Pitt football’s search for a new defensive coordinator has concluded.

It was announced Monday in a statement that head coach Paul Chryst decided to promote secondary coach Matt House to the position.

Chryst also hired two new defensive coaches. John Palermo will join the team as defensive ends and linebackers coach and Hank Poteat will join as a graduate assistant.

Former defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable left Pitt in December before the BBVA Compass Bowl to take the same position at ACC school North Carolina State.

House, with the greater workload he’s assuming, will assist only with coaching the safeties this season. He joined Chryst’s staff last year after working with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers for three years and one year, respectively.

“I was very impressed by Matt’s work last year in the secondary,” Chryst said in the statement. “He has been a great fit for our program as a coach, recruiter and teacher of the game. His experiences and work ethic have more than prepared him for this opportunity to be a coordinator.”

Palermo is a 38-year coaching veteran who spent 15 years at the University of Wisconsin, two seasons with the Washington Redskins and this past season with the University of Tennessee.

“John, quite simply, is a great football coach,” Chryst said. “I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him again. J.P.’s wealth of experience is going to benefit our entire program, both coaches and players alike.”

Poteat was a two-time first-team All-Big East cornerback in his four years at Pitt and led the team in interceptions in 1998 and 1999. As a junior in 1998, he led the Big East and ranked fourth nationally with an average of 0.60 interceptions per game (six total). Poteat holds Pitt records for kick return yards in a season (764 yards in 1998) and a career (2,010).

He was a third-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Poteat played for five NFL teams over 10 years, earning a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 2004 New England Patriots. He retired from the professional game after the 2009 season and has spent the past two seasons coaching defensive backs at Division II Kentucky Christian University.

“We’re really excited to bring Hank back home to Pitt,” Chryst said. “In addition to his experience as an NFL player, Hank has coached on the college level the past two years. His knowledge of the game and of Pitt is going to be a big asset for us.”