Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac learned the game while working side-by-side with Pat Narduzzi
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Imagine, if you can, Pat Narduzzi as a mortgage banker, sitting alone behind a desk, shuffling papers, pecking at a calculator, working the boring 9-to-5 daily routine. Makes no sense, right?
It’s been said that Pitt assistant coach Ryan Manalac mirrors Narduzzi in many ways. They both played linebacker in college, and the two men carry an intense demeanor as a coach and a passion for the game. Manalac played for Narduzzi at Cincinnati and later worked for him as a graduate assistant at Michigan State before he was hired in 2021 to coach Pitt’s linebackers.
After earning a business degree from Cincinnati and getting cut twice by the Buffalo Bills, Manalac went to work in the mortgage field. It didn’t take long for him to discover his true calling, just as Narduzzi would have done in the same scenario.
“I figured it out real quick that I missed football and the purpose and the passion and the brotherhood,” Manalac said.
One day, he attended a clinic in his native Ohio where former Cincinnati and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was speaking.
“I talked with him about being a graduate assistant football coach. He tried to actually talk me out of it,” Manalac said. “I (said), ‘No, I’m certain.’ “
Manalac said Dantonio wanted to warn him about the pitfalls of coaching.
“It’s a tough profession, the hours,” he said. “You certainly have to have a family that understands. My wife (Carly) is a rock. She gets it. But it’s not easy. Being able to handle the time constraints and understand that all players are like an extension of our family.
“It’s a lifestyle. He wanted to make sure I understand that commitment and make sure I was truly all in before I took that step.”
None of that mattered to Manalac, who went on to coach at Michigan State, Valparaiso, Ohio Dominican and Bucknell before Narduzzi brought him to Pitt.
His task this season is to coach Pitt’s linebackers after Sir Vocea Dennis went to the NFL. Meanwhile, Shayne Simon has moved from outside to middle linebacker while Bangally Kamara and Solomon DeShields are getting their first taste of extended playing time.
DeShields said he notices the similarities between his head coach and position coach.
“They have great energy. That’s the key to our relationship,” DeShields said. “Some days, the players, they’ll be tired in the morning, but (Narduzzi and Manalac), they have the same type of mindset, same energy every day. It’s hard for you to not go out there and get 3% better. You try to match that energy.”
Manalac cross-trains Kamara and DeShields — and all the linebackers — so they’ll be ready to play the star outside position where they are often in space and the money position where there is more traffic. During camp this summer, Narduzzi and Manalac decided it was time to settle Kamara at money and DeShields at star.
“We cross-train those guys throughout spring, summer and in camp so I don’t think it was a shock,” Manalac said. “We just tried to get the right guys on the bus, in the right seats and make sure we have the best guys moving. I think they clicked (in the Wofford game). It was good to see those guys own those roles and those positions have some success out there.”
DeShields, a wide receiver in high school, said he likes being anchored at star where he can showcase his speed.
“I finally feel like I found my space, found my groove,” he said. “Now, it’s just time to work. Get my name out there, make plays, just turn heads.”
Before he was voted a captain this year by teammates, Simon moved from money to the middle to replace Dennis.
“Shayne loves being in the middle, that leadership,” Manalac said. “He felt (Dennis’) leadership last year and understands what that takes. He works his tail off every single day, both mentally and physically. You’ll see him in our Delta (third down) package as well, which I think he’s excited about, working some pass rush moves and different things that he wasn’t able to showcase last year.”
When a reporter asked Manalac what Narduzzi’s demeanor was like when he played for him, he said nothing has changed.
Ryan Manalac, he’s played for and now coaching with Pat Narduzzi … pic.twitter.com/vbUqz8dy6T
— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) September 6, 2023
“He’s a passionate, Italian man, loves football, loves people. I’ve always appreciated that. He’s made me a better man, certainly made me a better football player. That was my first impression and it’s still my impression to this day.”
He said Narduzzi taught him how to treat people.
“First, it’s about building those relationships, making sure that they know that you care about them. But also understanding you care about their goals and you’re not going to let them not fight for their goals. You’re coaching them with tough love and pushing them to get where they want to get and where this team needs them to get.”