Report: Tim Salem Will Not Return as Pitt Tight Ends Coach

Pat Narduzzi has reportedly made another move to shake up his Pitt offensive coaching staff.

Pitt has reportedly parted ways with veteran tight ends coach Tim Salem, the FootballScoop reported. It’s somewhat of a surprising decision considering Salem’s importance as a recruiter, but with a stale offense, it’s not shocking that Narduzzi is shaking up the staff.

Salem, 62, was one of Narduzzi’s original hires back in 2015, and he spent the last nine seasons as the tight ends coach and a key recruiter in the Northeast region.

Salem was a key recruiter when it came to landing Kenny Pickett, Izzy Abanikanda, Jason Pinnock, SirVocea Dennis, Solomon DeShields, Carter Warren, Samuel Okunlola, Maurice Ffrench and Matt Goncalves.

But when it came to recruiting tight ends, and tight end production over the last two seasons, there was a disconnect for some reason.

Narduzzi was forced to part ways with former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. in November, following the complete offensive breakdown in 2023, and it’s trickling down to the offensive staff. Western Carolina offensive coordinator Kade Bell was hired as his replacement, and his brief tenure at the helm of the offense, it’s certainly been a breath of fresh air.

Salem has spent decades as a college coach, arriving at Pitt from Illinois (serving as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach), and he’s had stops at UCF, Ohio State, Purdue, Colorado State and Arizona State.

Salem will likely not be the last offensive coach to be let go this offseason as Narduzzi and Bell revamp the offense. It’s a tough situation, but it was one that was needed with the stagnation of the Panthers’ offense.

Salem was the longest-tenured assistant on Narduzzi’s staff, one of the original members alongside running backs coach and special teams coordinator Andre Powell.