*Long Post Warning* (This took a lot of work and because of character limits had to be spread out over three parts (29,000+ in total with 4,500 real words - pls read)
We all know Narduzzi is not going to get fired (but maybe should). Nonetheless, I tried putting together a top 25 of potential coaching hires (not necessarily in order {but kind of}). Not all of the names are sexy, but these are the guys who are "ready" to make the jump or would be logical fits. I included categories for the "Nominees" so everyone could find a name they liked
Side note: Not all of these coaches would take the job at Pitt. But a phone call needs to be made regardless.
(Number. Name - Age - Current Position - Current school - HC Experience [Record] - From/Alma)
Notable jobs in reverse chronological order
Group 1 - The "Bring me back" Category - Pay these guys to come back to PA
1. Joe Moorhead - 44 - Head Coach - Miss. State - Yes [41-15] - Pittsburgh,PA/Fordham
In my honest opinion we missed the boat on Moorhead. As a Pittsburgh native (and former grad assistant) he was an obvious candidate to be the next head coach - but timing killed the possibility of that. A great offensive mind with previous head coach experience would have made the perfect fit. A shame we missed out, but if this year ends up being a debacle for Mississippi State, a big pay day to come home and escape the SEC could be the miracle full court heave to get him at Pitt.
Notable jobs: Penn State OC/QB - Fordham HC (38-13) - UCONN OC/QB - Pitt GA
2. Matt Campbell - 38 - Head Coach - Iowa State - Yes [47-32] - Massillon, OH/Pitt-Mt.Union
Albeit more Joe Flacco than Tyler Palko (played D-Line), Matt Campbell is a former Pitt player turned successful head coach. With playing experience on defense, and a coaching background on the offensive side, he is a swiss army knife of football knowledge. His career at Iowa State has quickly turned around following a solid 8-5 2017 season where he won the Big 12 Coach of the year award - bringing his total record to 12-17 (3-9/8-5/1-3). As HC of Toledo he won multiple MAC titles and a MAC coach of the year award. I have no doubts he could build a winner at Pitt, but is his contract of $3.5 Million a reason to get comfortable in Ames?
Notable jobs: Toledo HC (35-15) - Toledo OC - Pitt Player (1998 season)
3. Matt Canada - 46 - Interim HC - Maryland - Yes? [3-1] - New Palestine, IN/Indiana
Ah yes. Matt Canada. Maybe the sole reason of happiness in the past couple years of Pitt football. He came in and transformed the Pitt offense into a juggernaut that should have won an ACC title if not for literally the worst defense in Pitt history on the other side of the ball. Took over a Maryland program in utter turmoil and have a relatively mediocre squad 3-1 and looking like the finally belong in the Big 10 (Want to say contender but being in the East with OSU, PSU, MIch, and MSU is brutal). If he is not retained as Maryland head coach long term he could be a top HC candidate next season. His loyalty to Pitt is stretched thin but money talks (and LSU's talked pretty loud in 2017)
Notable jobs: LSU OC - Pitt OC - NC State OC - Wisconsin OC - NIU OC - Indiana OC
4. Matt Rhule - 43 - Head Coach - Baylor - Yes [32-26] - New York, NY/Penn State
The only current P5 head coach in this section without a Pitt tie. In fact he has VERY heavy Penn State ties. For the time being Baylor is still under heavy sanctions that only seem to be getting worse. This could be enough to get him to move on. It's early, but he isn't having success in the Big 12 (4-13). Obvious speculation, but if that continues I doubt he wants to stay in Waco. He isn't the best fit but I still think is an upgrade.
Notable jobs: Temple HC (28-23) - NY Giants OL - Temple OC - Western Carolina AHC/STC
Group 2 - The Todd Graham Category - G5 Head Coaches ready to make the leap
5. Neal Brown - 38 - Head Coach - Troy - Yes [29-14] - Danville, KY/UMASS
My favorite on the list by a long shot (other than Moorhead but I view him as a severe stretch) Brown is one hell of a football coach. He is probably going to be the most coveted name on plenty of team's lists. Troy has a history of beating big time programs (Nebraska '18. LSU '17, Lost to Natty Champ Clemson by six in '16, Oklahoma (OC) '11) and Brown is a big part of that. He turned around a 3-9 Troy program - going 4-8 in year one then 10-3 in '16, 11-2 in '17 with Sun Belt Coach of the year, and is off to a 4-1 start in '18. A stand up guy with no baggage, and a proven track record as an Offensive mind is everything Pitt could want or need in a coach. He makes a "paltry" $800K now. Pay the man and you have your coach for the next 5+ years - but with Kliff Kingsbury on the hot seat, his history at Texas Tech could be a major factor in where he ends up.
