Walt Harris and Pitt’s long term future will be more clearly revealed in who he hires as offensive coordinator and how much authority is given. Brookhart, who leaves to be headcoach at Akron, was the offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach. In truth, he was mainly the wide receiver coach, and the guy who taught the offense in practice. During the game, Harris was in total control of the offensive play calling. If Harris insists on keeping that level of control, then he may be setting up his own fall. He will be locking out any possible new voices with respect to changes and adaptation to the offense. My sense is, he will not want to give up his control on offense.

Harris has no plans to immediately find a replacement for Brookhart, but did say that the Panthers will look outside the program.

“We’ll go outside,” Harris said. “Right now, our plan is to bring in a receiver coach, the best receiver coach that I think will fit in our system.”

Pitt still could hire a receivers coach and promote running backs coach Dino Babers to offensive coordinator. Babers held the same position at Arizona and Texas A&M.

This really worries me, because it looks like he is not going to make a real change to the offense. I know, college coaches like Stoops, Saban and Carroll do the same with regards to their defenses; but Harris is not those guys and this is the offense not defense.

I nearly missed this column from Sunday, talking about criticism Walt Harris has received. Beano Cook is quoted extensively in the story. Amazingly enough, I am in almost total agreement with what he said:

But this season has been viewed as a disappointment and the buck stops with the head coach.

“I don’t think he’s hated the way some coaches are,” ESPN college football analyst Beano Cook said. “But I think the fans are frustrated when he gets up at a press conference and brags about going to a fourth straight bowl. That would have been OK in the year 2000. But not this year.”
…
Harris has been criticized for poor game management and shaky play-calling. He has been hammered by former Pitt players and coaches for being unable to recruit dominating offensive and defensive linemen.

Cook sees merit to the criticism.

“The play-calling is atrocious,” Cook said. “(Pitt athletic director) Jeff Long needs to tell him either he gets an offensive coordinator, or Long will get a new head coach.”

On recruiting, Cook said: “He’s getting good players at the skill positions. But he’s got to get some linemen.”

In the final analysis, Cook agrees with those who see Harris as a good coach, but not a great one. Harris deserves credit for resurrecting the program, but now, armed with state-of-the-art facilities, more is expected than a late December in Charlotte.

“I don’t think there should be a change, because he’s done a good job overall,” Cook said. “But he’s going to have to take them to the next step and he’s going to have to do it in the next few years.”

If Beano can see the problems, then you know it is glaring.

ESPN’s season review of the Big East and Pitt declare Pitt to be tied with VT as the biggest disappointment in the Big East this year. Any argument?