Mark Whipple resigns as Pitt's offensive coordinator

Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who helped engineer one of the most prolific scoring units in college football and led quarterback Kenny Pickett through a record-breaking season, resigned Tuesday and will not coach the Panthers in the Peach Bowl.

Whipple, 64, is the fourth offensive coordinator to work under coach Pat Narduzzi in seven seasons and the longest-tenured, serving three years. Pickett has said one of the reasons he came back to Pitt for a fifth season was Whipple’s presence as coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“During his three seasons at Pitt, Mark Whipple was a great asset for our entire football program,” Narduzzi said in a statement. “He did a tremendous job transitioning us from a heavy run attack to one of the best passing games in the entire country.

“His great work with quarterbacks was obviously on full display, given the outstanding year Kenny Pickett enjoyed. I am very grateful for Mark’s time in Pittsburgh, both personally as well as professionally, and I wish him and his family the very best moving forward.”

Whipple’s last act as a Pitt assistant was extending a scholarship offer Monday to quarterback Chubba Purdy, a transfer from Florida State. He has been mentioned as a candidate to become the next offensive coordinator at Nebraska.

Thankful to of received an offer from @Pitt_FB. Thank you Coach Whipple for an awesome home visit! pic.twitter.com/MvvmpYOYYF

— Chubba Purdy (@chubbapurdy) December 7, 2021

While winning the ACC championship this season, Pitt is ranked third in the nation in points per game (an average of 43), while the offense is fifth in total yards (502.9) and sixth in passing yards (350.2).

Whipple brought extensive experience to the Panthers after working in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns as their quarterbacks coach and the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive assistant.

He was head coach at UMass when it won the Division I-AA (now FCS) national championship in 1998 and again from 2014-18. He also has been a head coach at New Haven and Brown, his alma mater, and is a former offensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.).

He was one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award this year, given to the nation’s top assistant.

It is unclear who from among Pitt’s staff will call plays in the Peach Bowl. Tight ends coach Tim Salem has been a coordinator at Phoenix College, Purdue, Central Florida and Eastern Michigan. Wide receivers coach Brennan Marion has served in that position at Howard and William & Mary.