Pitt to hire OC
Arkansas’ Chaney likely to be hired as ‘O’ coordinator
Pitt is expected to hire Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney for the same position. Chaney also has coached at Tennessee and Purdue, and in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is expected to hire Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney for the same position with the Panthers, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. An announcement could come as early as today. The move was first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Thayer Evans. Chaney spent the past two years with the Razorbacks, calling plays in their pro-style offense. This year, Arkansas ranked 26th in Division I-A with 218 rushing yards per game. He had two running backs surpass 1,000 yards in Jonathan Williams (1,190 yards) and Alex Collins (1,100 yards). By the end of the season, Arkansas’ offense put up more than 30 points on top30 defenses Texas and Mississippi. The Razorbacks scored 30 on the Rebels, who ended the season with Division I-A’s best scoring defense. Arkansas finished the season 42nd in scoring offense, averaging 31.9 points per game. Narduzzi said Saturday he prefers an offensive coordinator with play-calling experience, and Chaney fills that requirement. The move should also ensure a relatively smooth transition, as Chaney’s offense appears to be relatively similar to the one the Panthers ran under former coach Paul Chryst. Before his stint with the Razorbacks, Chaney spent four years as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator under head coaches Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley. Chaney got his first offensive coordinator job in 1997 at Purdue, a role he held until 2005. During that time, he oversaw the development of future NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees and Kyle Orton. Hiring Chaney would also represent a bit of a coup for Narduzzi — luring a coordinator out of the mighty Southeastern Conference, which has a reputation for featuring some of the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football. Terms of Chaney’s deal with Pitt will not be released, but he made $552,000 last year at Arkansas, according to USA Today. Chaney would be the fourth staff member officially hired by Narduzzi. Josh Conklin (defensive coordinator), Andre Powell (special teams coordinator/ running backs) and Dave Andrews (strength and conditioning) were announced Friday.