Which former Pitt players are now coaching in the FBS?

[HailToPitt725]

Off the top of my head:

Younger guys
• Mike Shanahan (OC/TE) and Tino Sunseri (QB), James Madison
• Nate Byham (TE), Stanford

Older guys
• Sal Sunseri (DT), Colorado

Who else is out there, if any? I’m interested in seeing how Shanahan does this year at JMU. He’s starting to look like someone we should keep an eye on, whether it be for a future offensive coordinator position or even as a potential successor to Coach Narduzzi someday.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

Sal is on Deion's staff? I know Sal has been something of a coaching journeyman, but somehow I don't see that.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Sal is on Deion's staff? I know Sal has been something of a coaching journeyman, but somehow I don't see that.

Yeah, that caught me off guard as well, especially since he’s tended to stay in SEC territory. Only way it makes sense is if he’s meant to help Coach Prime recruit in the south since, apparently, he’s preferring to do that rather than recruit the west coast.

I always wanted him to end up back at Pitt, but we have the best DL coach in college football now so it’s a moot point.

 

[Usuallyunusual-partdeux]

Off the top of my head:

Younger guys
• Mike Shanahan (OC/TE) and Tino Sunseri (QB), James Madison
• Nate Byham (TE), Stanford

Older guys
• Sal Sunseri (DT), Colorado

Who else is out there, if any? I’m interested in seeing how Shanahan does this year at JMU. He’s starting to look like someone we should keep an eye on, whether it be for a future offensive coordinator position or even as a potential successor to Coach Narduzzi someday.

I like the idea of an offensive minded head coach next, but all the defensive guys to the league is hard to complain about.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

Is Eric Thatcher still coaching? I couldn’t find a current article confirming that he is.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

Hank Poteat is the cornerbacks coach at Iowa State.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

Jarred Holley is the cornerbacks coach at North Texas.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

Joe Conlin - HC @ Fordham

 

[goalieman]

Off the top of my head:

Younger guys
• Mike Shanahan (OC/TE) and Tino Sunseri (QB), James Madison
• Nate Byham (TE), Stanford

Older guys
• Sal Sunseri (DT), Colorado

Who else is out there, if any? I’m interested in seeing how Shanahan does this year at JMU. He’s starting to look like someone we should keep an eye on, whether it be for a future offensive coordinator position or even as a potential successor to Coach Narduzzi someday.

Jarred Holley is the cornerbacks coach at North Texas.

Jarred Holley is now the cornerback coach at James Madison (he moved from North Texas to JMU after the past season) ..... so JMU has Shanahan, Sunseri, and Holley plus Curt Cignetti (who previously coached at Pitt) on their staff ..... Holley was teammates with Shanahan and Sunseri at Pitt.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

Joe Conlin - HC @ Fordham

I was going to mention him, but Fordham isn't FBS.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Joe Conlin - HC @ Fordham

He seems like a strong candidate to make a jump to FBS someday; his overall record doesn’t show it, but he’s done a good job turning the Rams around. I guess between him and Moorhead, Fordham should just keep hiring Western PA guys.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

I just saw at Conference USA media day that Biff Poggi is now HC at UNC Charlotte. I think he was briefly on the team at Pitt, not sure if he played. I remember he left St. Francis to be an analyst at Michigan, but didn’t realize he was hired at Charlotte.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

Sal is on Deion's staff? I know Sal has been something of a coaching journeyman, but somehow I don't see that.

Well, Sal should be able to inform Deion who Narduzzi is, then … 🙄

 

[steelcurtain55.]

I just saw at Conference USA media day that Biff Poggi is now HC at UNC Charlotte. I think he was briefly on the team at Pitt, not sure if he played. I remember he left St. Francis to be an analyst at Michigan, but didn’t realize he was hired at Charlotte.

Biff is an interesting guy. He proved that $$$ can buy you an elite team but if the other team has the #1 QB in the nation it still might not be enough. That QB was Bryce Young.

 

[_Goldenboy_]

I’m pretty sure that Chris Schneider is the CB coach for Mansfield University’s Sprint FB team.

 

[CJsE]

Hank Poteat is the cornerbacks coach at Iowa State.

Matt Campbell, the HC at Iowa State, was at Pitt for a year. Not sure if that counts.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Matt Campbell, the HC at Iowa State, was at Pitt for a year. Not sure if that counts.

Maybe not, but that explains the connection there. Didn’t put that together until now… good catch.

 

[CJsE]

Brennan Carroll is the OC at Arizona.

 

[str61166]

Matt Campbell, the HC at Iowa State, was at Pitt for a year. Not sure if that counts.

I personally wouldn’t count it as I doubt he associates much (if at all) with Pitt. His overall body of work at Iowa St is solid especially after inheriting a mess left by Paul Rhoads, but they seem to be trending down lately. From preseason #7 to 7 wins in 2021, 4-8 last season and picked 10th in the Big 12 preseason media poll… he’s got a bit of a storm to weather.

 

[CJsE]

I personally wouldn’t count it as I doubt he associates much (if at all) with Pitt. His overall body of work at Iowa St is solid especially after inheriting a mess left by Paul Rhoads, but they seem to be trending down lately. From preseason #7 to 7 wins in 2021, 4-8 last season and picked 10th in the Big 12 preseason media poll… he’s got a bit of a storm to weather.

Agreed as far as the Pitt connection. But they'd be foolish to make a move away from him, they're Iowa State. They've finished ranked in the top 25 twice in their 130+ year history, both of those have happened under Campbell in the last 5 years. He probably has more weeks ranked in the top 25 in 5 years than the entire history of the school before him.

 

[str61166]

Agreed as far as the Pitt connection. But they'd be foolish to make a move away from him, they're Iowa State. They've finished ranked in the top 25 twice in their 130+ year history, both of those have happened under Campbell in the last 5 years. He probably has more weeks ranked in the top 25 in 5 years than the entire history of the school before him.

Oh no doubt, I didn’t mean to make a point that his job was in danger. In fact, given he started a year after Narduzzi who is apparently already the 10th longest tenured coach in P5 right now, he’s right up there in his time at Iowa St already and has earned some leeway to try to turn things around if they do continue to go south for them.

 

[CJsE]

Oh no doubt, I didn’t mean to make a point that his job was in danger. In fact, given he started a year after Narduzzi who is apparently already the 10th longest tenured coach in P5 right now, he’s right up there in his time at Iowa St already and has earned some leeway to try to turn things around if they do continue to go south for them.

also, ignore everything that I said about ending the season ranked as I was looking in the wrong column and was actually looking at CFP final rankings. He finished in AP voting once and Iowa State 3 total times in their history.

 

[HailToPitt725]

also, ignore everything that I said about ending the season ranked as I was looking in the wrong column and was actually looking at CFP final rankings. He finished in AP voting once and Iowa State 3 total times in their history.

It seems like a similar position that Northwestern and Stanford have been in previously. Yeah, they’ve regressed a little, but could Iowa State realistically do better than Matt Campbell? I don’t think so personally. Maybe they will in the new Big 12.