PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He said he talked to a lot of candidates. Why would a traditional, defensive-minded head coach hire a 30-year-old who runs a fast-break offense?
Not only is it something Pitt hasn't run ever, let alone under Pat Narduzzi, but he brought in a coach who only had experience coaching in Division II and FCS. Add into the decision Narduzzi was a couple of years into his own coaching career when Kade Bell was born.
Now entering into a decade at Pitt, Narduzzi said he lost sleep over what hire to make. He was stressed out because he knew after being one of the lowest scoring offenses in the nation in 2023 and coming off a three-win season, this was a big hire.
Bell said upon getting the in-person interview in Pittsburgh he was surprised how much homework Narduzzi had done on him. He said is was a full day of talking to people and being tested, but he won the Panthers head coach over.
"His enthusiasm," Narduzzi said. "His energy. He's really, really confident in what he can do. He's a builder. He built his own offense. I built my own defense, he's kinda built in the same mold."
"A coach's kid, those guys are ball coaches. He's got answers to everything."
Now to Bell's style, it is up-tempo. Sometimes as fast as any in all of football. It breaks with the traditional thoughts of a huddle, running the ball, controlling the time of possession. To his credit, Narduzzi is buying into change. You have to think it's challenging to all he's previously known, but the 57-year-old Narduzzi is embracing it.
"Some people think a defensive guy doesn't like that," Narduzzi said. "I could care less. It doesn't help when you go slow and huddle up and I'm looking at the clock and wondering if we are going to have another delay of game. That doesn't help you either."
"As slow as we went last year, we didn't win the time of possession. Some people think defensive people want to win the time of possession. I want to win the game."
Narduzzi said the team held a 30-minute walk-through on Wednesday, which he is permitted to do once a week under NCAA rules before they start Spring drills next month. While Bell has brought a few transfers from Western Carolina, all are new to it and Narduzzi doesn't notice angst from the holdovers that they are playing a completely foreign system to the last two seasons.
"They are excited," Narduzzi said. "You are learning a new offense, new terminology. I think they see how it is going to be faster. They can play faster. They have less thinking on the field. I think that's what every player would like to have."
Narduzzi said they will have the ability to get plays off in as little as seven seconds or they can hold at the line of scrimmage. They also will build it off the run game which is a staple of Narduzzi's offense. It just won't be the coming out of the huddle with the backs in an eye formation and the quarterback under center.
They tried that the last couple of seasons. It didn't work. Now to get the program back to where it can win a conference championship again, Narduzzi is embracing change.
"I couldn't be more excited about Kade Bell and what he can bring to our offense and to our kids," Narduzzi said. "He's the whole package, he really is."
