger splash. I'm guessing we'll be paying every single guy we brought in less than the one he is replacing, which isn't necessarily what fans want to see.
I have no probably with any of these hires in a vacuum, but taken in conglomerate, well, here's to hoping for the best.
A lot of good comments in this thread that undoutedly
reflect the thoughts and feelings of themselves and others.
Personally I ain't got a clue on any of these hires. Yes I would
liked to have seen some more well known and experienced
assistants brought here. However, we have no choice but to wait
and see with our own eyes how it all develops. Spring ball will
probably be our first look at who and what they are. We'll also
probably start to get more player comments and opinions.
reflect the thoughts and feelings of themselves and others.
Personally I ain't got a clue on any of these hires. Yes I would
liked to have seen some more well known and experienced
assistants brought here. However, we have no choice but to wait
and see with our own eyes how it all develops. Spring ball will
probably be our first look at who and what they are. We'll also
probably start to get more player comments and opinions.
Here is my thoughts:
PLAYERS WIN GAMES
There are all kinds of lists of best the DL coaches, the best WR coaches, the best OC coaches, the best RB coaches, and none of these guys are on the list that Pitt hired. There were a few that were very affordable for Pitt to pursue.
Fine.....
An OC has a right to bring in his own people. But if Bell thinks he's going to out schematic Power 4 schools with 5'5, 150 pound players from Louisiana with offers from McNeese St and Leechburg A&T, he's got a harsh reality coming.
If none of these new coaches can recruit, then Pitt is in trouble. If they can find good players that can play, I don't care how many stars they have. But the question is; can they?
PLAYERS WIN GAMES
There are all kinds of lists of best the DL coaches, the best WR coaches, the best OC coaches, the best RB coaches, and none of these guys are on the list that Pitt hired. There were a few that were very affordable for Pitt to pursue.
Fine.....
An OC has a right to bring in his own people. But if Bell thinks he's going to out schematic Power 4 schools with 5'5, 150 pound players from Louisiana with offers from McNeese St and Leechburg A&T, he's got a harsh reality coming.
If none of these new coaches can recruit, then Pitt is in trouble. If they can find good players that can play, I don't care how many stars they have. But the question is; can they?
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Agree with that. I was fine with the Bell hire, because I'll take some young, hungry up and comer lottery ticket who MIGHT spin straw into gold over some guy who has been around and you know the results are almost exactly going to match the talent levels (recruiting has left a bit to be desired lately).
However, it would be foolish to not expect at least some learning curve for these coaches - whether it's the hours they need to devote to coaching/film study/recruiting, them getting accustomed to the level of talent they'll need to land at this level, etc. So, since we've already burned a season of goodwill, I'm just a little surprised Narduzzi is cool with such a drastic overhaul.
I know Bud Elliot said he was happy FSU got beat down like they did in the bowl game because it will make the coaches see just what actually national championship-caliber looks like. Well, here's to hoping we don't need to get smacked like that for these coaches to see what P4 talent looks like. No idea how this will all work out; just, like I said, a little surprised we've gone to the same well so many times.
The people wanting Narduzzi to go against what he has done in the past got what they wanted. Time will tell if it works or not.
If Pitt hired the FCS WR coach of the year in a previous offseason nobody want be saying anything bad. I think this guy can coach.
There are a lot of pretty clueless comments on this thread.
The bottom line is that Kade Bell has a formula (plan) that resulted in high production of his offensive unit. Of course he wants to bring coaches that he has observed creating that production. I am not saying there won't be some adjustment, but c'mon. FCS coaches don't sit around putting fewer hours in because the players are not of the same caliber. I am pretty sure the stopwatch, scale, yard stick for measuring height and the performance tests work pretty much the same at FBS and FCS.
The bottom line is that Kade Bell has a formula (plan) that resulted in high production of his offensive unit. Of course he wants to bring coaches that he has observed creating that production. I am not saying there won't be some adjustment, but c'mon. FCS coaches don't sit around putting fewer hours in because the players are not of the same caliber. I am pretty sure the stopwatch, scale, yard stick for measuring height and the performance tests work pretty much the same at FBS and FCS.
Do you know how FCS recruiting works? It's very regional and nowhere near as labor-intensive as FBS recruiting. I wouldn't be shocked if Charlie Patridge made twice as much money as all the other assistant coaches we brought in this year combined last season. It's very different.
In fact, here's something I found:
Kerwin Bell's entire assistant coaching salary pool: $725K
https://catamount.boards.net/thread/12043/kerwin-bell-contract
It may or may not work out, but to pretend this isn't abnormal would be unfounded.