Notable jobs: Kentucky OC/QB - Texas Tech OC/QB - Troy OC/QB
6. Scott Satterfield - 45 - Head Coach - App State - Yes [44-23] - Hillsborough, NC/App State
Scott Satterfield is another coveted G5 name - but has been for a while now. His name has appeared in coaching searches before. It could be a Narduzzi-Michigan State type of situation, where he is waiting for the right opportunity. Or it could be that he is happy and content at his alma mater. Regardless of the situation a call needs to be made. Since bringing App State into the FBS in 2014 Satterfield is 40-15 (4-8 in only year as FCS program). However he has never held a power 5 job in any form. Can he handle pressures of P5 teams and fan bases?
Notable jobs: App State OC - FIU OC - Toledo QB
7. Luke Fickell - 45 - Head Coach - Cincinnati - Yes [15-15] - Columbus, OH/Ohio State
One of the few heir apparent to Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Fickell is a tough son of a bitch. Graduated as the all time starts leader at Nose Guard for Ohio State (no clue if that still stands) and bleeds the Scarlet and Gray. He served as the interim to Jim Tressel in 2011 and seemed to be on the fast track to make his true HC debut when Jim Tressel resigned amid NCAA scandals. But after lackluster results (6-7 and 4th place in the Big Ten *~Leaders~* division) the school decided to bring Urban Meyer out of retirement. Fickell would return to his Defensive Coordinators duties before taking the Cincy job in 2017. He started slow again in his first appearance as the Bearcats HC going 4-8, but this year has them looking as tough as they did in the old Big East days with a roaring 5-0 start. Fickell may bide his time in the Buckeye state until the Buckeyes decide they need to cut ties with Meyer.
Notable jobs: Ohio State co-DC - Ohio State IHC - Ohio State co-DC
8. Jason Candle - 38 - Head Coach - Toldeo - Yes [23-9] - Salem, OH/Geneva-Mount Union
Jason Candle is a fun candidate to follow because he has basically been following the career path of aforementioned Matt Campbell - more on that in a second. Candle is a winner, always has been. He played his college ball locally spending two years in Beaver Falls at Geneva, before transferring to Mount Union where he won two national championships as a WR. He then joined the staff under, you guessed it Offensive Coordinator Matt Campbell as a WR coach. When Campbell left MtU for Bowling Green who replaced him as OC? Candle did. When Campbell eventually took a job at Toledo as an OC, Candle joined him. When Campbell was made Head Coach, he made Candle his OC. And finally when Campbell left to become Iowa State's Head Coach, Candle replaced him as Head Coach at Toledo. Fun game right? He's also won more than Campbell at each level (20-7 vs 16-9 in first two full seasons - Campbell finished the next season 9-4 then 9-2 and Candle is 2-2 entering MAC play). Sounds like a trend I want to follow given Campbell just went 8-5.
Notable jobs: Toledo IHC/AHC - Toledo OC
9. Seth Littrell - 40 - Head Coach - North Texas - Yes [18-14] - Muskogee, OK/Oklahoma
Littrell is arguably the most intriguing candidate on this list. He's held a billion P5 jobs at a billion schools all over the country. He was a team captain on the 2000 Oklahoma National Championship team as a Running back. North Texas pays him decently at $1.2M a year (versus Brown who make 800k), and plans on doing hundreds of millions of dollars in athletics renovations over the next 20 years to become a top tier G5 school - and P5 hopeful. I doubt that's enough to tie down Littrell but who knows? He deploys an exciting brand of football filled with trick plays, fast offense, and stout defense. An exciting name to watch - although I think he's more suited for a job in Texas or elsewhere in Big 12 territory.
Notable Jobs: North Carolina AHC - Indiana OC - Arizona OC - Texas Tech RB - Kansas GA
10. Blake Anderson - 49 - Head Coach - Arkansas State - Yes [34-22] - Jonesboro,AR/Baylor
Anderson is the oldest in this group by a decent margin - and his past jobs show it. He has held 21 titles (some were combined like OC/QB and in one case was listed as QB/WR/DB/RC - wow). But he also has a winning track record to his name. He holds two Sun Belt championship - erm - belts and a C-USA championship as OC. Lead Louisianna Lafayette to the #6 overall offense in 2007, beat undefeated Houston in 2011 (while winning 12 games) and set 35 UNC offensive records and finished #8 in scoring offense nationally. There was a small stint between 04-07 that he left coaching to start a private business - but I don't think it is holding him back in his search. He is from the Larry Fedora coaching tree so he knows offense. He also could replace him if UNC decides to fire him, but I find that unlikely (this isn't Campbell-Candle after all)
Notable jobs: North Carolina OC - Southern Miss OC/QB - LA-Laf OC/QB - MTSU co-OC
Next post: group 3 - the coordinators and more!
