Another year, another new head coach at Pitt.

The Panthers hired Pat Narduzzi as their fifth head coach in the past seven years after Paul Chryst left Pittsburgh to be the head coach at Wisconsin.

Narduzzi, who was a successful defensive coordinator at Michigan State the previous eight years, will be taking over a team that is full of underclassmen, and he has brought in a host of new coaches to revamp his young team as they enter their third season in the ACC.

To coach the offense, Narduzzi hired offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, receivers coach Kevin Sherman, offensive line coach John Peterson, tight ends coach Tim Salem, and former Clemson running back coach Andre Powell.

On defense, Narduzzi hired defensive coordinator Josh Conklin, cornerback coach Renaldo Hill, defensive line coach Tom Sims, and linebacker coach Rob Harley.

“I think there’s a ton of excitement here with the little change we’ve had here in the staff, and I’m excited for September 5th to come,” Narduzzi said.

Going into the 2015 season, questions surround the offense and how well the unit can perform with a lack of depth at key positions. Pitt will return junior starting quarterback Chad Voytik to lead the offense.

Last season, Voytik completed 176 of 287 passes for 2,233 yards, 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He progressed as the season went on and will remain the starter for 2015.

Receiving passes from Voytik will be star receiver Tyler Boyd. The junior racked up over 1,000 yards in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, and he was named as a first-team All-ACC selection by the coaches and media after ending 2014 with 78 catches for 1,261 yards.

Pitt also returns explosive running back James Conner for 2015. This decorated back was named ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns on 298 carries in his sophomore season. Also returning in the backfield is junior Rachid Ibrahim who averaged 8 yards per carry  and sophomore Chris James, who totaled 437 yards and four touchdowns on 87 carries in his freshman debut.

On the offensive line, Pitt will return four linemen with significant starting experience, but Peterson will have his work cut out for him to secure a unit that can block for Pitt’s key offensive weapon, Conner.

Pitt will benefit from regaining starting lineman Artie Rowell for the 2015 season. Rowell was lost early last season after sustaining a knee injury but should return fully healthy for 2015.

“Artie (Rowell), we expect to have him back here full go, going through our summer conditioning program,” said Narduzzi. “He’s going to compete for the center spot as well as those guard spots. We’re going to find a way to get him in there.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Pitt’s biggest strength will be it’s secondary, but the addition of Narduzzi and a whole new defensive coaching staff should make a positive impact on Pitt’s average front seven.

At Michigan State, Narduzzi led a strong defense. In Narduzzi’s time with the Spartans, the defense ranked in the top 10 for total and rushing defense in each of the past four seasons. Michigan State is the only school in the FBS to do that.

At Pitt, Narduzzi will be working with a front seven that lost its two top tacklers. However, starting junior middle linebacker Matt Galambos will return alongside senior linebacker Nicholas Grigsby and junior outside linebacker Bam Bradley. Pitt’s defensive line also returns five linemen who have played in at least 12 games, so the new coaches will have bodies to work with to introduce a new defensive scheme. “When you take over a defense that, I guess, hasn’t been as good as it needs to be in the past and really has held back the great things our offense has done. There’s so much to learn,” said Narduzzi. “Our kids are anxious to continue to learn. I don’t know if I can pinpoint one thing, but the one thing I did like is their attitude and their engagement in spring ball. They’re willing to learn.”

The secondary returns almost all of its top playmakers from last season, including four-year starting cornerback Lafayette Pitts. Junior safety Reggie Mitchell led the team with seven pass breakups last season and will return next season as well. The Panthers have an easy early schedule to help them adjust to a new coaching staff before taking on their first ACC opponent, Virginia Tech, on Oct. 3.

After that they take on all their ACC opponents in back-to-back games along with hosting Notre Dame.