Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has been connected to the college head coaching job at his alma mater, Central Michigan.
Azzanni, 48, is a Central Michigan alum and coached for the Chippewas from 2007-09 as the team’s assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. Azzanni hasn’t coached at the college level since 2016, who he was passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Volunteers. He is in his first season with the Steelers.
The Chippewas job opened last week, when head coach Jim McElwain announced his retirement after a 4-7 season.
Azzanni was named in a list of candidates for the opening by Chris Vannini of The Athletic that also includes Illinois DB coach Corey Parker, Ole Miss WR coach George McDonald, Houston OC Kevin Barbary, Wisconsin OLB coach Matt Mitchell, Butler head coach Mike Uremovich, Michigan DL coach Lou Esposito, Iowa ST coordinator LeVar Woods, Stony Brook head coach Billy Cosy and Minnesota co-OC Greg Harbaugh.
Azzanni played wide receiver for the Chippewas from 1994 to 98 and gradated from Central Michigan with a degree in sports management in 1999. He started his coaching career that season at the FCS level at Valparaiso.
He then coached at Bowling Green from 2001-06 before re-joining the Chips in 2007 for a three-year stint under Butch Jones that included coaching future Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Azzanni then went on to coach wide receivers at Florida, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin and Tennessee before he got his first shot at the NFL level with the Chicago Bears in 2017. He then coached with the Denver Broncos from 2018-22 an the New York Jets in2 2023 before joining the Steelers for this season.
Under Azzanni, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens has posted a career high at 70.5 yards per game and Calvin Austin III has tripled his career high at 32.2 yards per game.