Pitt's Kade Bell Named Top Candidate for ACC Opening

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell has been linked to another coordinator job. This time, it's in the ACC.

According to On3's Pete Nakos, Bell is a top candidate to become Clemson's offensive coordinator, after Dabo Swinney announced earlier this week that current offensive coordinator Garrett Riley will not return in 2026.

"In two seasons at Pitt, Kade Bell has transformed Pitt into one of the top passing attacks in the nation," Nakos wrote. "In his first season with the Panthers in 2024, they ranked No. 15 nationally and No. 3 in the ACC in passing. This season, they rank 20th, led by true freshman Mason Heintschel. He’s completing 63.6% of his passes, coming in midseason for Eli Holstein. Bell was at Western Carolina for three years previously, where the Catamounts led the FCS in total offense in 2023."

The other potential candidates on the list are former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, Baltimore Ravens coordinator Todd Monken, Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill and Miami coordinator Shannon Dawson.

Bell Linked to Another OC Job

This isn't the first time that Bell has been linked to another offensive coordinator job, and if he stays at Pitt, it won't be his last either.

At the beginning of December, Nakos listedBell as a top candidate for Florida's offensive coordinator job under new head coach Jon Sumrall. Nakos named Tennessee's coordinator Joey Halzle and Georgia Tech's Buster Faulkner as the other potential candidates, and it was Faulkner who took the job.

Bell seems to be a candidate for any Power 4 offensive coordinator job that opens in the south, mostly due to his connection to the area.

Bell has spent most of his life in Jacksonville, Fla., where he played quarterback at the University of Jacksonville under his father, Kerwin Bell. His father also used to be a quarterback for the Florida Gators and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

Upon graduation, Bell began his coaching career with stops at Valdosta State in Georgia, South Florida, Tusculum University in Tennessee and Western Carolina. Pittsburgh is the furthest north Bell has ever coached.

Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive coordinator Kade Bell calls a play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Losing Bell would make this a challenging offseason for Pat Narduzzi to build a coaching staff for 2026.

Defensive coordinator Randy Bates retired following the Military Bowl loss to East Carolina. Cory Sanders has since been named Bates' successor, linebackers coach Ryan Manalac has reportedly taken the defensive coordinator position at UConn and tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski is now at Auburn.

Pitt's Offense Under Bell

Losing Bell would also mean losing the coach who brought Pitt's offense back to relevance and the coach who discovered true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel.

Pitt's offense ranked No. 8 in the ACC in passing and dead last in scoring, total yards and rushing in 2023 before Bell's arrival. In his first season, those rankings climbed to No. 4 in passing, No. 6 in scoring, No. 7 in total offense and No. 10 rushing.

This season, Bell's offense finished with the No. 2 scoring offense, the No. 5 passing offense, the No. 9 total offense and the No. 13 rushing offense in the ACC. On the national level, the Panthers' offense ranked 21st in scoring, 20th in passing, 66th in total yards and 115th in rushing.

These rankings come after a season in which Pitt benched starting quarterback Eli Holstein for the freshman Heintschel and former All-American running back Desmond Reid spent most of the season dealing with injuries.

Heintschel finished his first season with 2,354 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine starts.

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