Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi wasted no time in an attempt to reverse the team’s fortunes when he fired offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti Jr. on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the end of the season.
Cignetti spent the past two seasons with the Panthers — his third stint with Pitt after serving with Dave Wannstedt in 2009 and ‘10 and working as a graduate assistant in 1989 — but the offense took a dramatic turn for the worse this season.
A veteran of 34 seasons as an assistant in college (23 years) and the NFL (11), Cignetti, 58, was hired after Mark Whipple departed in 2021. He led an offense that employed three different starting quarterbacks — a total of five — in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Pitt won nine games in 2022 while Cignetti tutored Kedon Slovis, Nick Patti and Nate Yarnell in a season in which his father, legendary coach Frank Cignetti Sr., died the morning of the second game of the season.
At the outset of this season, the hope was that Cignetti’s relationship with quarterback Phil Jurkovec that started when both were at Boston College would boost the Pitt offense. But Jurkovec and later Christian Veilleux, a transfer from Penn State, were benched after making five starts each. Jurkovec threw three interceptions, but all came in an embarrassing 17-6 loss to long-time rival West Virginia. Veilleux threw more interceptions than touchdown passes (eight/seven) in his five games.
Through the turbulence of the season, Cignetti remained optimistic that the offense would improve.
“Every day’s a great day,” he told reporters late in the season.
Pitt finally found some consistency in its passing game when Yarnell, a redshirt sophomore, started the final two games: a victory and a defeat. He completed 66.1% of his passes while throwing four touchdown passes with one interception. Jurkovec and Veilleux combined to complete only 51% for the season.
Narduzzi might have dropped a hint about his plans after Pitt’s season-ending 30-19 loss to Duke on Saturday when he said, “We have to score more points.” The loss dropped Pitt to 3-9, its worst finish since 1998.
“I want to thank Frank for his service and dedication to our football program the past two years,” Narduzzi said in a statement. “We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Next up for Narduzzi is hiring his sixth offensive coordinator since he was named head coach nine years ago. Of the previous five, Shawn Watson and Cignetti were fired. Jim Chaney and Matt Canada spent one season each at Pitt (2015 and 2016) before accepting jobs at Georgia and LSU, respectively. Whipple was Kenny Pickett’s coordinator, quarterbacks coach and confidante from 2019-21 before leaving for one season at Nebraska.
Pitt was among the worst offensive units in the Power 5 this season, finishing last in the ACC in average points (20.2), total yards (317.9) and rushing yards (101.9). Pitt failed to score at least 20 points in six of 12 games.
The Panthers’ offense was handcuffed by constant change in the offensive line after it lost Matt Goncalves, one of the top tackles in the ACC, and guard Ryan Jacoby to season-ending injuries. Veteran center/guard Jake Kradel also missed four starts because of an injury.
As a result, Pitt fielded different combinations of offensive linemen in nine of the 12 games.
This offseason is a vital one for Pitt and Narduzzi in an attempt to bolster the roster through the transfer portal that opens Dec. 4. That timetable clearly triggered Narduzzi’s action in making an important staff change.
Pitt also must finalize its 2024 recruiting class in time for signing day Dec. 20.
It’s unclear if Narduzzi will hire a new coordinator before those dates. But he must move swiftly, with several coaching changes occurring across the NCAA.
