New Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell met the Pittsburgh media for the first time on Wednesday and talked about what his offense looks like, how it will work for the Panthers and a lot more.
Here's video and a full rundown of what he said.
Bell: It’s been a big month of recruiting, trying to build those relationships all over the place. But we’re just happy to get back this week and get back with the players, so it’s been good, getting back and getting going with football stuff, right? Which everybody is excited about.
Was your dad upset about you stealing all of his best players?
Bell: You know, I don’t agree with that; a lot of those guys were already in the portal before I got offered this job or started getting the opportunity to get this job. So they had aspirations of playing at a high level and playing in the NFL, and when it comes down to it, the kids got to do what’s best for them.
I always tell the kids - I always have great relationships with my players; I feel like that’s one thing I’ve always done as a coach and as as person is, ‘Hey man, I love you, I want you to do what you think is best for you and I’m going to support you, no matter what.’ It’s always our job as coaches to recruit great players and have guys that, if a kid does leave, you’ve got guys behind him that are just as good. That creates competition, right? So I think that’s one thing as a coach I’ve always done is create that competition and have a bunch of good players with the way it is now in college football.
What’s the biggest challenge that you see in the transition of your offense from FCS to the Power Five?
Bell: I think the biggest thing is, it starts up front. I think, obviously, the line of scrimmage. Skill players, to me, are skill players. Guys that can run, catch, create big plays, right? I think that’s the difference between the smaller levels and the bigger levels is, you have to be able to win the line of scrimmage. Two ways to do that, in my opinion: the first way is to play really fast. We’re playing against some guys that are really good up front, so you’ve got to create with tempo and get guys tired and get guys to think a little bit, to where they can’t play as fast.
Or you have to recruit really good players up front, to where you can dominate the line of scrimmage.
If you have skill players and you have a quarterback, you can go have a lot of success. But everything we do, you know, a lot of the best offenses in the Power Five, I believe we do a lot of the same stuff that they do, and systematically, I think what we do will translate at any level. It’s all about knowing who your players are, putting them in great position to be successful and understanding their strengths and weaknesses. That’s what we’re going to try to do in this spring and this summer is say, ‘Hey, who are our best players, what do they do well, what do they not do well, how do we hide it, how do we hide their weaknesses and put them in position to be successful.’
What do you bring to this Pitt offense?
Bell: What do I bring? I think confidence. I’m a confident guy. I believe in myself. I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder. It’s just who I am. I played small-school ball - wanted to be the best quarterback in the country when I played. I want to be the best offensive coordinator and coach and mentor I can be in the country. That’s my goal every day. So I think I’m going to bring confidence and bring an understanding of kids and relationships.
I believe that if I can get a kid to believe in himself first and what they do, we can find a way to use them and get them in position to be successful. Those are two things I think I’ll bring here to Pitt.
What excited you about Pitt?
Bell: The first thing is Coach Duzz. I’ve always looked from afar - I’ve always liked Pitt, the colors and the tradition. Growing up, my dad being a former quarterback, he backed up Dan Marino when he got drafted by the Dolphins. They used to play some funny games after practice, trying to hit the goal post and all of that stuff.
But just knowing that you can win here. He’s won the ACC championship here. It’s a place where you can go win. You can win at a high level, and obviously this place is a proven place where you can get players. If you want to have a great offense or a great team and have a chance to go win every year, you can get players here at Pitt. There’s tradition. There’s a great culture. And I think that’s what really excites me about this place. And obviously, to me, the other thing is the leadership from the top. The one thing I really learned here when I interviewed here was that everybody’s on the same page here. There’s a standard here, from top down. From Heather all the way down to Coach Duzz. That’s what gets me really fired up and gets me excited about being here.
What was the process of Coach Narduzzi contacting you and interviewing and getting hired?
Bell: It was probably the most stressful time of your life, really. Coach is a very thorough guy. He does a lot of research, man, and I think that’s why he has so much success: he’s going to know everything about you before he pulls that trigger and hires you. I got a phone call, got a big Zoom meeting with people for a long time, got to come in for a 24-hour thing and really just get drilled for a whole day about football and about who you are and meeting different people and how you handle adversity and how you handle people. I think that’s what was great about the interview process here was that you don’t just find out about who you are as a football coach; you find out about who you are as a person. To me, Coach Duzz is the type of guy who, that’s what he cares about. He wants to be around good people first. And I think that’s what we have here. We have good people.
How do you view about your current situation at quarterback?
Bell: I mean, Nate’s the guy. Right now, going into the spring, I thought he played really well watching the film of the last two games of the season. He’s going to have the opportunity to go out there with the one’s and it’s his job to lose, you know? He’s been awesome since I’ve gotten here. He’s very cerebral. He’s been a great leader. He’s actually become more vocal than I’ve heard he was in the past. He’s really taken control.
And, hey, we’re going to have competition behind him. When it comes down to it, I’m real big on getting everybody reps. I think that matters. Obviously, we have to get him a bunch of reps. Quarterback is the biggest part of an offense, right? You have a good quarterback and he can go play, you can have a lot of success. So we have to build this system around him and what he does well, and then obviously when other guys are in there, I have to find out what they do well, too, because he’s really the only one besides Christian that has some game film, so the other young guys that we have that are here, we have to find out from practice and stuff what they do well and try to put them in position in practice to see how they can grow and develop.
