Football
- Title:
- Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
- Season at Pitt:
- First
Calling him "one of college football's most dynamic and aggressive offensive minds," Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi announced the hiring of Kade Bell as the Panthers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in December 2023.
In his first season with Pitt in 2024, Bell directed Pitt to a dramatic improvement in the passing game. The unit averaged 277.8 yards per game through the air in the regular season, which ranked 15th nationally and third in the ACC. He also helped redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein establish himself as one of college football's top newcomers in 2024, as he was named a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. On the season, Holstein completed 62% of his passes (180 of 291) for 2,228 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Holstein's 17 TD passes tied with Alex Van Pelt (1989) for the most by a Pitt freshman.
Among all FBS freshmen, Holstein ranked third in passing yards per game (222.8 avg.) and total offense per game (255.6 avg.), while he was fifth in touchdown passes (17). Among Power 4 freshmen, he ranked first in passing yards and total offense per game and third in TD passes.
Bell earned his Pitt appointment after directing one of the country's most explosive offenses at Western Carolina the three seasons prior to Pitt (2021-23).
In 2023, the Catamounts led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in total offense with an average of 504.1 yards per game. Additionally, WCU ranked third in passing offense (321.1 yards per game) and fourth in scoring (37.5 points per game).
Western Carolina paced the highly competitive Southern Conference in no fewer than eight offensive categories while setting school records for total yards (5,545) and passing touchdowns (33). Bell's quarterback, Cole Gonzales, a finalist for the prestigious Walter Payton Award (most outstanding FCS offensive player), finished the regular season with an FCS-best 28 touchdown passes and sterling 166.40 efficiency rating (third in FCS).
In 52 career games as an offensive coordinator, Bell's teams produced more than 500 yards 31 times (60%).
Prior to Western Carolina, Bell was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Tusculum University, where during the 2021 spring season his offense averaged 533.4 yards and 37.6 points per game en route to the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) title.
Bell worked for three seasons at Valdosta State (2016-18), elevating to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In his final season, the Blazers went 14-0 and claimed the NCAA Division II national championship. VSU averaged a national-best 52 points per game, breaking the NCAA Division II record for points in a season (728).
The Blazers led the nation in touchdown passes (50), yards per play (7.9), yards per rush (7.2) and points per play (an NCAA Division II-record 0.78). VSU's average of 524 yards per game that season ranked fourth nationally.
Under Bell's tutelage, quarterback Rogan Wells was the 2018 Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the most valuable NCAA Division II player. Wells threw for 3,078 yards and 38 touchdowns during the Blazers' march to the 2018 title.
Bell’s additional experience includes one season (2019) at the University of South Florida as an offensive analyst.
Bell is the son of Kerwin Bell, the former Florida Gators quarterback and professional football player who is presently the head coach at Western Carolina. The elder Bell was also the head coach at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15).
Kade was a four-year starting quarterback under his father at Jacksonville from 2011-15, producing 9,613 total yards and accounting for 93 touchdowns. He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management from Jacksonville and also earned a master's degree in public administration from Valdosta State in 2018.
Bell and his wife, Charlotte, have a daughter, Palmer, and a son, Beckett.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Alma Mater: Jacksonville, 2015
Family: Bell and his wife, Charlotte, have a daughter, Palmer, and a son, Beckett.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Pitt, 2024, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks.
Western Carolina, 2021-23, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks.
Tusculum, 2021 (spring season), associate head coach and offensive coordinator.
USF, 2019, offensive analyst.
Valdosta State, 2016, offensive graduate assistant; 2017, offensive passing game coordinator and wide receivers; 2018, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks.
