Pitt’s Cory Sanders Promoted to Assistant Head Coach
6/18/2024 10:00:00 AM | Football
PITTSBURGH—Pitt's Chris Bickell '97 Head Football Coach Pat Narduzzi announced today the promotion of Cory Sanders to assistant head coach.
Sanders enters his seventh season at Pitt. In addition to his assistant head coach responsibilities, he will continue his work with the Panthers' secondary and have positional oversight of the safeties.
"From the day we hired Cory back in 2018, he has been an outstanding resource for our entire program," Narduzzi said. "This promotion reflects the deep impact he already makes on our players, coaches and staff. Cory is an excellent teacher and mentor who makes everyone around him better. He sees the larger picture in everything we do. Everyone in our building will benefit from his expanded role with our program."
"I am incredibly grateful to Coach Narduzzi for giving me the opportunity to make an even greater impact for Pitt football," Sanders said. "The University of Pittsburgh is a tremendous place and it has been such an honor to work on behalf of the Pitt football program the past six years. I truly believe our best is yet to come and I'm excited to work with our coaches and players to bring another ACC championship trophy back to Pitt."
Under Sanders' direction, the safeties have been an annual strength for Pitt's defense. Despite having to replace both starters for the 2023 season, he developed a highly productive trio in Donovan McMillon, Javon McIntyre and Phillip O'Brien Jr.
McMillon led the Panthers in tackles with 105, the most by a Pitt defender since 2015, and earned Honorable Mention All-ACC. McIntyre was the team's second-leading tackler with a career-high 85 stops and ranked second with seven pass breakups. O'Brien emerged as one of the Panthers' top ball hawks, intercepting three passes to finish second on the squad.
All three players are back in 2024, giving Pitt one of the top safety combinations in the ACC and nationally.
During his tenure, Sanders has built an impressive Pitt safety pipeline to the pros that includes Erick Hallett II (Jacksonville Jaguars), Brandon Hill (Houston Texans) and Damar Hamlin (Buffalo Bills).
Prior to Pitt, Sanders was the defensive backs coach at Western Michigan (2017), where he developed a pair of NFL Draft selections in cornerbacks Darius Phillips and Sam Beal.
Sanders was part of shaping an NCAA Division II program from the ground up at the University of West Florida, which played its inaugural season in 2016. As the Argonauts' defensive coordinator, he directed a unit that ranked 11th nationally in quarterback sacks (3.6 sacks per game) and 26th in tackles for loss (8.2 TFLs per game). West Florida finished 5-6 that season, the most victories for a first-year Division II program in a decade.
Prior to West Florida, Sanders spent five seasons (2010-14) on the football staff at Division II Saint Joseph's (Ind.) College, his alma mater. The team's defensive coordinator his initial year, Sanders was promoted to head coach for the 2011 season and rebuilt the Pumas into a contender in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
The team achieved runner-up finishes in the GLVC in each of his final two seasons, while featuring a nationally ranked defense. The Pumas also set a school record for single-season total offense (4,594 yards) during his tenure and produced 36 All-GLVC performers.
Sanders initial coaching appointments came at North Central College (2007) and Elmhurst College (2008-09). He coached the defensive backs at both Illinois institutions.
Sanders himself was an outstanding collegiate defensive back. He was a four-time all-conference honoree at Saint Joseph's and elected a Pumas team captain three times. Sanders was an instrumental performer for two conference championship teams and finished his career fifth in school history with 30.5 TFLs.
Sanders is a 2007 graduate of Saint Joseph's with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
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