Inside The Panthers

Pitt Gives OC Kade Bell New Contract

Details on the new contract for Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell surfaced on Friday

Kevin Sinclair

Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell looks at his play chart against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell looks at his play chart against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
In this story:

According to a scoop from Pete Thamel of ESPN, offensive coordinator Kade Bell has a new contract in place with the Pitt Panthers. 

Thamel’s post on X: “Sources: Pitt has agreed to new contract for offensive coordinator Kade Bell, which includes both an extension and a raise. Bell, 32, is expected to be paid among the top third of ACC offensive coordinators.”

Just minutes later, Pete Nakos of On3 Sports announced on X that Bell’s new contract is a three-year deal. 

During his three seasons leading the Western Carolina offense from 2021 to 2023, serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under his father Kerwin Bell. In his final season with the Catamounts, Bell’s offense was in the Top 10 nationally. 

In its own conference, Western Carolina led the FCS in total offense with 504.1 yards per game on average during Bell’s final year on staff. The Catamounts finished third in passing offense (321.1 yards per game), and fourth in scoring (37.5 points per game). 

After joining the Pitt coaching staff, Bell was essential in developing Eli Holstein into one of the top newcomers in the ACC through the 7-0 start. Had the Pitt quarterback remained healthy through the back half of the season, Bell’s offense certainly would’ve finished much stronger than where it landed as a 7-6 program. 

In his Pitt debut, Bell’s impact was immediately obvious. Holstein completed 75 percent of his passes, throwing 30 of 40 for 336 yards and three touchdowns with one interception as the Panthers ousted Kent State 55-24. 

With Bell returning and armed with Holstein, star running back Desmond Reid, and two returning starters in the receiver rotation, the young offensive coordinator has a shot at pushing the Pitt offense to higher numbers in the 2025-26 season.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt

Published
Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

Home/Football