When does this continual bitching end? It just shows that none of you know a damn thing about football. You bitched about Mike Norvell,etc. Please find something positive to do with your spare time
Good point about "bitching," but not everyone here is
bitching. I think a number of us are in the "wait and see"
mode.
Narduzzi's been recruiting at this level for a very long time, and Pitt's recruiting coordinator is still there. They no doubt will be involved.
I guess ole Cig's was just worn out from scouring the country, rumor has it he was in Tijuana when he made that phone call to Jurkovec, and in the South of France when he first contacted Veilleux , In case no one noticed Pitt's offensive recruiting has been poor as late, Coach Underwelm couldn't even get a handle on it...but yeah the sky is falling....
If these can coach, develop schemes and motivate players, then that is all that matters.
There isn't this huge skill gap from FBS to FCS coaching wise. They aren't coaching against SEC competition every week, where the staff is NFL retreads.
So yeah, they're success should carry over
There isn't this huge skill gap from FBS to FCS coaching wise. They aren't coaching against SEC competition every week, where the staff is NFL retreads.
So yeah, they're success should carry over
I am learning that you can't confuse fans with trolls and with our moderators we have a lot of trolls. This would never happen on other sites!
As for this coach, I looked at his resume and he has good experience and is well thought of as.
Welcome to Pitt Mr. Laster!
Serious question. Was the players on last years team from those schools you listed? Because they went 3 and 7. Last year when players from those types of schools were in the portal, and Pitt tried to get them but they to another school in a power conference. People came on this board and was in a tizzy that they didnt come to Pitt.
No one on this board have a clue about any of these players or coaches. Just like when PSU got Moorehead, all everyone said was why dont Pitt get some of those coaches from a small school than run these up tempo offenses? Duzz finally goes all in with it, and now gets hammered for it.
most of this thread is comical. Some of you are acting like these new guys are being handed the keys to a Ferrari and they’re gonna drive it off a cliff. The reality is more like they just got the salvage title to a 2009 Fusion that’s already at the bottom of the canyon.
We recruit as well as can be expected at Pitt. No worse than the last 30 years.
I don't think anyone is hammering Duzz, in fact I'm pleasantly surprised he seems to be giving Bell a sizable amount of autonomy to build the offensive staff. This is the first time I can remember he hired an OC and cleaned house, but it's a real gamble to say the least. I like it honestly because the other way wasn't working and getting coaches that are still up and coming may keep the poachers at bay a few years. Pitt ain't outbidding a lot of schools so they better get people on the rise.
Let me make it clearer for those who like to defend and never question a decision made by the staff.
The main question on this thread is not whether the new coaches can coach. It’s whether they can recruit to the present level that seems to discourage a lot of you. Or maybe even a higher level?
According to their resumes, I don’t see it.
Players win games. There is nothing wrong with questioning their ability to recruit until you see different. God forbid!
I don’t know whether they can or can’t. Seeing is believing.
The main question on this thread is not whether the new coaches can coach. It’s whether they can recruit to the present level that seems to discourage a lot of you. Or maybe even a higher level?
According to their resumes, I don’t see it.
Players win games. There is nothing wrong with questioning their ability to recruit until you see different. God forbid!
I don’t know whether they can or can’t. Seeing is believing.
Hence the point……
However Pitt was presented with an opportunity to hire a couple of coaches with some recruiting prowess in fertile recruiting areas. That didn’t happen. So it’s only fair to question their ability to recruit when they don’t have a track record at this level.
Let’s wait and see, but I’m apprehensive until we see otherwise.
I think the focus of our recruiting will be the South and the Midwest. (Maybe Texas)
And of course the Portal
Think we have lost a bit in NJ/NY and MD, DC and VA
They had better kill in the South
They also hire people they can hire.
Narduzzi doesn’t have an extensive offensive coaching tree.
And Bell has been the boy wonder to his father’s Batman at the FCS level.
The coaching tree in February isn’t going to be that extensive for them.
And last season, the people that wanted him to stay his course got what they deserved.
Do you think Dooz made this change because of fan pressure? Or do you think maybe he looked out at that product on the field last year and said wow do we suck. I’d like to keep my job, time to make some serious changes.
Losing Partridge and a couple of the other assistants to the NFL hurts for sure. But this is what’s gonna happen to a lot of middling programs going forward. Good assistants can make more money and have a better quality of life in the NFL.
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