Pat Narduzzi is far from alone among his college football coaching peers in stressing that his No. 1 priority at work every day is to, as his job title suggests, coach.

But the times have changed rapidly as a result of a highly fluid college athletics landscape that’s seen players earn the right to be paid directly by their schools as well as enjoy increased flexibility of movement with the transfer portal.

The ripple effect of that reality has been substantial for Narduzzi and coaches around the country.

“It’s a 24/7 job here nowadays,” Narduzzi said Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., at the ACC Football Kickoff. “It’s a little different than when I arrived in Pittsburgh in 2015.

“That’s why you surround yourself with incredible staff. That’s why I’m so fortunate to have (chancellor) Joan Gabel there to help guide from above and (athletic director) Allen Greene and everybody in our athletic department helping you, like, ‘Hey, we’ve got suggestions. You’ve got tools.’ ”

Though no coach nowadays can escape having to regularly protect their roster, scan the transfer portal and maintain a hyper-awareness of NIL, Narduzzi still was adamant in what he views as his primary duties.

“My job is to coach,” Narduzzi said. “Ultimately in the end, I want to coach these guys. This is where I have fun, and that remains my job. … I know what I want to do. I want to coach football, have relationships with my players and I want to have fun.”

Brawling

With Pitt scheduled to face West Virginia on the road Sept. 13 for the 108th Backyard Brawl, Narduzzi delved into the future of that rivalry.

“Those rivalries — our players want to play them, our coaches want to coach in them, the fans want to see those games be played,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t care who it is, whether it’s an in-state rival or the Backyard Brawl right down the road, I think those games are meant to be seen.

“With all these conferences changing, those regional rivalries are what’s great for college football, and we can’t lose those. The Backyard Brawl is going to be a brawl down in Morgantown this year. It’s been a great game every year, and there’s going to be another one down in Morgantown on Sept. 13.”

Narduzzi also welcomed the arrival of new Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez, back in Morgantown after leading West Virginia from 2001-07.

Rodriguez’s teams went 4-3 against Pitt over those years but famously lost 13-9 to the underdog Panthers in 2007, costing the No. 2-ranked Mountaineers a shot at a national championship.

“I’m excited he’s back down there,” Narduzzi said. “I think it makes that rivalry even better because he’s been there before, and he knows what that rivalry’s all about. I know what it’s about, and I think fans and the players are really going to enjoy this game.”

This year is the final installment of a four-game series renewal that began in 2022.

Pitt and West Virginia have already inked four more dates from 2029-32 but at the moment, the Backyard Brawl will enter another hiatus from 2026-28.

“We’re willing to make some movements in our schedule and try to get that done,” Narduzzi said of the upcoming Brawl-less seasons. “I would love to play them every year.”

No tackling dummy

Narduzzi also made his thoughts crystal clear on the controversial hip-drop tackle, calling for its removal.

That would follow what the NFL adopted, with hip-drop tackles penalized by a 15-yard loss and automatic first down beginning in 2024.

Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein suffered an injury late last season against Louisville as a result of such a tackle and was unable to play again for the remainder of 2025.

“The hip-drop tackle has got to be eliminated from college football,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t know why it hasn’t. It’s illegal in the NFL, and we lost two players to season-ending injuries a year ago to the same tackle. We don’t coach it at Pitt. I’m not sure if other people do, but it’s got to be a penalty, it’s got to be outlawed in college football.”

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