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ACC Coaching Notes; Narduzzi to Pittsburgh a Success

By David Albiani

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Pat Narduzzi has learned from Mark Dantonio at Michigan State, building a top defense year after year. Can he bring Pittsburgh to the top in 2015? Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Chryst leaves Pittsburgh for Wisconsin; Pittsburgh hires Michigan State DC Pat Narduzzi

The only major coaching change to have occurred in the ACC so far has been the departure of Paul Chryst from Pitt. Chryst was a good fit for Pittsburgh who finally had gotten back to their preferred style of play, running the ball, utilizing play action, and playing physical run defense. This style helped them return to a respectable on the field product and behind stellar running back James Conner, had a chance to be in the thick of things next year with a somewhat down ACC.

Chryst had been at Pttsburgh since 2012, and leaves behind a well stocked cupboard for incoming Coach Pat Narduzzi.  Chryst curiously leaves behind the allure of chasing an ACC crown with a potential Heisman trophy winner in his backfield to head to Wisconsin where the roster is always full of lineman and running backs to ensure a ground and pound type team.

Before being hired by Pittsburgh, Chryst was the offensive coordinator in Wisconsin from 2005-2011, and always had a low turnover, team that left little doubt of what to expect against them. The decision for him clearly was about the dream of going to a place where he considers special, as well as the thought that Pittsburgh is just not a top end job, while also parlaying his success into what some consider to be one of the most steady programs in the country.

The thought here is that Chryst made a mistake, especially with John Harbaugh returning to the college ranks at Michigan, and the defending national chamion Ohio State Buckeyes returning most of their team. Only time will tell if he can make the team successful with two elite coaches in the conference, as well as other very good coaches such as Mark Dantonio (Michigan St.) , James Franklin (Penn. St.), and Mike Riley (Nebraska).

As for Narduzzi, the hire couldn’t have fit what Pittsburgh needs any better. Narduzzi had a great predecessor in the aforementioned Mark Dantonio, but also is a highly intelligent coach who is one of the most bright defensive minds in the country. Narduzzi has been a defensive coordinator since 2003 with stops in Miami (OH) for one year, Cincinnati from 2004-2006, and most recently Michigan State from 2007 on. Narduzzi brings an absolute professionalism, and a do your job mentality and will without a doubt instill those factors in his players.

Narduzzi also has excellent ties in the Midwest from his ties to Michigan State and is great at developing young defensive players, routinely getting the lesser recruits, but never settling for the lesser product on the field. On the offensive side of the ball Narduzzi will likely rely on James Conner to carry the load in his first year, and quarterback Chad Voytik to continue to minimize turnovers. Narduzzi will have an excellent shot to build something special in the coming years at Pittsburgh.

This year’s defense at Pitt figures to be one that will bend and won’t break, however if anyone can get the most out of the current roster Narduzzi will be the one. The only question for Pittsburgh is can Conner repeat his monster totals from last year, and can they develop play makers on the outside to help Voytik and take the load off Conner slightly. If they can do those things, Pittsburgh fans will be in for quite a season.

Tood Grantham turned down a chance for an NFL defensive coordinator job to stay DC at Louisville. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Todd Grantham turns down the Oakland Raider’s DC job to remain at Louisville.

The most surprising ACC news over the past few days was without a doubt Grantham’s decision to turn down an NFL job to remain defensive coordinator at Louisville. Grantham was reportedly offered the job, but decided against leaving Bobby Petrino and Louisville, which loses a number of key players on the defensive side of the ball such as All ACC first team safety Gerod Holliman and senior linebacker and All ACC second teamer Lorenzo Mauldin.

The thing that makes this most surprising is that these opportunities do not come along often. Most coordinators do not make a jump from coordinator in college to coordinator in the NFL. Most coaches go from coordinator in college to a positional coach in the NFL. Another reason that this is a curious decision is that although the Raiders have a multitude of problems, and will always be known for the poor management they had in the past, they have some talent on the defensive side of the ball, and will only add to it in the coming draft, as well as free agency (Ndamukong Suh anyone?).

Everyone knows that college coordinator jobs are extremely taxing. The coaches work extremely hard to develop players, and never know if they will end up producing or even if they do produce, there is no guarantee they will stay all four years.

That being said, there are very few coaches as talented as Grantham, who worked under current defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, Dom Capers. Capers is a magician in his own right and undoubtedly helped mold Grantham.

The news is surprising that he decided to stay, but betting on yourself in the long run, can always be viewed as a wise choice. Look for Louisville to continue to play well under Grantham, and for him to eventually get a shot at a head coaching job in college very soon.

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