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Brian Wright has been hired as the head football coach for Pitt State. Wright is stepping in as head coach after former head coach Tim Beck resigned in November.
Wright also hired new assistant coaches including Tom Anthony as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Pat Cashmore as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach, Jerry DiMinno as the tight ends coach, Bryan Larson as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, Jody Owens as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and Munir Prince as the cornerbacks coach. Larry Garman and Travis Young will remain assistant coaches, Matt Karleskint as the wide receivers’ coach, and Josh Lattimer as the defensive line coach.
Wright was formerly the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks’ coach at the University of Toledo from 2016-2019.
According to Wright, he is enjoying living in Pittsburg and working at Pitt State.
“I love it so far,” Wright said. “I love the energy that the community has towards the university and specifically to the football program. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the faculty and staff. They’ve really been a big help towards our recruiting efforts to this point and really appreciate all they’ve done to help us recruit student athletes. I’m really enjoying working with our new staff that’s here and I’m excited about continuing to work with our players and getting to know them better.”
Wright has years of experience in coaching. Before his time at Toledo, Wright was the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks’ coach at Florida Atlantic from 2014-2015. In 2013, he stepped in as the interim head coach for the final four games of the season. From 2012-2013, Wright was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach. From 2010-2011, Wright served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach at Montana State. Prior to that, Wright worked at Youngstown State from 2001-2009 as the quarterbacks’ coach (2001-2002), quarterbacks’ and wide receivers’ coach (2003), recruiting coordinator (2004-2007), and the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach (2005-2009). Before Wright’s time at Youngstown State, he served as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers’ coach at Walsh in 1998, the passing game coordinator, quarterbacks’ coach, and co-special teams coordinator in 1999, and then the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach in 2000. He also served as a graduate assistant at Youngstown State in 1997 and at Walsh (1995-1996).
Wright has garnered many achievements during his time at Toledo. In 2016, he helped the team maintain a 9-4 record and finished in the top ten nationally in passing efficiency (second), third-down conversions (fifth), total offense (seventh), red-zone offense (ninth), and passing offense (10th). In 2017, Wright helped Toledo to a 11-3 record overall and a MAC Championship, where they defeated Akron. During that season, Wright was a nominee for the Broyles Award. In 2018, Toledo led the MAC in scoring and was second in total offense. In 2019, the Toledo Rockets finished the season with a 6-6 overall record and were ranked second in rushing and fifth in offense in the MAC.
Wright believes Pitt State is a good fit for him and that his goals and those of the faculty and staff at Pitt State are similar and will bring success to the program and university.
“I wanted to coach at a place that football was important to the school and to the community and certainly Pitt State is that,” Wright said. “I wanted to be at a place where the leadership of the university provided resources where we could have success. From the outside looking in, I thought… they did that and as I looked at facilities and I looked at the growth really of the athletic department over the last few years, I felt confident that that was the case. When I just met the leadership team at Pitt State, their vision and my vision was alike, and I felt that together we could do some special things here.”
According to PSU’s athletic department website, Wright was the “clear choice” for the position according to Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Johnson.
“We are excited to embrace the dawn of a new era in the Pitt State football program and welcome in Brian Wright to lead the Gorillas moving forward,” Johnson said. “Brian’s passion for the game of football and desire to help mold student-athletes into elite winners both on and off the field is contagious. The future is bright for our proud and storied program.”
Wright has a couple of goals that he wishes to achieve throughout his time at Pitt State
“My goals are that we win a championship,” Wright said. “My goal is that every one of our student athletes will graduate with a meaningful degree with over a 3.0 GPA… Thirdly, I believe that our guys should be able to serve this community with a lot of their extra time and give back and so I those are the three main things I would like to see happen here.”
