Pat Narduzzi Will Be Next Head Coach at Pitt Per Report

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi will be the next head coach at Pitt. The official deal is expected to be announced after Christmas. That should be a solid hire, presuming the MSU job doesn’t open up in the next couple years.

While Narduzzi’s 2014 unit took a dip with personnel losses, his previous three defenses ranked in the Top 10 in FEI Defense. His strengths at Michigan State were establishing a system and finding and developing under the radar talent, two things he will have to do to succeed at Pitt.

While not unexpected – Narduzzi has been on radars for a while – this should be a substantial blow to Michigan State and Mark Dantonio. Narduzzi has been Dantonio’s defensive coordinator since he first took over as Cincinnati head coach in 2004. Opposing Big Ten fans, especially those in Ann Arbor, won’t be sad he’s departing.

Along with Ohio State OC Tom Herman, the Big Ten has lost two Broyles Award winners this offseason.