Former Indiana offensive coordinator Matt Canada will be taking over as offensive coordinator of one of the NFL’s most prestigious franchises.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have promoted Canada from his position as quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator after deciding not to renew the contract of Randy Fichtner. The news was first reported on Monday by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN and later confirmed by the Steelers.
Canada, an Indiana graduate who played quarterback at New Palestine High School and was on the IU staff from 1994-96 and from 2004-10, has spent time at Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, LSU and Maryland since he was let go in 2010 when IU head coach Bill Lynch was fired. Canada served as an interim head coach at Maryland in 2018 when D.J. Durkin was fired following the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair.
Canada reportedly made a good impression on Steelers coaches in 2016 as an offensive coordinator at Pitt when the Panthers upset Clemson and went 8-5. The Steelers and Panthers share a training facility on Pittsburgh’s South Side, and he was on their radar when they wanted to add to the staff before the 2020 season. The Steelers started the season 11-0 and won the AFC North but stumbled toward the end of the year and lost to Cleveland in the AFC Wild Card Playoff round. They head into the offseason with uncertainty surrounding the future of long-time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger among several other offensive veterans.
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