Maybe Pat Narduzzi is that guy.
Pittsburgh's veteran head coach, after all, is set to snag an Atlantic Coast Conference rival's coordinator.
Several sources tell FootballScoop that Narduzzi and the Panthers are hiring Mike Priefer. Most recently, Priefer was special teams coordinator for Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2025 season, though Belichick moved on from Priefer as North Carolina reassessed its abysmal 2025 campaign.
At Pittsburgh, Priefer will be the Panthers Special Teams Coordinator, per sources. He replaces Jacob Bronowski, the ex-special teams coordinator who departed Pitt almost a month ago to join Alex Golesh's inaugural Auburn Tigers staff. The two previously had worked together.
In Priefer, Narduzzi is poised to add a strong veteran presence with major-college and NFL experience.
His work as Belichick's first-ever special teams coordinator at North Carolina arrived on the heels of Priefer spending two consecutive decades in the NFL in various roles with numerous franchises.
Priefer had been the special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns across four seasons before a hiatus from football and then his hiring onto Belichick's North Carolina staff.
Priefer's NFL stints include work with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings.
After a collegiate career at Navy, Priefer coached eight seasons in college football be he transitioned into the NFL. He started his career at his alma mater, the Naval Academy and also coached at Virginia Military Institute as well as Northern Illinois.
The Tar Heels slogged through their first season under Belichick, the former record-setting, multi-Super Bowl winning New England Patriots coach. North Carolina closed its 2025 season with an 4-8 ledger.
Pitt had a strong bounce-back season under Narduzzi in 2025 until the Panthers faded late into the year. The Panthers were 7-2 in November and ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25 as they also challenged for a spot in the ACC Championship game.
Instead, Pitt was blown out by longtime rival Notre Dame, at home, as well as Miami, at home -- the latter of which ended any shot at a spot in the ACC title bout.
The Panthers concluded their season with a loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
Up next? Pittsburgh is scheduled to open the 2026 season, its 12th with Narduzzi at the helm, Sept. 5 at home against Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio). The Panthers then host Scott Frost's UCF Golden Knights and the Football Championship Subdivision Bucknell Bison before entering into ACC play.