Pitt Panthers’ football coach Paul Chryst has been hired by Wisconsin’s football program.

After Wisconsin’s coach Gary Andersen surprisingly left for Oregon State, Wisconsin set out to find their new coach. After a thorough search, they chose Chryst as their man. Many think this was due to his Wisconsin ties. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and played for the Badgers from 1986-1988. He was also their offensive coordinator from 2005-2011. After that, he took the Pittsburgh coaching job, where he was 19-19 in three years.

Some other candidates highly considered include Dave Aranda, who is Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator for the past two seasons; Pat Narduzzi, who is Michigan State’s defensive coordinator; and Greg Schiano, who has worked with Rutgers and in the NFL.

“The thing that’s really unique about this job is that it’s so special,”Chryst said to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when being introduced as the new Wisconsin head coach.

“It was also hard because of the players at the University of Pittsburgh and that’s why we do this. They will always be special and it’s pretty neat how they understood.”

Even though Wisconsin got a new coach, Pitt is still looking for a replacement for Chryst. However, they are trying to look for a coach to last long-term. Lately, football coaches have lasted a few years at Pitt, and then left for another university. Todd Graham spent one year at Pitt before leaving for Arizona State. Now, Chryst has gone to Wisconsin after three years. Pitt hopes to reverse this trend with their next hire.

Candidates for the job at Pitt include Greg Schiano, Doc Holiday, Pat Narduzzi, and Tom Bradley.

Schiano, who many consider a favorite for the job, coached at Rutgers from 2001-2011, then switched to the NFL. There, he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2011-2013. He took this season off, but hopes to get back into coaching.

Also, another man to be considered is Doc Holiday. Holiday played at West Virginia from 1976-1978. After that, he spent 22 years as an assistant for WV. Then, he transitioned to Marshall University, where he led the Thundering Herd to a 12-1 record this season and a 39-25 record from 2010 to the present.

In addition, there is Pat Narduzzi. He has been a defensive coordinator for the Michigan State Spartans since 2007, and would help Pitt tremendously. This is because Pitt’s defense needs a boost, and Narduzzi could be the guy to give it to the team.

Lastly, there is hometown favorite Tom Bradley. He played for Penn State from 1975-1978, and became an assistant at the university for 30 years, where he was the main recruiter under coach Joe Paterno. Now, he is the defensive coordinate at West Virginia.

This will be an important hire for the Panthers to help keep the team on track.