Pitt announces Dave Borbely as new offensive line coach

The Pitt football team announced on its website on Monday, Feb. 12,  that head coach Pat Narduzzi has hired Dave Borbely as the new offensive line coach.

Borbely comes over from Maryland where he has coached the last two seasons. Previously, he was the offensive line coach at 11 different schools since 1986. His stops include four year stints at Notre Dame from 1998 to 2001, Virginia from 2006 to 2009 and Louisville from 2010 to 2013.

During his time at Louisville, Borbely coached alongside current Pitt offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. The two also previously spent time coaching together at Colorado from 2002 to 2005.

Upon announcing the hire, Narduzzi made mention of the long-standing relationship between Watson and Borbely.

“Dave is an outstanding teacher who knows how to develop players,” Narduzzi said. “He owns a long relationship with our offensive coordinator, Shawn Watson, which will be a major strength for our coaches and players alike.”

Borbely said he was excited to join the Pitt football program, citing the program’s history. He specifically mentioned the success of former Pitt offensive line coach Joe Moore who coached at Pitt from 1977 to 1985.

“To have the chance to coach at an institution with such rich history like Pitt is a huge honor for me,” Borbely said. “Also, to have the opportunity to coach where Joe Moore started his great legacy as the best in the business is very humbling.”

Under Borbely, the Maryland offensive line led a rushing offense that averaged 161.7 yards per game last season. The Panthers only averaged 148.5 rushing yards per game.

Borbely will inherit a line that lost seniors Alex Officer and Jaryd Jones-Smith to graduation and junior Brian O’Neill to the NFL draft.

The Panthers will also add three incoming first-year offensive linemen from the 2018 recruiting class.