We all know Narduzzi is not going to get fired (but maybe should). Nonetheless, I tried putting together a top 25 of potential coaching hires (not necessarily in order {but kind of}). Not all of the names are sexy, but these are the guys who are "ready" to make the jump or would be logical fits. I included categories for the "Nominees" so everyone could find a name they liked
Side note: Not all of these coaches would take the job at Pitt. But a phone call needs to be made regardless.
(Number. Name - Age - Current Position - Current school - HC Experience [Record] - From/Alma)
Notable jobs in reverse chronological order
Group 1 - The "Bring me back" Category - Pay these guys to come back to PA
1. Joe Moorhead - 44 - Head Coach - Miss. State - Yes [41-15] - Pittsburgh,PA/Fordham
In my honest opinion we missed the boat on Moorhead. As a Pittsburgh native (and former grad assistant) he was an obvious candidate to be the next head coach - but timing killed the possibility of that. A great offensive mind with previous head coach experience would have made the perfect fit. A shame we missed out, but if this year ends up being a debacle for Mississippi State, a big pay day to come home and escape the SEC could be the miracle full court heave to get him at Pitt.
Notable jobs: Penn State OC/QB - Fordham HC (38-13) - UCONN OC/QB - Pitt GA
2. Matt Campbell - 38 - Head Coach - Iowa State - Yes [47-32] - Massillon, OH/Pitt-Mt.Union
Albeit more Joe Flacco than Tyler Palko (played D-Line), Matt Campbell is a former Pitt player turned successful head coach. With playing experience on defense, and a coaching background on the offensive side, he is a swiss army knife of football knowledge. His career at Iowa State has quickly turned around following a solid 8-5 2017 season where he won the Big 12 Coach of the year award - bringing his total record to 12-17 (3-9/8-5/1-3). As HC of Toledo he won multiple MAC titles and a MAC coach of the year award. I have no doubts he could build a winner at Pitt, but is his contract of $3.5 Million a reason to get comfortable in Ames?
Notable jobs: Toledo HC (35-15) - Toledo OC - Pitt Player (1998 season)
3. Matt Canada - 46 - Interim HC - Maryland - Yes? [3-1] - New Palestine, IN/Indiana
Ah yes. Matt Canada. Maybe the sole reason of happiness in the past couple years of Pitt football. He came in and transformed the Pitt offense into a juggernaut that should have won an ACC title if not for literally the worst defense in Pitt history on the other side of the ball. Took over a Maryland program in utter turmoil and have a relatively mediocre squad 3-1 and looking like the finally belong in the Big 10 (Want to say contender but being in the East with OSU, PSU, MIch, and MSU is brutal). If he is not retained as Maryland head coach long term he could be a top HC candidate next season. His loyalty to Pitt is stretched thin but money talks (and LSU's talked pretty loud in 2017)
Notable jobs: LSU OC - Pitt OC - NC State OC - Wisconsin OC - NIU OC - Indiana OC
4. Matt Rhule - 43 - Head Coach - Baylor - Yes [32-26] - New York, NY/Penn State
The only current P5 head coach in this section without a Pitt tie. In fact he has VERY heavy Penn State ties. For the time being Baylor is still under heavy sanctions that only seem to be getting worse. This could be enough to get him to move on. It's early, but he isn't having success in the Big 12 (4-13). Obvious speculation, but if that continues I doubt he wants to stay in Waco. He isn't the best fit but I still think is an upgrade.
Notable jobs: Temple HC (28-23) - NY Giants OL - Temple OC - Western Carolina AHC/STC
Group 2 - The Todd Graham Category - G5 Head Coaches ready to make the leap
5. Neal Brown - 38 - Head Coach - Troy - Yes [29-14] - Danville, KY/UMASS
My favorite on the list by a long shot (other than Moorhead but I view him as a severe stretch) Brown is one hell of a football coach. He is probably going to be the most coveted name on plenty of team's lists. Troy has a history of beating big time programs (Nebraska '18. LSU '17, Lost to Natty Champ Clemson by six in '16, Oklahoma (OC) '11) and Brown is a big part of that. He turned around a 3-9 Troy program - going 4-8 in year one then 10-3 in '16, 11-2 in '17 with Sun Belt Coach of the year, and is off to a 4-1 start in '18. A stand up guy with no baggage, and a proven track record as an Offensive mind is everything Pitt could want or need in a coach. He makes a "paltry" $800K now. Pay the man and you have your coach for the next 5+ years - but with Kliff Kingsbury on the hot seat, his history at Texas Tech could be a major factor in where he ends up.
