Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi pushed back on speculation that his postgame handshake with Miami's Mario Cristobal was hostile, saying he encouraged the Hurricanes coach to win the national championship after Miami's 52-23 victory.
Video of the two coaches repeatedly patting each other on the back and shoulders circulated widely after the game. The moment drew extra attention since it also came after Narduzzi had publicly accused Miami of trying to recruit Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel during the offseason.
#Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi on his postgame handshake with Miami HC Mario Cristobal, which made its rounds on this app:
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) October 26, 2026
“I had a great handshake with him, and I told him to go win it all. He said, ‘Thanks Pat.’ And that was about it … Maybe he was mad. Whatever. I don’t know.” #H2P pic.twitter.com/xsNLm56v1T
Narduzzi's explanation of what happened
Speaking at his Monday news conference, Narduzzi said the exchange was friendly. "I thought we had a good handshake," he said.
He added that he told Cristobal to go win the championship and that Cristobal thanked him. When asked about the perception that the interaction was tense, he said Cristobal might have been upset but that he did not know.
Narduzzi offered a nearly identical account after Miami's 38-7 win at Pitt on Nov. 29, 2025. He said he told Cristobal, "he's got a good football team, go win it."
Offseason tension between Narduzzi and Cristobal
At ACC Kickoff in July, Narduzzi accused Miami of attempting to lure Heintschel into the transfer portal before the January window closed. He also said he had warned Duke coach Manny Diaz that Miami might pursue quarterback Darian Mensah. Heintschel stayed at Pitt, but Mensah later transferred from Duke to Miami.
Days before Saturday's game, Narduzzi said he and Cristobal had spoken little since media days and criticized the regulatory environment around the transfer portal.
If you look at the interaction, there is clearly a passive aggressive nature to the handshake. It doesn't take a body language expert to see that. It was probably smart for Narduzzi to shut down the chatter and step aside since Miami is an absolute buzzsaw currently.
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