Inside The Panthers

Pat Narduzzi Claims No Contact With Michigan State

Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi claims that he has not been contacted about the vacant job at Michigan State.
Stephen Thompson|
Pat Narduzzi Claims No Contact With Michigan State
Pat Narduzzi Claims No Contact With Michigan State

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Pittsburgh PanthersMichigan State Spartans

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi has been floated as a potential candidate to leave his current school and return to East Lansing, Michigan to take the head coaching job at Michigan State.  

But Narduzzi shut down speculation that he would ditch the Panthers to take a new head coaching job, saying that he has not been in touch with Michigan State brass at all.  

"I have had absolutely no contact with them at all, so there's been no contact at all with anybody from their athletic department," Narduzzi told Roddy Jones on Sirius XM ACC Radio. "So I'll kind of keep it at that."

The connection between coach and school is obvious. Narduzzi cut his teeth as the coordinator of Michigan State's vaunted defense during the glory days of the Mark Dantonio era in East Lansing, Michigan. From 2011 to 2014, Michigan State was the only team to rank in the top 10 in both total defense and rushing defense under Narduzzi's leadership. 

Behind that stingy defense, the Spartans won 11 games or more in four out of five seasons up until Narduzzi's departure for Pitt, which also included a berth in the 2013 College Football Playoff and two Big 10 Championships. 

The 3-8 Panthers are set to wrap up a disappointing 2023 season this weekend on the road against Duke and then Narduzzi will get to work repairing his struggling team instead of pursuing other jobs. 

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

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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