The Pitt Panthers have a better roster than their record suggests. Pat Narduzzi's team followed up a loss in the Backyard Brawl to a bad West Virginia team with a defeat at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals, which are not expected to be a contender at the top of the ACC. While it was a surprise to some in the Pittsburgh area when the Panthers were projected to finish near the bottom of the conference ahead of the football season by ACC media, it's become more clear by the day that the reason for that is simple – Narduzzi himself.
Narduzzi was hired back in 2014 after spending seven years as the defensive coordinator at Michigan State. Narduzzi was an excellent DC, and for most part has been a stable force leading Pitt football. However, in recent years his act has grown stale. The Panthers' recruiting and NIL funds are lacking. The product on the field is poor as well, which shouldn't come as a surprise given everything I just mentioned.
What is Pat Narduzzi's buyout at Pitt?
Pitt finally forced Narduzzi to hire and stick with an offensive coordinator with independent control in Kade Bell prior to last season. Because of this, the Panthers have seen some success on that side of the ball. Yet, it's far from enough to justify keeping Narduzzi, a man who continues to cost Pitt field position, timeouts and their defensive game plan in close games.
Unfortunately for Pitt fans, they do not know Narduzzi's buyout. The Panthers signed Narduzzi to a contract extension back in 2022, and he is under contract through 2030. That was an ill-timed decision, and coincided with one of the only opportunities Narduzzi's had to coach a top-tier quarterback in future first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
Narduzzi's buyout hasn't been made public in part because Pitt doesn't have to. While most Power-4 institutions have made this information public, Pitt is seemingly afraid of its own fanbase, which is frothing at the mouth to get Narduzzi out the door.
Why won't Pitt fire Pat Narduzzi
Pitt is a program afraid of change. It's why they didn't fire Narduzzi after last season – an undeniable disappointment – in favor for starting over. Panthers fans have been patient. They'd be willing to wait even longer for the right coach, if hired and presented in that fashion.
Narduzzi was 53-37 before signing his extension in 2022. Since then, he is 21-22. Losses in the ACC can be expected, but defeats at the hands of a bad West Virginia team cannot. Against Louisville on Saturday, Narduzzi cost his team field position, punted late in the fourth quarter when his team was already reeling, called untimely timeouts and blew a 17-0 lead. This all came after a bye week.
Pitt fans are familiar with the up-and-down nature of this team. It's what they sign up for to root for the Panthers. Sure, there are memorable upsets – but there are also unforgivable losses.
Recently, there have been too much of the latter than the former.