Before Pitt even played in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27, coach Pat Narduzzi knew he had at least two vacancies to fill on his staff.

That was due to defensive coordinator Randy Bates retiring and special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski taking a job at Auburn on Dec. 8.

Then linebackers coach Ryan Manalac departed to become UConn’s defensive coordinator Dec 27.

By Jan. 5, Narduzzi had rounded out his new additions, as the Panthers hired Mike Priefer (special teams), Joe Bowen (linebackers, run game coordinator), Brent Davis (tight ends) and Harlon Barnett (safeties, assistant head coach).

Cory Sanders, formerly assistant head coach and safeties coach, was promoted to defensive coordinator Dec. 28.

This week, the Panthers have officially announced their new coaches, starting with Priefer on Tuesday.

“I’ve known Mike for a long time and have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his resume,” Narduzzi said of Priefer in a statement. “He’s coached at the highest levels of football and understands how critical the special teams phase is to winning games. He’s a tremendous teacher, and his leadership will have an immediate impact on our entire team.”

The 59-year-old Priefer brings over two decades’ worth of NFL special teams coaching experience to Pitt, coordinating those units for the Jaguars (2002), Giants (2003-05), Chiefs (2006-08), Broncos (2009-10), Vikings (2011-18) and Browns (2019-22).

Most recently, he spent the 2025 campaign at North Carolina, coordinating special teams under Bill Belichick.

Introducing Special Teams Coordinator… @CoachPriefer ????

➡️ 30+ years of coaching experience ➡️ 17 seasons coaching in the NFL➡️ 2008 Special Teams Coach of the Year

More: https://t.co/DChc9mQbiJ pic.twitter.com/eeCiGI12Ac

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 13, 2026

Priefer notably served as acting head coach of the Browns on Jan. 10, 2021, in Cleveland’s 48-37 playoff win over the Steelers at Heinz Field.

Kevin Stefanski was unable to coach due to contracting covid, with Priefer stepping in to lead the team to victory in the AFC Wild Card game.

Narduzzi added Bowen from Buffalo, where he served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach the past two seasons.

Bowen will oversee a position group that features incoming transfers DeMarco Ward (Memphis) and Alex Sanford Jr. (Purdue) as well as former WPIAL standouts Braylan Lovelace (Leechburg) and Cameron Lindsey (Aliquippa).

Introducing Linebackers Coach & Run Game Coordinator… @Coach_JoeBowen ????

➡️ Coaching stops at Buffalo, Miami (OH), South Carolina, Florida State & Michigan State➡️ FootballScoop's 2024 Linebackers Coach of the Year

More: https://t.co/DChc9mQbiJ pic.twitter.com/6aIfH8dE7i

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 14, 2026

The Panthers will begin a new chapter at linebacker in 2026, with Kyle Louis declaring for the NFL Draft and Rasheem Biles opting to transfer to Texas.

“Joe is going to bring us great energy and attention to detail,” Narduzzi said. “Above all, he’s coming to us from a conference I have a lot of respect for because of how tough, physical and well-coached it is. He has a strong understanding of what we want from our linebackers and the identity we want to establish in defending the run. I’m excited to have him as part of this coaching staff.”

Previous coaching stops for Bowen include Miami (Ohio) from 2022-23, South Carolina (2021), Florida State (2018-2020) and Michigan State (2017).

Davis is another addition with playcalling experience, as from 2014-22, he was offensive coordinator at Army.

Introducing Tight Ends Coach… @coachbrentdavis ????

➡️ Coaching stops at Virginia Tech, Army, Georgia Southern & VMI➡️ Spent last three seasons as part of Virginia Tech offensive staff

More: https://t.co/DChc9mPDtb pic.twitter.com/ZQJnqmnmpW

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 15, 2026

After departing West Point, Davis landed at Virginia Tech, where he served as an analyst (2023), co-offensive line coach (2024) and tight ends coach (2025).

“Brent’s experience and knowledge extend far beyond the tight ends room,” Narduzzi continued. “His understanding of the offensive side of the ball is something that’s going to help maximize how we approach both the run and the pass, especially with our tight ends, and I’m looking forward to getting started working with him.”

The final official hiring announcement Pitt made was regarding Barnett, who reunites with Narduzzi after spending 11 total years together at Cincinnati and Michigan State.

From 2004-06, when Narduzzi was defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, Barnett coached defensive backs. Narduzzi and Barnett then served in the same roles at Michigan from 2007-14.

Narduzzi plucked Barnett from Northwestern, where he’s coached safeties an served as assistant head coach since 2024.

Barnett coached a second stint at Michigan State from 2020-23, which included eight games as interim head coach in 2023 after Mel Tucker was suspended and fired mid-season.

Barnett played collegiately at Michigan State from 1986-89 and enjoyed a seven-year NFL career as a safety.

“Harlon is someone I trust completely,” Narduzzi said. “We worked together for more than a decade, won a lot of football games and developed a lot of talent. He’s a proven teacher, a proven leader and someone the college football world has great respect for. He’ll be a tremendous fit for us here in Pittsburgh, both on and off the field and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”

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