Pitt names Western Carolina’s Bell as new OC
Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2023, 06:28 PM ET Pittsburgh has actually worked with Western Carolina offensive organizer Kade Bell to the exact same position, the school revealed on Sunday.
“I couldn’t be more ecstatic for the chance that Coach [Pat] Narduzzi and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke have actually offered me to become the offensive planner at the University of Pittsburgh,” Bell said in a statement released by the school. “Great players, traditions and championships are what this program is all about. I can’t wait to get to work and belong to something unique in the city of Pittsburgh. Hope our fans are prepared to play fast and score much faster.”
Narduzzi fired former offensive organizer Frank Cignetti Jr. on Nov. 26, a day after the program completed a 3-9 season (2-6 in the ACC), hammering out a pair of four-game losing streaks along the way. Cignetti was the offensive organizer and quarterbacks coach for the last two seasons.Editor’s Picks
Bell led a top-10 offense at the FCS level for Western Carolina, where he was worked with in the spring of 2021. This season, the Catamounts’ offense proved to be powerful, averaging 37.6 points per game on the way to ending up 7-4. Bell initially 2 seasons saw the offense average 31.9 points (2022) and 32.4 points (2021 ), respectively, throughout his first two years calling plays.
“Kade’s offensive approach– non-stop quick and aggressive– is everything a defensive planner hates to face and the type of system our players will definitely like,” Narduzzi said in a declaration. “He’s an incredibly innovative play caller who is widely considered among the brightest young coaches in the nation. Beyond ‘X’s and O’s,’ Kade understands and significantly worths relationship-building with his players and fellow coaches. On and off the field, Kade Bell will make us better.”
Bell’s charge will be to reinvigorate an offense that struggled strongly as the program ended up with its worst record since 1998, when a Walt Harris-coached group went 2-9 overall and 0-7 in the Huge East.The Panthers’
offense finished last in the ACC in both total offense (317.9 backyards per game) and scoring offense (20.2 points per game) as it had a hard time to find any traction, with three different quarterbacks– Phil Jurkovec, Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell– all seeing time under center.