Notable jobs: Kentucky OC/QB - Texas Tech OC/QB - Troy OC/QB
6. Scott Satterfield - 45 - Head Coach - App State - Yes [44-23] - Hillsborough, NC/App State
Scott Satterfield is another coveted G5 name - but has been for a while now. His name has appeared in coaching searches before. It could be a Narduzzi-Michigan State type of situation, where he is waiting for the right opportunity. Or it could be that he is happy and content at his alma mater. Regardless of the situation a call needs to be made. Since bringing App State into the FBS in 2014 Satterfield is 40-15 (4-8 in only year as FCS program). However he has never held a power 5 job in any form. Can he handle pressures of P5 teams and fan bases?
Notable jobs: App State OC - FIU OC - Toledo QB
7. Luke Fickell - 45 - Head Coach - Cincinnati - Yes [15-15] - Columbus, OH/Ohio State
One of the few heir apparent to Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Fickell is a tough son of a bitch. Graduated as the all time starts leader at Nose Guard for Ohio State (no clue if that still stands) and bleeds the Scarlet and Gray. He served as the interim to Jim Tressel in 2011 and seemed to be on the fast track to make his true HC debut when Jim Tressel resigned amid NCAA scandals. But after lackluster results (6-7 and 4th place in the Big Ten *~Leaders~* division) the school decided to bring Urban Meyer out of retirement. Fickell would return to his Defensive Coordinators duties before taking the Cincy job in 2017. He started slow again in his first appearance as the Bearcats HC going 4-8, but this year has them looking as tough as they did in the old Big East days with a roaring 5-0 start. Fickell may bide his time in the Buckeye state until the Buckeyes decide they need to cut ties with Meyer.
Notable jobs: Ohio State co-DC - Ohio State IHC - Ohio State co-DC
8. Jason Candle - 38 - Head Coach - Toldeo - Yes [23-9] - Salem, OH/Geneva-Mount Union
Jason Candle is a fun candidate to follow because he has basically been following the career path of aforementioned Matt Campbell - more on that in a second. Candle is a winner, always has been. He played his college ball locally spending two years in Beaver Falls at Geneva, before transferring to Mount Union where he won two national championships as a WR. He then joined the staff under, you guessed it Offensive Coordinator Matt Campbell as a WR coach. When Campbell left MtU for Bowling Green who replaced him as OC? Candle did. When Campbell eventually took a job at Toledo as an OC, Candle joined him. When Campbell was made Head Coach, he made Candle his OC. And finally when Campbell left to become Iowa State's Head Coach, Candle replaced him as Head Coach at Toledo. Fun game right? He's also won more than Campbell at each level (20-7 vs 16-9 in first two full seasons - Campbell finished the next season 9-4 then 9-2 and Candle is 2-2 entering MAC play). Sounds like a trend I want to follow given Campbell just went 8-5.
Notable jobs: Toledo IHC/AHC - Toledo OC
9. Seth Littrell - 40 - Head Coach - North Texas - Yes [18-14] - Muskogee, OK/Oklahoma
Littrell is arguably the most intriguing candidate on this list. He's held a billion P5 jobs at a billion schools all over the country. He was a team captain on the 2000 Oklahoma National Championship team as a Running back. North Texas pays him decently at $1.2M a year (versus Brown who make 800k), and plans on doing hundreds of millions of dollars in athletics renovations over the next 20 years to become a top tier G5 school - and P5 hopeful. I doubt that's enough to tie down Littrell but who knows? He deploys an exciting brand of football filled with trick plays, fast offense, and stout defense. An exciting name to watch - although I think he's more suited for a job in Texas or elsewhere in Big 12 territory.
Notable Jobs: North Carolina AHC - Indiana OC - Arizona OC - Texas Tech RB - Kansas GA
10. Blake Anderson - 49 - Head Coach - Arkansas State - Yes [34-22] - Jonesboro,AR/Baylor
Anderson is the oldest in this group by a decent margin - and his past jobs show it. He has held 21 titles (some were combined like OC/QB and in one case was listed as QB/WR/DB/RC - wow). But he also has a winning track record to his name. He holds two Sun Belt championship - erm - belts and a C-USA championship as OC. Lead Louisianna Lafayette to the #6 overall offense in 2007, beat undefeated Houston in 2011 (while winning 12 games) and set 35 UNC offensive records and finished #8 in scoring offense nationally. There was a small stint between 04-07 that he left coaching to start a private business - but I don't think it is holding him back in his search. He is from the Larry Fedora coaching tree so he knows offense. He also could replace him if UNC decides to fire him, but I find that unlikely (this isn't Campbell-Candle after all)
Notable jobs: North Carolina OC - Southern Miss OC/QB - LA-Laf OC/QB - MTSU co-OC
Next post: group 3 - the coordinators and more!
