The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Matt Canada as quarterbacks coach, the team announced on Wednesday.
Canada was the offensive coordinator at Pitt in 2016, working next door to the Steelers’ practice facility. He lead the Panthers to the program’s most prolific point total in team history in 2016 and dramatic wins over Penn State and Clemson. After the season, he was a candidate for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.
He left Pitt to take the same job at LSU in 2017 under Ed Ogeron, but was fired after one season after the two disagreed on offensive strategy. Canada spent 2018 as the interim head coach at Maryland, unexpectedly leading the Terrapins to a 5-7 finish after the summer death of lineman Jordan McNair and subsequent firing of head coach D.J. Durkin. But Canada was not offered the full-time job after the 2018 season and stayed at home in 2019.
The Steelers have not had a separate quarterbacks coach since Randy Fichtner was elevated from that position before the 2018 season to replace Todd Haley as offensive coordinator. Coaching assistant Blaine Stewart worked with the quarterbacks in 2019.
Canada formed a relationship with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin when he recruited Tomlin’s son, Dino Tomlin, to play wide receiver at Maryland.
A 47-year-old New Palestine, Indiana native, Canada has was offensive coordinator at NC State, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Indiana and Butler before joining Pitt. He is an Indiana alum, where he was a student manager for the football team.