Pitt’s Narduzzi Laments Lack of Talent Months After Ripping Deion Sanders’s Use of Transfers

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi might need to reconsider his thoughts on transfers.

Pitt lost to Notre Dame in embarrassing fashion on Saturday, falling 58–7. It was the Panthers’ biggest loss in the rivalry matchup since losing 60–6 in 1996.

After the game, Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi got himself in a bit of hot water when he told media that his roster did not have the talent to replace departures from last year’s team.

“You lose a lot of good players a year ago, you think as a coach you’re going to replace them, we obviously haven’t,” Narduzzi said. “It starts with me. I didn’t do a good enough job of coaching today. Put it on me. We’ve got to make plays. It comes down to making plays and doing a better job of coaching.”

While Narduzzi would quickly backtrack the more inflammatory part of his statement, reiterating that the blame fell first on him as coach, the damage was done. Several Pitt players had already posted responses to his comments on social media.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is in hot water after comments made about the talent on his roster after a blowout loss to Notre Dame. During the offseason, he was critical of Deion Sanders’s method of revamping Colorado football :: Kimberly Moss/USA TODAY Sports

Beyond the fact that it's ill form to throw your players under the bus as Narduzzi did, his comments also sounded a bit curious when compared to what he had to say about Colorado coach Deion Sanders earlier in the year.

When Sanders took the Colorado job, he brought in dozens of transfers, including several high profile players with him from Jackson State, most notably his son Shedeur Sanders and two-way phenom Travis Hunter. Narduzzi took issue with how broadly Sanders had revamped the Buffs roster through the transfer portal.

“That’s not the way it’s meant to be,” Narduzzi said back in May. “That’s not what the [transfer portal] rule intended to be. It was not to overhaul your roster. We’ll see how it works out but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country.”

Jump back to Narduzzi's comments after the Panthers' loss to Notre Dame. Pitt lost a lot of good players, and thought they were going to replace them, but obviously they didn't. It sounds like someone would like another shot at the transfer portal.

With the loss, Pitt falls to 2–6 on the season, with No. 4 Florida State next on the schedule.