Kirschman: Graham the right choice for Pitt football

Ever since former head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned under pressure, the Pitt football program… Ever since former head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned under pressure, the Pitt football program has been consumed by a public relations nightmare.

Pitt’s first choice to replace Wannstedt, Michael Haywood, was charged with domestic battery shortly after his hiring. Pitt fired him just over 24 hours after the incident occurred. (Haywood later pleaded not guilty to his charge.)

A nationally ranked and once-promising recruiting class was dismantled, leaving only five committed recruits.

Wannstedt announced he wouldn’t coach the Panthers in the BBVA Compass Bowl and even as it took place, Pitt focused on finding the next head coach for its football program.

But here’s some good news: Pitt got it right this time when it hired former Tulsa head coach Todd Graham to take over the team.

And in case you’re one of the people who had your heart set on another coach, like Penn State’s defensive coordinator Tom Bradley,

I’m going to tell you why.

Bradley seemed to be the most popular and supported choice around Pittsburgh, mainly because he’s a well-liked and well-respected coach in Western Pennsylvania, and for good reason.

But unlike Bradley, Graham has head-coaching experience. Bradley’s been an assistant under Joe Paterno for more than 30 years. Graham’s been the head coach at two different programs, and both have been successful.

Graham spent four seasons as Tulsa’s head coach, compiling a 36-17 overall record. At the end of this season, the Golden Hurricane defeated No. 24 Hawaii 62-25 in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. He’s the only Tulsa head coach to post consecutive 10-win seasons — and he did so his first two years at the helm.

He led a turnaround as the head coach at Rice University in 2005, when he guided the Owls to a 7-6 record and their first bowl berth in 45 years. He was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year following the season.

Graham also worked under Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, where the Mountaineers improved from 3-8 to 9-4 in his second season. He was the defensive coordinator at Tulsa from 2003-05. During those years, Tulsa ranked among the top 25 in pass defense, third in takeaways and interceptions and 11th in pass-defense efficiency.

In 2002, the Golden Hurricane went 1-11. After Graham’s arrival, they went 8-4.

Wherever Graham goes, programs seem to be resurrected. But here’s the best news: Pitt’s program doesn’t need to be resurrected.

Even with Jon Baldwin, Dion Lewis and Henry Hynoski declaring for the NFL draft, the Panthers still have plenty of talent. Wannstedt built a strong foundation, and now it’s up to Graham to take the team to the next level.

I think he’s the man to do it.

All the Panthers need is some direction and stability: someone to utilize all that talent. That’s something Graham can certainly offer.

His history of head coaching success is a lot more impressive than that of Haywood, who led his own turnaround at Miami (Oh.) but really had nothing else to show for his career.

Also, Pitt fans will probably have to find something else to complain about during Graham’s time as Pitt’s head coach, because the offense won’t be boring or stagnant. The Panthers can say goodbye to the pro-style offense and get ready to welcome one that’s more up-tempo.

There will be some high-scoring Backyard Brawls to look forward to between Graham at Pitt and Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia.

Offensively, Graham’s teams are exciting. In 2007 and 2008, the Golden Hurriance boasted the nation’s top-ranked offense. It

averaged 543.9 and 569.9 yards per game, respectively. This year, Tulsa was fifth in total offense, averaging 504.89 yards per game.

The Golden Hurricane scored more than 40 points eight times last season. Pitt scored more than 40 points three times.

There’s also potential for Graham to broaden Pitt’s recruiting horizons, as he was born in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, played high school football in Texas and climbed the football ranks as a head coach and athletic director. His ties to Texas could help bring in some recruits from that area, especially after Texas Christian University joins the Big East in 2012-13.

Finally, Graham did something at Tulsa last season that Pitt couldn’t: he beat Notre Dame.

Maybe Pitt should have hired Graham the first time around and saved everyone a headache or two.