Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made his first hires for the Panthers official Friday morning, hiring three assistant coaches and one member of his operations staff.
Narduzzi tabbed Josh Conklin, formerly the defensive coordinator at Florida International, to the same position at Pitt. He also added Andre Powell (running backs coach/special teams coordinator), Dave Andrews (strength and conditioning) and Ben Mathers (director of football operations).
Narduzzi also is expected to hire FIU linebackers coach Rob Harley for the same role at Pitt, according to a source, but that move has apparently not been finalized yet.
“My first week at Pitt has been really energizing and I’m especially excited to announce our initial hirings,” Narduzzi said in a statement. “In assembling our staff, we are looking for great people and great teachers. Each of these men fit that mold and will be tremendous assets on and off the field.”
Conklin, 35, coached a much-improved FIU defense this year that ranked fourth in Division I-A with 33 turnovers forced. Three of those came Sept. 13 in a 42-25 loss to Pitt.
The Golden Panthers ranked 40th in Division I-A in scoring defense (24.8 points per game) and 35th in total defense (363.8 yards per game).
Conklin was hired at FIU in 2013. Previously, he served as the safeties coach at Tennessee in 2012 and was the defensive coordinator at The Citadel (I-AA) from 2010-11.
A Wyoming native and graduate of Dakota State, Conklin started his coaching career at South Dakota State, where he served as a graduate assistant from 2003-04 and a defensive assistant from 2005-06.
He then spent three seasons coaching defensive backs at Wofford before he went to The Citadel. He coached Steelers cornerback Cortez Allen in his time at The Citadel.
“Josh Conklin oversaw an incredibly disruptive unit at FIU,” Narduzzi said. “They were among the top five in the country in takeaways and defensive touchdowns. We want our Pitt defenses to have an attacking, opportunistic mentality and Josh will help us achieve that.”
Powell spent the past four years with Maryland, three coaching special teams. His kicker, Brad Craddock, won the 2014 Lou Groza Award for the best kicker in college football.
Before his stint at Maryland, Powell coached running backs and special teams at Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia. He and Narduzzi coached together early in Narduzzi’s career at Rhode Island in 1993-94.
“I’ve known Andre Powell for more than 20 years,” Narduzzi said. “In addition to coaching a lot of great running backs, Andre has a tremendous passion for outstanding special teams play. We faced him and Maryland this past season and I was highly impressed by their special teams.”
Andrews spent just one year at Notre Dame. Previously, he was the associate strength and conditioning coach at Illinois. He was a graduate assistant and later assistant strength coach at Cincinnati when Narduzzi coached there from 2005-06.
“Dave Andrews is a highly disciplined coach who adds immediate toughness to our entire team,” Narduzzi said. “As a former player at Ohio State, he knows what it takes from a physical preparation standpoint to be successful in major college football. I know he is excited to get our players started with our offseason program.”
Mathers worked with Narduzzi at Michigan State for the past seven years, with 2014 being his first as a full-time operations assistant. Before that, he served as an operations graduate assistant and video assistant.
“Ben Mathers was an invaluable behind-the-scenes contributor to our success at Michigan State,” Narduzzi said. “I am grateful that he has joined us at Pitt as he is going to help us in many different key areas of our program. Ben will be a great complement to [assistant athletic director] Chris LaSala on our staff.”
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NOTE — Pitt freshman receiver Adonis Jennings withdrew from classes this semester and intends to transfer, a source confirmed Friday. Jennings had six catches for 55 yards this season.
Sam Werner: swerner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SWernerPG.
First Published: January 9, 2015, 2:58 p.m.
Updated: January 10, 2015, 3:06 a.m.
