Jan. 16—Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi filled the final vacancies on his offensive staff and altered its structure Tuesday when he hired three assistants: Jacob Bronowski, Jeremy Darveau and Lindsey Lamar.
Bronowski will coach tight ends and special teams, a shift from the first nine years of Narduzzi's Pitt tenure when Andre Powell had the dual role of running backs/special teams coach.
Lamar was hired to coach running backs, and Darveau will direct the offensive line.
Powell, tight ends coach Tim Salem and offensive line coach Dave Borbely were fired Jan. 5 in the wake of Pitt's 3-9 season. Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. also was let go the day after the last game of the season in November.
Jacob Bronowski, special teams, tight ends
Bronowski comes from Miami (Ohio), where he coached special teams the past two seasons. His unit ranked No. 1 in the nation in ESPN's 2023 efficiency ratings. Miami was seventh in the nation in punt return defense (20 returns, 26 yards) on the way to Mid-American Conference championship.
Miami's Graham Nicholson won the Lou Groza Award — given annually to the nation's top kicker — after recording 116 points and converting 27 of 28 field-goal attempts.
In 2022, Miami defeated Northwestern, 17-14, while blocking a punt before one of Nicholson's 18 field goals that season won the game. It was Miami's first victory against a Big Ten team in 19 years.
Bronowski, who has coached at New Mexico, Tennessee, UCF and Robert Morris, was named this season to t he 247Sports All-Assistant team. He coached at Robert Morris in 2018 and 2019.
"Under Jacob's direction, the special teams at Miami of Ohio were absolutely elite," Narduzzi said in a statement. "His units were extremely organized, executed at a high level and made a huge impact during their MAC championship season. Jacob is a really passionate coach and teacher. I know his impact will be immediate for us in a number of different areas."
Jeremy Darveau, offensive line
Darveau, who has been a collegiate coach for 16 years, comes from Western Carolina, where he worked the past two seasons as offensive line coach under Pitt's new coordinator, Kade Bell. He also was O-line coach and run game coordinator at Southern Mississippi in 2021, Missouri State in 2020 and USF in 2019.
He served under Bell's father, Kerwin, at Valdosta State where they won an NCAA Division II national championship in 2018. He also has coached at Florida and Southwest Minnesota State.
Darveau has developed 13 All-Americans, 10 NFL offensive linemen and more than 35 all-conference players. He was the starting offensive tackle for two nationally ranked Louisville teams in 2004 and 2005.
"Jeremy brings to Pitt a great background as both a coach and player. His track record of developing individual talent and overall units is really impressive," Narduzzi said in a statement. "I love his energy, and I know our players are really going to enjoy being coached by him. Certainly his familiarity with Kade Bell's system while at Western Carolina will be a huge asset as well. Jeremy's lines were really instrumental for those outstanding offenses."
Lindsey Lamar, running backs
Lamar has been wide receivers coach at Howard since 2020 and was offensive coordinator this season, helping lead his team to a second consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. He also has coached at USF.
During his collegiate playing career at USF, Lamar was 2010 Big East Special Teams Player of the Year as a returner, returning kickoffs 100 and 94 yards for touchdowns in games against Louisville and Syracuse. Lamar was also a track standout, winning the Big East indoor 60-meters championship and running a leg on the Bulls' school record-setting outdoor 400-meter relay team.
"Lindsey is a dynamic young coach who will make an immediate impression on our running backs room," Narduzzi said in a statement. "I know he impressed us with his knowledge and passion for the game. His experience as an offensive coordinator while at Howard will also be invaluable for our entire staff."
Lamar spent four years at USF in various jobs. He was an offensive grad assistant in 2015 and 2016 and was named special assistant to coach Charlie Strong in 2017 before being promoted to offensive quality control analyst in 2019.
He participated in two NFL coaching fellowships, working with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers during the 2023 offseason.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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