Pitt hires Kade Bell as OC after impressive stop at Western Carolina

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh has hired Kade Bell as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi announced the move Sunday. Bell replaces Frank Cignetti, who was fired two weeks ago following the program's worst season in 25 years.

Bell comes to Pitt from Western Carolina, where he held the same position while helping the Catamounts become one of the most dynamic offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision. Western Carolina led the FCS in total offense this season while finishing third in passing yards and fourth in scoring.

The Panthers went 3-9 in 2023, their first nine-loss season since going 2-9 in 1998. The offense was a major issue as Pitt bounced between three quarterbacks in Phil Jurkovec, Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell and finished dead last in the 14-team Atlantic Coast Conference in points and yards.

Yarnell played arguably the best of the three after taking over late in the season and will enter spring practice in the mix to hold onto the job in 2024.

Bell's previous coaching stops include Tusculum and Valdosta State. He was a four-year starting quarterback at Jacksonville from 2011-15 while playing for his father, Kerwin Bell.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll