Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Shares Best Mike Tomlin Advice

Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reveals that Mike Tomlin has given him one piece of advice in 11 years of sharing a building.

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In an interview with Football America!, Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi dicussed the current state of Pitt football, along with his career. Narduzzi was asked about his relationship with former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who recently stepped down after their playoff exit this past season.

"I never gave him any advice. He gave me one piece of advice," Narduzzi said. He then went on to explain that after a loss to Penn State in 2018, Tomlin called him giving a very particular piece of advice.

Pitt was dealing with a backup holder and punter in the game, which resulted in a muffed extra point that changed the momentum. Pitt ended up losing 51-6.

Tomlin ended up calling Narduzzi later that week after his Steelers lost to their rival Browns. It turned out that Tomlin was watching the Pitt game with the Steelers punter. Both the Steelers' and Pitts' punters were from Australia and pracited together in the offseason.

Narduzzi reports that Tomlin told him, "My punter says your punter never wears gloves [in practice], he shouldn't be wearing gloves in gameday.' I'm like, 'No sh*t'" Narduzzi said. Narduzzi then called Pitt's punter and lectured him to not put on special equipment without Narduzzi's approval. "That was the best advice I've gotten in 11 years".

Narduzzi says that missed extra point was a total momentum killer and cost them to game. It's hard to blame one mistake in a 45-point loss, but momentum swings are a huge thing in football.

Steelers and Pitt Relationship

The Pitt Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers have been sharing a stadium since 2001. This has led to some debate the past season for both teams, as the field conditions haven't been top notch. Pitt also recently acknowledged the size of the stadium being an issue for Pitt games, announcing they will close some of the upper stands for future seasons.

In the same interview with Football America!, Narduzzi has said he doesn't have much of a relationship with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy just yet. "You would think we were thick as thieves, he's busy since he's got here. When he got here, the [transfer] portal was open, we were trying to finish our recruiting class."

This will be Narduzzi's first season as Pitt head coach with the Steelers having a new head coach. While Pitt is one of few college football teams to share a building, the two teams seem to stay their seperate ways. But, recent Panther and draft pick Kyle Louis did talk about how the Steelers pay attention to possible Pitt players worth drafting.

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