Offensive line guru Bob Bostad did not stick around Pittsburgh too long. The former Wisconsin offensive line coach, hired by colleague and friend Paul Chryst to run the Panthers offense is leaving to join the professional ranks as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line coach. Alex Marvez first reported the news that Bostad was leaving Pitt, less than two months after he was hired during Chirstmas week. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had difficulty assembling a staff under new head coach Greg Schiano, with many NFL teams blocking their attempts to interview assistant coachs. They have thus dipped into the college ranks to fill out the staff, and Pitt was a victim this weekend.
Bostad has had considerable success churning out productive NFL offensive lineman. Former Bostad players Gabe Carimi, Bill Nagy, and John Moffitt all started as rookie offensive lineman in the NFL this season. While playing under the tutelage of Bostad, both Carimi and Moffitt were named All-Americans. It's a tough loss for Pitt, which seemed to be recovering nicely from the abrupt Todd Graham departure.
Chryst announced that quarterbacks coach Joe Rudolph would be promoted to offensive coordinator while Jim Hueber will step up from tight ends coach to offensive line coach. Chryst will look to hire two new coaches to fill the vacancies created by those promotions after Bostad's departure.
For more on Paul Chryst and Pitt football, check out SB Nation’s Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill.