4-1-Zoo: Three Pitt Assistants Leave For Arizona
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) — Pitt head coach Todd Graham announced the release of three assistant coaches Sunday: co-offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, secondary coach Tony Gibson and tight ends coach Tony Dews.
Nothing is official yet, but all three are expected to join Rich Rodriguez on his staff at Arizona. Rodriguez was hired to be head coach of the Wildcats Nov. 22.
"I want to thank Tony Gibson, Calvin Magee and Tony Dews for their contributions during this past season," Graham said in a statement. "We will move expeditiously yet thoroughly in finding full-time replacements, and I know we'll have some exceptional candidates to consider. This is an opportunity for us to strengthen an already strong group of coaches and support staff.
"Moving forward, our coaches will be laser-focused on recruiting and having our team ready to play, and win, a bowl game. We've got an incredibly bright future at Pitt and I'm extremely ambitious and enthusiastic about what we can achieve."
All three coaches previously held positions under Rodriguez at West Virginia and Michigan.
All three will be big losses for the Panthers. Magee had a big influence on the offense as co-offensive coordinator. He helped implement the "high-octane" approach. Both Gibson and Dews were major cogs in the team's recruiting efforts.
The coaching transfers don't seem like they'll have any significant impact on recruiting. The influence on the offense can't really be determined, but we'll surely see it play out in the BBVA Compass Bowl Jan. 7 and on into next spring.
--
Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com
