Pitt hires new offensive coordinator
and be part of what Pat Narduzzi is building there,” Watson said in a statement released by Pitt.
Watson is a native of Carbondale, Ill., and a graduate of Southern Illinois, where he was head coach from 1994-96.
He has been an assistant at six schools since then, but it was before that when he met Narduzzi; the two were on the Miami (Ohio) staff in the early 1990s.
“Pat is one of my closest and dearest friends,” Watson said. “I’ve known him for a very long time and have always admired the passion and energy he brings to coaching and teaching.”
Coincidentally, Narduzzi took over Watson’s old job when they were at Miami. Watson served as wide receivers coach there in 1989, then moved to quarterbacks coach the next year.
In 1990, Narduzzi got his start in coaching as a RedHawks graduate assistant, then became the wide receivers coach.
“Shawn Watson was one of my first mentors in this business,” Narduzzi said in the statement. “He sat me down as a young coach and taught me how to work with wide receivers in my first full-time job at Miami in the early 1990s. Ever since that time, we have always talked about being able to reunite on the same staff again. I’m really thrilled that the time has finally arrived and he’ll be joining us at Pitt as our new offensive coordinator.”
When Jim Chaney, Pitt’s offensive coordinator in Narduzzi’s first season, left in 2015, Narduzzi said then it would do the program no good to have a coach who comes in and only stays for one year.
But Canada, Chaney’s replacement, did exactly that.
Wednesday, Narduzzi didn’t mention loyalty or continuity as considerations for this hire, but insisted that his foremost priority in picking his offensive coordinator would be character.
“Shawn is, first and foremost, a wonderful person and father,” Narduzzi said of Watson. “As a football coach, he is extremely knowledgeable, an excellent recruiter and will be a tremendous strength in the quarterback room and offensive staff room.”
Watson’s last full-time coordinator job was from 201213 at Louisville, where he coached NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and the Cardinals went 23-3 in those seasons.
He also called plays in 2014 as assistant head coach at Texas before being stripped of those duties one game into the 2015 season by head coach Charlie Strong. Watson was fired after the season.
He also had a stint from 2007-10 at Nebraska as offensive coordinator under coach Bo Pelini, who did not retain Watson after his fourth year. Now, Watson has big shoes to fill after Pitt’s breakout season on offense under Canada.
Pitt’s spring practices will begin next month, with a new face starting at quarterback and now a new face coaching him.
“Pat and his staff have accomplished so much in such a short period of time at Pitt,” Watson said.
“I can’t wait to join them, meet our players and get ready for spring ball.”