The Countdown: 41 days until the ACC

41 days until the ACC: Lots of new assistants will be roaming the ACC sidelines in 2013

For the first time in what feels like ages, Pitt's coaching staff didn't shatter into pieces during the off-season. Defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable was the only member to leave, giving the Panthers a much needed reprieve from the coaching carousel. But, the same can't be said for our ACC brethren. According to an article by Virginia Daily Press writer David Teel, 41% (51 of 126) of the conference's full-time assistant coaches will be new in 2013.

N.C. State, Boston College, and Syracuse, each with a new head coach and revitalized coaching staffs, will bring a combined 24 new assistants into the league. 13 coordinators, including Pitt's Matt House, N.C. State's Huxtable, and Florida State's Jeremy Pruitt, will also be new.

Among the programs without head coaching changes, Florida State's Jimbo Fisher had the most turnover, hiring six new assistants. One of them is former Pitt star (and Tino's dad) Sal Sunseri who will coach the Noles' defensive ends. Virginia coach Mike London brought in five new faces, and Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Miami all hired three.

In addition to Sunseri at Florida State, a couple moves which may be of particular interest to Pitt fans include former Penn State defensive coordinator Ted Roof taking the same position at Georgia Tech, and former Steelers' wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery returning to his alma mater Duke as passing game coordinator. And just in case anyone forgot, Pitt welcomed just one new assistant this winter in defensive veteran John Palermo.

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