PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There is something very distinctive about the new Pitt receivers coach Tiquan Underwood. You notice it the minute he walks into a room.
That hair.
The 34-year-old rocks the popular 80's flat-top or box look.
"I realize that not a lot of people have this haircut, so I said I wanted to be different," Underwood said. "It's not about sticking out, but I want to be different. I'm comfortable in my skin. I'm comfortable who I am."
Underwood's style doesn't date back as far as the history of the cut, rather to 2011. He did it as a joke on the dare of two of his close friends, Jason and Devin McCourty.
"I've been riding it out as a player and now as a coach, you definitely don't see a lot of coaches with it," Underwood said.
It makes him distinctive. Imagine coaches walking into a high school looking for players, there is no chance that once you see Underwood you don't know who he is and now what school he represents.
"It helps with recruiting," Underwood said. "Anything that will help with recruiting, I am for. They are like 'that is the coach with the high top'. Once I meet a kid, they aren't going to forget who I am."
That is true, Pitt receiver Addison Copeland was committed to Rutgers at one point because of Copeland. For more reasons than just his haircut, but it did make him stand apart from others.
"There is something about that box cut," said freshman receiver Addison Copeland. "The box definitely does something."
His abilities as a coach will ultimately spell his success, but Pitt's newest coach is someone who's worked for everything he has, brings a fresh energy, heaps of confidence and a look you won't forget.
Underwood is currently searching for a Pittsburgh barber. He's going back home in a few days to get it worked on now. In the future, he's looking for suggestions but noted 'you can't just let anybody touch this'.
