Football: Cignetti hired as Rutgers offensive coordinator

By Alex Oltmanns

Pitt lost its second coach in one day Monday, when Rutgers announced their hiring of former Pitt… Pitt lost its second coach in one day Monday, when Rutgers announced their hiring of former Pitt offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti to the same position.

The move comes on the same day that former Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt announced he would not be coaching the team in its BBVA Compass Bowl on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to join Coach Schiano’s staff at Rutgers,” Cignetti said in a news release. “I am anxious to get to New Jersey and start working with the student athletes, coaches and support staff.”

Before coaching at Pitt, Cignetti  served as the offensive coordinator at the University of California, while also spending time in the NFL as the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterbacks coach with successful stints at other schools such as North Carolina and Fresno State.

“Frank brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to our program,” Schiano said in a news release.

Cignetti joins former Pitt defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, who was also recently hired by Rutgers.