Syracuse Football: That Time Tim Daoust Almost Left to Coach at Pitt

The Syracuse Orange - Pittsburgh Panthers rivalry is always lacking in actual rivalry but at least this year we have a murderous kiwi to stoke the fires of passion between the two squads. However, there was almost another item on the docket that could have legitimately caused some friction between the two coaching staffs.

Back when he was hired, Pat Narduzzi was putting out feelers to potential defensive coordinator candidates and one of them was reportedly Syracuse DL coach Tim Daoust. Some say Daoust should be a DC by now and his preexisting relationship with Nardz made it seem plausible. Then Narduzzi hired Josh Conklin and that was that.

As the annual Syracuse - Pitt clash gets closer, Daoust opened up about the potential ship-jump and just how close it came to happened.

Daoust was interested in being Pat Narduzzi's defensive coordinator. The two previously worked together at Northern Illinois and Cincinnati, and Narduzzi and Shafer are in many ways carbon-copies.

The Pitt coach said the two spoke about the defensive coordinator job in the offseason when he was assembling his staff.

No offer was made.

"It's tough when you put your first staff together," Narduzzi said in the summer. "I have a lot of respect for Tim. He's a great coach, great person. His wife's dad was my family dentist. It's all good people. You just try to evaluate, and you're looking for the fit. Tim would've fit in."

Daoust moved on and the fact that Scott Shafer implied he'd feel comfortable moving Daoust up to DC if and when Chuck Bullough leaves seems to have sated him for the time being. Daoust also shares that job titles aren't ultimately what's important. He'd much rather take his chances with people he trusts and has relationships with.

"I'm not going anywhere. It's comical at times, things that were out there and not true. I'm in a very good situation, and I mean that and believe that, and I don't want anyone to misconstrue anything. I like it here and want to be here."

"I'm not going anywhere. Coach (Shafer) is my best friend, for crying out loud. At the end of the day, it's people, people, people. I'm not going to put things to chance that I don't have to. I'm not doing it."