Pat Narduzzi has been linked to the Michigan State opening. The Pittsburgh head coach, however, poured cold water on those rumors.

FootballScoop recently reported that MSU had “done its due diligence” on Narduzzi and talked to the former Spartan assistant. On Wednesday, Narduzzi was asked about rumored interest in the Michigan State job during an appearance on SiriusXM.

“Well, I’ll say this, the last time, I turned it down a couple times,” Narduzzi told ACC Radio. “I have had absolutely no contact with them at all. There’s been no contact at all with anybody from their athletic department.”

Narduzzi, 57, was Michigan State’s defensive coordinator from 2007-to-2014. In Narduzzi’s final years in East Lansing, the Spartans had 1 of the top defenses in the Big Ten and overall nationally. Narduzzi won the Broyles Award for the nation’s top assistant coach in 2013.

Following the 2014 season, Narduzzi took the head coaching job at Pitt. The Panthers are 65-49 under Narduzzi, winning 11 games and an ACC Championship in 2021. Pitt will finish with a losing record for the second time under Narduzzi as a 3-8 squad entering the regular-season finale.

Earlier Wednesday, Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith was reported to be Michigan State’s top target to lead the Spartans.