Pitt's Kade Bell Linked to SEC Job

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell could be on the move over the offseason.

Bell has been connected to the offensive coordinator position at Florida by On'3 Pete Nakos. The Gators are in the midst of rebuilding their coaching staff under new head coach Jon Sumrall.

Georgia Tech's Buster Faulkner and Tennessee's Joey Halzle were also named potential candidates for the opening.

Bell's Pitt Tenure

Bell's most recent coaching accolade has been finding and developing starting freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel. Less than a year ago, Heintschel was a three-star recruit with one Power Four offer, and is now one of the most promising freshman quarterbacks in the country after he led Pitt to a five-game win streak and a 6-2 record as a starter.

Not to mention that the winning streak put the Panthers within one win of clinching a spot in the ACC Championship game.

Pitt's offense has seen a steep increase in production since Bell has taken over. In 2023, the Panthers' offense ranked eighth in passing in the ACC, and last in scoring, total yards and rushing.

Those rankings rose upon Bell's arrival in 2024, where the offense ranked sixth in scoring, 10th in rushing, fourth in passing and seventh in total yards. The offense improved again in some areas this season, finishing first in scoring, 13th in rushing, fifth in passing and ninth in total yards.

On the national level, Pitt finished with a top 25 scoring and passing offense, along with finishing 65th in total offense, but 116th in rushing.

Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell calls a play into his headset against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There have also been some struggles for Pitt's offense under Bell. Most of which has come against top competition.

Pitt scored just 22 points this season against the two top-15 opponents it faced and has historically underperformed in those games under Bell.

Against the four top-25 opponents this season, Pitt's offense averaged 24.5 points, 223.8 passing yards, 110.3 rushing yards and 334.0 total yards per game. The offense also converted on third down 26.4% of the time in those games.

For comparison, Pitt's offense averaged 19.0 points, 210.0 passing yards, 85.8 rushing yards, 295.8 total yards per game and converted on 17.4% of third downs against four top-25 opponents in former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.'s final season.

Bell's Connection to Florida

Bell was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fla., which is about 75 miles, or a two-hour drive, from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He attended Jacksonville University, where he was a four-year starter at quarterback from 2011-15 under his father, Kerwin Bell, who once played quarterback for the Florida Gators from 1984-87. His father was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1988 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts.

Bell began his coaching career as an offensive grad assistant and a passing game coordinator at Valdosta State in Georgia from 2016-17 before being promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2018. Bell then moved back to Florida in 2019 to become an offensive assistant at South Florida.

Bell became the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Tusculum University in Tennessee in the spring of 2021, but left shortly after to join his father's coaching staff at Western Carolina as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

He held that title from 2021-23 until Bell took the same position at Pitt in 2024.

It would be difficult to imagine Bell passing up an SEC job in his home state if offered. Most of his life and football experience have been in Florida and in the South. Pittsburgh is as far north as Bell has ever lived, but keeping Heintschel and adding two more talented freshmen gunslingers could be enough for Bell to stay.

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