DURHAM, N.C. — The future of the Pitt football program is at a pretty important set of crossroads. The Panthers just wrapped up a 3-9 regular season following a 30-19 season-ending defeat to Duke on Saturday. There is a feeling that change is on the horizon from the coaching staff and down to the roster, but following the last game of Narduzzi’s ninth season at Pitt, the Pitt head coach was noncommittal on what is to come for his program.

“We’ll digest this, watch the videotape, and the evaluation goes on yearlong,” he told reporters after the game. “Every game, every Saturday, every Sunday, every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday through Friday. We’ll just evaluate where we are and what we can do to get better. Again, it starts with the coaches, period.”

That answer was after a direct question asking if he plans to have any coaching changes this offseason. Pitt second year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. has not worked out well for this program, which may be an understatement, but the offense has especially struggled in this 2023 season.

Pitt’s offense has only scored more than 30 points twice and only scored more than 20 in six games out of 12 this season. The Panthers had the 112th ranked offense in total yards this year entering Saturday. When Narduzzi was reminded of the low offensive production he witnessed all season, he spoke of the evaluation that is about to happen for his whole program.

“We’re going to look at that and find out what it is,” said the Pitt coach. “Obviously we’ve got to score more points and we’ve got to covert in the red zone and find out what we’ve got to do. But we’ve definitely got to score more points, that’s a fact.”

The offense is obviously on the proverbial chopping block and while Cignetti’s status will remain a hot button issue around the program, there are obviously other names to consider. Andre Powell, one of the assistants who has been with Narduzzi since 2015, is in charge of special teams, and the Panthers had plenty of blunders in that department in the past two seasons, including a 15-yard punt on Saturday which led to a Duke 25-yard scoring drive.

“We had our opportunities and it’s our job as coaches to put them in a position to make plays and we’ve got to make plays,” said Narduzzi. “Again, It starts with me. I didn’t get it done. It starts there.”

While the coaching situation remains at the forefront of everyone’s mind, the offseason from a player standpoint will begin almost immediately according to the Pitt coach. It is typical for Narduzzi and his staff to meet with every player after the season to kind of see where things stand with their future. As we know, some players have decisions to make. There are some seniors who could opt to use an extra year of eligibility, but on the other end of the spectrum, some players could look to enter the transfer portal for one reason or another.

“Like they always do every year since I got here in ’15 is they start immediately,” Narduzzi said of the pending offseason process. “Monday we’ll have a team meeting and we’ll start meeting with our guys like we normally do.”

While the subject of coaches and players leaving, one of the major areas Pitt has to identify a plan this offseason is at quarterback. Pitt started three different quarterbacks in the 2023 season and two have eligibility for next season.

Nate Yarnell started the final two games of the 2023 campaign and showed promise. He threw for 472 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a score in those two starting assignments and looked to be the most accurate passer in the program.

“No question about it,” Narduzzi said when he was asked if Yarnell is a viable starter they are comfortable with heading into next year. “I mean, he’s a guy who can win a lot of football games for us. He’s smart, takes coaching, he’s tough and he made some good plays out there and made his mistakes too, but we have a lot of faith in him.”

In addition to Yarnell, Pitt also is set to get Christian Veilleux back for his junior year. Veilleux started five games, while mixing in promise and some struggles during his stint as the starter.

While Pitt could lose some players to the transfer portal, it is expected the program will try to bring in some talent from that avenue just the same. Narduzzi specifically mentioned cornerback as a spot where they could focus, mainly due to the fact the team primarily played three seniors there this season.

“We’ve got to build the corner position for sure,” said the Pitt coach. “That’s one spot and it definitely needs retooled.”

The offseason should bring a lot of change to the Pitt football program, and with the season now officially over, that process will ramp up quickly.