Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

After one season as the University of Pittsburgh's head football coach, Pat Narduzzi received a two-year contract extension Thursday.  

The school announced that two years will be added to his original five-year pact, which means he is currently in line to be the Panthers' head man through at least 2021.

After the extension was made official, Pittsburgh athletic director Scott Barnes praised the job Narduzzi did in his first year at the helm:

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Pat Narduzzi has adrenalized Pitt football on and off the field. We are proud of what our program has accomplished this season. Moreover, we're excited about what our student-athletes can continue to achieve—on the field, in the classroom and in the community—under Pat's long-term leadership.

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In addition to that, Narduzzi made it clear he is ready to take the Panthers to new levels moving forward:

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The University of Pittsburgh is an incredible place with incredible people. My family and I plan to make Pittsburgh our home for a very long time and we're glad the leadership at Pitt feels the same way. It is an honor to serve as Pitt's head football coach and I'm continuously energized by what we can, and will, accomplish here.

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Under Narduzzi's guidance, Pitt finished 8-4 in the regular season, including a 6-2 record in the ACC, which was good for second place in the Coastal Division.

He previously served as Michigan State's defensive coordinator from 2007-2014, and ESPN.com's Matt Fortuna believes he is chiefly responsible for the recent surge in programs hiring defensive coordinators as head coaches:

Pitt's eight wins are its most since 2010, and if Narduzzi is able to lead his team past Navy in the Military Bowl, nine victories will be the program's most since winning 10 in 2009.

The Panthers certainly appear to be a team on the rise, capable of making noise in the ACC moving forward, and Narduzzi is being given every opportunity to build upon the strong foundation he has already laid.

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