What’s the most personal question Pat asked you in the interview?
Bell: The most personal question. I think, for him, being the son of a - his father being a coach, you know, how is it playing and coaching for your dad? That’s always a funny topic, because he played for his dad and I got to play for mine for four years, which was rough. So rough that, after two years of playing, my dad hired a quarterback coach because I guess we butted heads a lot because we’re a lot alike. We’re very competitive.
But I thought that was a really personal question, just because he went through the same situation playing for his dad. His dad was a coach and I think that was an awesome connection, because he knows what it feels like to be a coach’s son and to be - I think the biggest thing that was the best learning experience for me when I was young was not just playing for my dad, but living with the players and seeing how they viewed him as a head coach. I think that gave me a great perspective on what kids think about their coaches and things they do well and what they don’t do well. I got to experience that as a college player, which I think was awesome.
How do you put into words what it means to you to be the offensive coordinator of this team?
Bell: It means everything. It’s literally what I feel like I’m put on this earth to do. I love the game, I love football. I want to be the best at it. That’s kind of who I am every day. I’m kind of choking up a little bit because, you know, my dad and he believed in me young when I was 24 years old. I was a GA - it’s kind of crazy; I don’t know why I’m crying - but you’re 24 years old and you’re a GA, and next thing you know, he’s telling you halfway through the season, ‘Hey man, I want you to go to the box and call plays. I think you’re ready.’ You know, a lot of coaches think, ‘He’s crazy.’
When people believe in you - you know, Coach Duzz believes in me, and I think that means something. So I’m excited.
You guys had to bring in a lot offensive staff with you. How much say did you have in picking those guys and what’s your impression of them?
Bell: The best thing that happened, I think, is Coach Duzz is a very open person. He wants you to be honest. He doesn’t care if you believe different from him. He likes to argue, which I like. He always has an opinion and I do, too; I think that’s why we get along. But I got to sit in every interview with him, and us kind of bouncing ideas and what he wants as the head coach and what I need to be successful and, when it comes down to it, what’s best for Pitt and what’s best for us as a whole team to go compete in the ACC and win. I think that was the best part about it: I got to see what he wanted and what his vision was, and then, how do we put the best pieces together? I thought he did that as a head coach.
We’re all a little different in what we do well or what we don’t do well. I think we fit really well together, so I’m excited about our side of the ball.
What can you tell us about one disagreement you had with Pat?
Bell: Disagreements? We don’t really have much disagreements. I’m going to be honest with you. Coach wants to win and he wants to score points. However we have to do that, that’s what we’re going to do. I think football’s that simple. What do we have to do to be successful?
He’s been awesome. He’s been very open. He listens. I think that’s what makes him a great head coach. He’s been through it. He’s been here a long time. You don’t see that in college football, and there’s a reason why: he knows what he’s doing and he knows how to win. He’s been successful everywhere he’s been, so I think that’s what makes this place where it’s at right now. We’re in a situation where we know what we need to do to go do it. We just need to put the work in.
When you have an offense that’s built on scoring fast, how does the running game complement everything you want to do with the passing game?
Bell: Yeah, I think the first thing is, everyone would probably say I throw it around a lot, right? Which I do. Any quarterback likes to throw the ball. But to me, when I became an offensive coordinator, I was really big on running the football. When we were at Valdosta State in ’18, if you look at us there, we ran for 260, threw for 260. We were the most balanced team probably in the history of college football.
To me, the run game - you want to build everything off the run game. If you can run the football, if you can find ways to have success in the run game, it makes throwing the ball easy, right? Now, the next thing you know, you’re getting more two-man, one-high safeties and you can push the ball down the field and create matchups and get guys open.
To me, man, it comes down to, what do we have to do to score points? We might run for hopefully over 200 yards one game and the next game we might throw for 300 or 400. Whatever we have to do to win and score points. I want to have a great balanced offense that can do both.
Your style is pretty different from what the returning players are used to. How do you try to figure out what their skills are?
Bell: I think the biggest thing is to see them and how they move around and see how they fit. I’m really big on, ‘You’re not just a receiver, you’re not just a tight end, you’re not just a running back; what position do you fit in at receiver? Are you an X or whatever? Are you an outside guy? Where do I need to put you for your skill set to flourish?’
I think that’s the first thing when you’re evaluating the former offense: what position did they put those kids in the last couple years and was that good for them or not good for them and how can we find a way to put them in a better position to be successful? That’s kind of what I’m doing right now: get all that figured out.
The players who played for you before feel like they have an upper hand because they know the playbook already. Is there a comfort for you to have them here, knowing that they’re helping the new guys with all the changes?
Bell: I got here and we were out recruiting and I’ve been gone every day during the week for the last month. So really, what was awesome with those guys is they were able to get those guys and go do things, talk about the installs, talk about the offense, get them to understand exactly where to line up, what we’re trying to get accomplished with everything we’re trying to do with tempo, and just getting them to understand the base of it and getting them ahead so when we get back, we’ll have some time to then get going with offense.
