When it comes to coaching, dealing with criticism is part of the job.

After Pitt's third straight loss, head coach Pat Narduzzi has faced increasing criticism, especially on social media. Some people have even gone as far as to say that Pitt should part ways with Narduzzi. However, this criticism is unwarranted.

Pitt fans have become understandably disappointed with how the program has performed over the past couple of years, but Narduzzi is not the problem.

Results

When things are going wrong, it is easy to point out flaws, and it is even easier to exaggerate them. It is true that Pitt has lost some bad games over the past few years and has not been consistently competitive in the ACC during the past five years. Yes, these struggles and losses are sometimes due to questionable coaching decisions, but zooming out shows a much better and more representative picture.

It may feel like a lifetime ago for Pitt fans, but Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers won the ACC Championship in 2021. If this win had happened just a few seasons later, after the College Football Playoffs expanded to 12 teams, Pat Narduzzi would have taken Pitt to the CFP.

While some people attribute that championship season to Panthers legend Kenny Pickett, Narduzzi built that team and continued to be successful after Pickett left. Since that championship season, the Panthers have had a winning record and been bowl-eligible every year but one. They also have pulled off some major upsets, such as beating No.16 Georgia Tech last year, and No. 14 Louisville in 2023.

The most impressive part of Pat Narduzzi's tenure as head coach of Pitt has been all of the pro-ready talent that he has produced. Damar Hamlin, Kyle Louis, Konata Mumpfield and more all made a name for themselves while playing under Pat Narduzzi at Pitt. That trend continues today with players like Mason Heintschel and Cruce Brookings looking like NFL-bound stars.

Reality Check

There are very few coaches who could accomplish what Pat Narduzzi has done, given the resources he has had. The reality is that if you want to win in college sports, you have to be willing to spend, and Pitt is not.

According to The Athletic, Pitt is one of the teams that spends the least among all Power 4 schools. While Pitt fans want to see their team win, and win a lot, the reality is they are not spending enough to do so. When you look at how much the Panthers are spending, it is quite impressive that Pat Narduzzi has been able to accomplish all he has accomplished.

The other thing that Narduzzi had done really well, but he has not been set up to succeed in, is recruiting. Obviously, in the age of NIL, money gets you recruits, but Pitt does not benefit much from this because they are not spending much. However, it is not just NIL that should make it hard for Narduzzi to recruit. Pitt is not a historical football powerhouse, they do not have an on-campus stadium and they do not get the same national visibility as a team in the SEC or Big 10. However, Narduzzi finds ways to bring in high-ranked recruits and always seems to find a few diamonds in the rough.

Adjust and Advance

Currently, Pitt faces some struggles and is sitting at a record of 5-3. This season's struggles are largely due to the season-ending injury of quarterback Mason Heintschel, but Narduzzi could have brought in a better backup to avoid the current quarterback crisis.

Pat Narduzzi can learn from this season to help position the Panthers to crack the AP Top 25 for the fourth year in a row next year. While there have been some dark moments for the Panthers over the past few seasons, Pat Narduzzi is the best person to lead Pitt to a brighter future, because he has always done so.