Jacob Spiwak/Contributing Writer
After leading the FIU defense to a historically great season in 2014, defensive coordinator Josh Conklin has agreed to take the same position at University of Pittsburgh under new head coach Pat Narduzzi.
Narduzzi, formerly the defensive coordinator at Michigan State University before accepting the head job at Pitt, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive minds in college football. After seeing how well Conklin performed at FIU this season, it was a no-brainer to try to get him on Pitt’s staff.
Coach Ron Turner brought Conklin in as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator in 2013, who in turn quickly made FIU one of the premiere defenses in the country. The Panthers finished last season 4th in the country in takeaways, 35th in total defense, and led Conference USA in red zone defense.
FIU Linebackers’ coach Rob Harley will be departing the program and joining Conklin’s defensive staff in Pittsburgh as well. Harley also played a key role in FIU’s defensive success last year, taking a young group of linebackers and turning them into successful Division-1 football players.
These moves will leave Ron Turner with multiple holes to fill on the defensive coaching staff, and it will be extremely difficult to replicate the performance of Conklin and Harley last season. However, with a roster that has CB Richard Leonard returning for his final year of eligibility, as well as defensive standouts including LB Davison Colimon and DE Michael Wakefield, whoever takes over the defensive coordinator job will have a lot of talent to work with.
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