To me, it helps a lot because during this time we can’t be with them all the time, so now you have guys that they can go to their apartment and they can sit down and talk about the offense and the kids that want to learn and really want to play, they’ll do that. I think it keeps us ahead and kind of gets us ahead going into spring ball.
When you’re a fast-paced offense and you’re moving quick, that can catch teams off-guard, but if something catches a hitch and you guys are moving fast, that can be a time of possession challenge. How do you approach that as a whole team with the way you coach?
Bell: Yeah, so when it comes down to it, we’re going to go fast when it’s time to go fast. We’re going to be able to do everything as fast as we want to do it. The way I built the system the last five years - you know, creating my own system, I want to be able to - if I want to go as fast as Tennessee, I can. We have the ability to do that. But we also have the ability to have the illusion of that and then get into really good plays and help guys have success and get them open.
So I think it depends on the game. Some games we might snap it 60-70 times. Another game, we might snap it 85 times. It just depends on the matchup and what we think is best for us to go score and win the game. I want to have the ability to do both. What do we need to do to go win the game?
How important is quarterback mobility to your offense?
Bell: I don’t think it matters. I know people would probably think that because we’re a tempo and we spread it around, but to me, I feel like, the way the system is, you know, you give me Tom Brady, I think we can go win with him. You give me Lamar Jackson, I can go win with him. I try to build - once a guy is the starter, I’m going to build the system around who the starting quarterback is. It ain’t about me. I don’t have no ego. I’ve already played, I went through college. I’m going to, ‘Hey, this is what we do well, this is what the quarterback does well; how do we put him in the position to be successful? How do we make his job easier?’ That’s just how the offense fits. The offense is probably going to look different every year depending on who’s behind center. I think that’s what’s great about the offense.
How has Coach Underwood helped your transition?
Bell: He’s been awesome. Coach Wood being a former NFL player, like I said, this is an NFL system from the base and it’s built to where we can go really fast. So he understands the concepts, he understands what we’re trying to get accomplished.
One thing about Coach Wood is, he has great relationships with the players. You can see that. Kids smile when they see him. He has great energy. So that’s been awesome with him - just having a relationship with him and seeing the way he has relationships the same way that I want my players to view me. So he’s been awesome in that part.
You have a defensive head coach. Those guys don’t always want to go as fast as you’re talking about going; they want you to keep their defense off the field. As you were explaining your offense to Pat, did you see him squirm a little bit or did it seem like that’s the kind of thing he was looking for - something a little more explosive, a little faster?
Bell: He told me he wanted to go score points and go fast and score points. I’m going to be honest with you: I don’t think I’d be here right now if that’s not what he wanted. It just makes sense, because that’s not really how it’s been. That’s just being honest. I think it shows that he’s one to try something new and change, and the way college football is going - I tell our kids all the time, we could be up 21 and like that, in college football you can be down seven, right? So if you’re not trying to separate from people, if you’re just trying to barely win, if you’re not trying to have confidence and be aggressive and try to step on people’s necks, as I would say, bad things can sometimes happen.
I think he’s a super-aggressive guy. He wants to win and I think that’s all that matters.
What are the plans you have for a guy like Gavin Bartholomew?
Bell: Oh man. I’m excited about him. I think he’s going to have a great year this year, and the reason I say that is, we’re going to be able to move him all around the field. He’s going to be lining up in all positions. He’s not just going to be in the backfield or on the line of scrimmage; he’s going to be lining up everywhere. I think what that’s going to do is create matchups for us, and seeing how they play him and who they put on him and just using him as a guy who is a weapon. He runs good enough down the field. He’s athletic; we’ve seen that on some of the catch-and-run stuff that he’s had. Get him the ball in space.
Sometimes just throwing him the ball out there, and even though you have the littler guys out there blocks, it doesn’t matter; he’s a big dude that can run. He’s going to get you at least four or five, right? So that’s the type of guy you want to have at that position: a guy that can be a matchup nightmare. And I’m excited to use him in the red zone, too. I think that’s a big part of it. I’m excited about him.
You mentioned controlling the line of scrimmage; how important was it to bring Coach Darveau with you?
Bell: Very important. I think that’s the hardest - everybody talks about quarterbacks? The offensive line is the hardest position to coach. You have five guys on the field at one time. They have to be on a chain with communication and everything going on. They really set the tempo. They set the physicality of the offense and the nastiness. Just having him to where, I don’t have to teach that. Having him come in and I know he can take those guys right now and teach them everything I want them to know and exactly how I want it done, that’s huge, because to me, that’s probably the hardest position to coach. One guy coaching five.
You’re a fast-talker. Coach is a fast-talker. When you two are together, is there any breathing going on?
Bell: You know, I don’t really know. I didn’t know I was that fast of a talker. I guess I try to get straight to the point. That’s kind of who I am. I’m a straight-shooter. I’m like that with the players. I’m honest. I think that goes a long way. If you’re honest from the beginning, you know you can build that relationship and build that trust, so I just try to get straight to the point.
