I see Mark Whipple, in a lot of ways, as the yin to Shawn Watson's yang. Whereas Watson was able to develop a good rushing attack but nothing in the way of a passing game, Whipple is the total opposite--decent passing attack, but nothing on the ground whatsoever. I think Narduzzi will be here in 2021 regardless of how this year finishes, and if the offense continues to struggle, I suspect that Duzz will fire Whipple just like he did Watson after 2018, in a continued search of the offensive coordinator who can finally create a more balanced attack.
In doing my research, I was looking for coaches from programs with (1) top passing attacks, combined with (2) strong rushing numbers (i.e. some semblance of balance), that are (3) relatively high-scoring. Bonus points for (4) strong track record with OL. My reasons for those criteria are that (1) I think in the modern NCAA, a dominant passing attack is a key to success; (2) being able to both is key--not that I think I need to convince Pitt fans of that; (3) track record of converting those yards into points since we've so often seen Pitt over the past two years stall out near the goal line; and (4) the OL has been a big part of Pitt's problems since 2017.
I'm sure there are multiple candidates who meet these criteria, but AJ Ricker, the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at SMU, was the one who stood out to me. Here's his recent track record as a coach:
So as far as the criteria that I listed above, Ricker checks a lot of boxes--he's been with offenses that have featured elite passing attacks, decent rushing numbers, high-scoring units, and he's got a lot of experience working with the offensive line (he worked with Illinois, Mizzou, and Western Michigan as an OL coach prior to 2016).
His only blemish over the past five seasons is 2018 with Kansas, though I'm not sure that God himself could've saved that offense. Ricker was hired to run an offense that had won just three total games between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. There's only so much that one can do without any available talent. Everywhere else that he's been, he has been a part of great offenses--three times in the top 10 scoring offenses, four times in the top 20 passing offenses, and often with a respectable rushing attack to go along with it.
Of course, he wasn't the OC with those teams. But surely his coaching style is and will be influenced by the successful teams that he's worked with (and the unsuccessful experiences he's had as well). On top of that, coming to Pitt to be the OC would be a promotion from his current role, it would land him in a better (P5) conference, and it would guarantee him better pay. That's all to say that he is a realistic hire (as opposed to expecting Matt Canada to come back, for instance).
Anyway, that's how I've spent my free time over the past couple of days--doing research into an unreasonably specific "candidate" for Pitt's offensive coordinator job, who is unlikely to ever actually be considered for the job lol. Just trying to **speak it into existence**
In doing my research, I was looking for coaches from programs with (1) top passing attacks, combined with (2) strong rushing numbers (i.e. some semblance of balance), that are (3) relatively high-scoring. Bonus points for (4) strong track record with OL. My reasons for those criteria are that (1) I think in the modern NCAA, a dominant passing attack is a key to success; (2) being able to both is key--not that I think I need to convince Pitt fans of that; (3) track record of converting those yards into points since we've so often seen Pitt over the past two years stall out near the goal line; and (4) the OL has been a big part of Pitt's problems since 2017.
I'm sure there are multiple candidates who meet these criteria, but AJ Ricker, the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at SMU, was the one who stood out to me. Here's his recent track record as a coach:
| Year | Team | Position | Pass Rank (NCAA) yds/game | Rush Rank (NCAA) yds/game | Points/game (NCAA) |
| 2016 | Houston | Offensive Analyst | 296.3 yds/game (17th) | 147.1 yds/game (99th) | 35.8 points/game (26th) |
| 2017 | Oklahoma State | Offensive Analyst | 389.2 yds/game (1st) | 179.9 yds/game (47th) | 45.0 points/game (4th) |
| 2018 | Kansas | Offensive Coordinator | 192.3 yds/game (99th) | 158.6 yds/game (79th) | 23.8 points/game (106th) |
| 2019 | SMU | OL Coach | 309.0 yds/game (13th) | 180.8 yds/game (43nd) | 41.8 points/game (7th) |
| 2020 | SMU | Co-Offensive Coordinator + OL Coach | 339.3 yds/game (11th) | 219.5 yds/game (12th) | 44.0 points/game (5th) |
| 2020 (for comparison) | Pitt | N/A | 284.2 yds/game (21st) | 124.0 yds/game (62nd) | 31.6 points/game (34th) |
So as far as the criteria that I listed above, Ricker checks a lot of boxes--he's been with offenses that have featured elite passing attacks, decent rushing numbers, high-scoring units, and he's got a lot of experience working with the offensive line (he worked with Illinois, Mizzou, and Western Michigan as an OL coach prior to 2016).
His only blemish over the past five seasons is 2018 with Kansas, though I'm not sure that God himself could've saved that offense. Ricker was hired to run an offense that had won just three total games between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. There's only so much that one can do without any available talent. Everywhere else that he's been, he has been a part of great offenses--three times in the top 10 scoring offenses, four times in the top 20 passing offenses, and often with a respectable rushing attack to go along with it.
Of course, he wasn't the OC with those teams. But surely his coaching style is and will be influenced by the successful teams that he's worked with (and the unsuccessful experiences he's had as well). On top of that, coming to Pitt to be the OC would be a promotion from his current role, it would land him in a better (P5) conference, and it would guarantee him better pay. That's all to say that he is a realistic hire (as opposed to expecting Matt Canada to come back, for instance).
Anyway, that's how I've spent my free time over the past couple of days--doing research into an unreasonably specific "candidate" for Pitt's offensive coordinator job, who is unlikely to ever actually be considered for the job lol. Just trying to **speak it into existence**
