Inside The Panthers

Patriots Hire Former Pitt QB as OC

Former Pitt Panthers quarterback Alex Van Pelt will be the next offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

Stephen Thompson

Patriots Hire Former Pitt QB as OC
Patriots Hire Former Pitt QB as OC /
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PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers quarterback Alex Van Pelt didn't have to wait long to find a new home as an offensive coordinator in the NFL. 

After the Cleveland Browns relieved Van Pelt, still one of the most prolific passers in Pitt history, of his duties at the conclusion of their 2024 playoff run, Van Pelt interviewed for multiple offensive coordinator jobs and finally accepted one with the New England Patriots. 

Van Pelt took over as Cleveland's offensive play-caller for the first time during the 2020 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when head coach Kevin Stefanski missed the game. The Browns lost but Van Pelt proceeded to lead offenses that improved, but still ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in yards and points per game more often than not.

Oddly enough, this was Van Pelt's best season as offensive coordinator, despite key injuries at quarterback and running back. Cleveland ranked 10th in points and 16th in yards per game among NFL teams, even without Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson in the mix for most of the year. Quarterback Joe Flacco revived his career with Van Pelt as his position coach, throwing for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in five games.

Van Pelt still ranks among the most prolific passers in school history. He threw for 10,913 yards, 64 touchdowns and 59 interceptions while completing 57.8% of his passes over four seasons. His single-season record for passing yards (3,163), which broke Dan Marino's previous high-watermark, stood for 11 years after Van Pelt's graduation.

He has 10 years of experience as a player in the NFL and 17 seasons as a coach under his belt with the Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, Bengals and Browns, making it no surprise that other NFL teams are interested in his services. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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