Inside The Panthers

Pitt Assistant Coach Rumored for Texas Job

One of the Pitt Panthers assistant coaches may head down to Texas.

Dominic Campbell

Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi observes warm ups before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi observes warm ups before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers may lose one of their top assistants to a job at one of the best programs in the country.

Anwar Richardson, who covers Texas football for Orangebloods.com, reported that Pitt assistant head coach, secondary/safeties coach Cory Sanders is one of the top three candidates for the vacat Texas safeties coach position.

The other two candidates that join Sanders include Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens and Rutgers cornerbacks coach Marh Orphey.

Sanders just completed his seventh season at Pitt in charge of the safeties group, which included seniors Donovan McMillon and Phillip O'Brien Jr. and redshirt junior Javon McIntyre, along with redshirt freshman Cruce Brookins.

McMillon earned All-ACC Second Team honors for his play in 2024, finishing with 108 tackles (51 solo), along with seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception,

He played in college for Saint Joseph's in Collegeville, Ind. at the Division II level from 2003-06. He earned four-time All-Conference honors, served as team captain three times, won two conference championships and make 30.5 tackles for loss, ranking fifth in program history when he graduated.

Sanders then coached defensive backs at both North Central College in 2007 and Elmhurst College from 2008-09, before heading back to his alma mater.

He worked as a defensive back for Saint Joseph's in 2010, before taking over as head coach for the next four seasons. The team struggled his first season, 2-8, but he finished the next three seasons with winning records, including 6-5 in 2012, 7-3 in 2013 and 8-3 in 2014.

Sanders ended his time with Saint Joseph's with a 23-18 record and 16-10 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

He then went to West Florida at the end of 2014 and spent 18 months building the new Division II program into a team that would compete. His work as defensive coordinator helped West Florida finish 2016, their first ever season, 5-6 overall, the most wins for a first-year Division II program in over a decade.

Sanders then earned his first position at the Division I level, spending the 2017 season as a defensive backs coach at Western Michigan. He helped cornerbacks Darius Phillips and Sam Beal earn All-MAC honors that season, with Phillips also playing in the Senior Bowl. Phillips and Beal also earned NFL Draft selections, from the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.

His work at Pitt led to great careers in college to progress into the NFL. Some of the players he worked with in past seasons include Paris Ford, Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson, Erick Hallett II and Brandon Hill, who all earned All-ACC honors.

Hamlin, Jackson, Hallett and Hill all play in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans, respectively.

Sanders also earned a promotion and the title of associate head coach prior to the 2024 season.

Pitt hasn't made any major coaching changes this offseason, but made many following the end of the 2023 season.

Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., along with offensive line coach Dave Borbely, tight ends coach Tim Salem and running backs and special teams coach Andre Powell after a bad 2023 season, that saw the team struggle mighily on offense.

Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Tiquan Underwood left for the NFL, like Partridge, taking an assistant wide receivers coaching position with the New England Patriots.

Pitt replaced these coaches this offseason as well. Kade Bell took over as offensive coordinator and brought with him Jeremy Darveau for offensive line and JJ Laster for wide receivers.

Jacob Bronowski left Miami (Ohio) to take over tight ends and special teams responsibilities, Tim Daoust left East Carolina to lead the defensive line and Lindsey Lamar departed Howard to coach the running backs.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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