Inside The Panthers

Pitt Opponent Makes Coordinator Change

A Pitt Panthers opponent from the ACC is making a change at defensive coordinator.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Opponent Makes Coordinator Change
Pitt Opponent Makes Coordinator Change /
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PITTSBURGH -- A Pitt Panthers opponent in the ACC is making a seismic change to their coaching staff this offseason after years of some sub-par results on defense. 

North Carolina, who has been one of Pitt's annual rivals in the Coastal Division since the Panthers entered the league in 2015, announced this week that they had mutually agreed to part ways with defensive coordinator Gene Chizik.

The Tar Heels allowed 27.3 points per game, good for 75th in FBS football, during the 2023 season - not necessarily a sterling stat but still markedly better than their 2022 season during which they allowed 30.8 points per game, which ranked 102nd in college football. 

During his first stint as North Carolina defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2016, Chizik's defenses allowed fewer than 25 points per game and finished ranked inside the top 50 of college football in scoring defense in both seasons. 

The Panthers are slated to play the Tar Heels twice over the next three seasons under the ACC's new scheduling model. Pitt will visit Chapel Hill in 2024 and host the return game in 2025. 

North Carolina has won 12 of the 17 games played between these two schools, including two in a row and eight of the last 10 going back to 2013. 

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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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