Inside The Panthers

Pitt's Pat Narduzzi Drops in Head Coach Rankings

Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi is still considered one of the better coaches in college football despite a down 2023 campaign.

Stephen Thompson

Sep 2, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts on
Sep 2, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts on / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers were considered to have a top-20 coach in all of college football going into the 2023 season but after a 3-9 campaign that marked the worst of Pat Narduzzi's tenure, he's dropped in The Sporting News' latest head coach rankings.

Narduzzi, who is entering his 10th year at the helm for the Panthers, was slotted at No. 28 in this year's rankings - down 11 spots from his 2023 ranking and sandwiched in between Minnesota's P.J. Fleck at No. 29 and Oklahoma's Brent Venables at No. 27 - by the Sporting News' Bill Bender.

Clemson's Dabo Swinney (No. 2), Louisville's Jeff Brohm (No. 18), North Carolina's Mack Brown (No. 21) and NC State's Dave Doeren were the only ACC coaches ranked ahead of Narduzzi.

Narduzzi has not only stabalized Pitt from the frequently lows of the early 2010's but delivered the program's first outright conference championship in 2021. He owns a 65-50 record as head coach at Pitt and has sent 27 players to the NFL via the draft since arriving in Pittsburgh.

His most recent season has inspired some more sour feelings about his abilities as a coach, but the fact remains that he has improved Pitt's profile steadily since taking over as head coach and The Sporting News agrees that he's earned some more national respect despite the struggles of 2023.

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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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