Pittsburgh hires Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh is turning to former Massachusetts head coach Mark Whipple to rejuvenate its offense.

The Panthers hired Whipple as offensive coordinator on Monday. Whipple replaces Shawn Watson, who was fired earlier this month after the Panthers finished near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference in nearly every major offensive category. Pitt finished 97th in the country in total offense, 93rd in scoring offense and 120th in passing offense.

Whipple stepped down as head coach of the Minutemen last November after UMass went 4-8 in his fifth season. The 61-year-old is no stranger to Pittsburgh. He spent three years as the quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004-06, where he mentored Ben Roethlisberger during Roethlisberger's first seasons in the NFL.

Whipple previously coached in the ACC at Miami. He was the Hurricanes' offensive coordinator from 2009-10.

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Associated Press