Pat Narduzzi led Pitt to an ACC title in 2021 to go along with a strong 11-3 finish.
But after the way this season has unfolded, those glory days seem a lot further behind them in the rearview mirror than they actually are.
The Panthers are sitting at 2-8 heading into the final two weeks of the season with games against Boston College and at Duke.
Even a best-case scenario of a win in both those games would mean a 4-8 season, and that would be the worst season for Narduzzi in nine seasons leading the program. Neither game is a gimme by any stretch as Boston College has won five of their last six games, and Duke has continued to play strong under the leadership of Mike Elko despite losing their star quarterback a few weeks back.
After Narduzzi has led the program to six winning seasons in nine years, six bowl trips, two ACC title trips and an ACC title, Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke realizes that this season has not met anyone's expectations.
She shared a statement with the Post Gazette implying that Narduzzi will be back to work next year, and they will work together to find the path forward.
“This season is not up to Coach Narduzzi’s or Pitt’s standards,” athletic director Heather Lyke shared in a statement to the Post-Gazette.
“He has raised the bar on expectations for our program with an ACC championship and Top 25 finishes the past two years. With the onset of the offseason, we will work together to thoroughly evaluate each aspect of our program, on and off the field, so that we can begin competing for ACC titles again.”
Narduzzi signed a contract extension back in March of 2022 that took him through the 2030 season. Financial terms of that deal have not been disclosed by the school.
Pitt is just 1-5 in ACC play, and heading down the home stretch of the season they have the bottom ranked scoring offense in the league, and their scoring defense ranks a very uncharacteristic 11th.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.