Matt Canada named Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Former Indiana Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada has been promoted to OK for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Canada spent its first season with the Steelers in 2020 as a quarterbacks coach.

Canada is from New Palestine, Indiana. He spent two years as the starting quarterback at New Palestine High School, throwing for 1,736 yards and leading his team to a 20-3 record. He attended Indiana University college, where he was a student assistant for the soccer program in his sophomore year.

In 2004 Canada became the quarterbacks coach in Indiana. From 2005 to 2006 he was the coordinator for the passing game and QB trainer. From 2007 to 2010 he was the offensive coordinator for the Hoosiers.

So he had a lot of cream and purple history before moving to the NFL last year.

Below is the full Steelers press release:

Matt Canada, who was the Steelers’ quarterbacks coach for a season, was promoted to offensive coordinator. Canada replaces Randy Fichtner, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the 2020 season.

Under Canada, Ben Roethlisberger completed 399 of 608 passes for 3,803 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a rating of 94.1. The Steelers passing game finished seventh in the AFC and 15th in the NFL.

The Steelers Offensive performed jet sweeps and pre-snap moves earlier in the season, which Canada was known for in its college coaching career.

Canada moved from college to the Steelers in 2020, where he had two decades of quarterbacks coaching and offensive coordinator experience and was a 2016 finalist for the Broyles Award, an honor bestowed on the best assistant coach in college football.

His college successes included his offensive units breaking school records at several points in his career including Indiana, northern Illinois, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh, and at the University of Maryland in 2018 when he was an interim coach.

Canada was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at LSU in 2017, helping lead quarterback Danny Etling to a strong season of 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions, while LSU ranked No. 1 in the country’s lowest-turnover season finished.

Canada spent the 2016 season at the University of Pittsburgh as the offensive coordinator, and the Panthers averaged a school record of 42 points per game. Pitt led the nation in the percentage of touchdowns in the red zone (82%) and scored at least 28 points in all 12 regular season games, including a 43-42 win at eventual national champions Clemson.

During his time at NC State (2013-15) he coached quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who executed 43 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions over a period of two years under his guidance. The Wolkpack finished third in the ACC in 2015 and scored the most points (41) in the regular season against Clemson, the finalist of the College Football Playoffs.

Canada played a pivotal role in leading Wisconsin to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth in 2012. The Badgers ranked 12th nationwide on offense, and Montee Ball won the Doak Walker Award for best backrunner in the nation .

Before joining the Wisconsin workforce, Canada cited crimes in both northern Illinois (2003, 2011) and Indiana (2007-10). In 2011, the Huskies won the MAC Championship and landed in the top 12 nationwide in the Scoring Offense, Total Offense and Rushing Offense categories. Canada led an offense that set a school record of 412 in Indiana in 2007, and three different quarterbacks were each in the top three for touchdowns, passing yards, and completion percentages in a season.

In his first tenure as Northern Illinois Offensive Coordinator in 2003, the Huskies rose to 12th place in the AP poll. Canada was instrumental in the development of All-American running back Michael Turner.

Related Indiana Football Stories:

  • INDIANA PUTS CHARLTON WARREN ON: Indiana Football seems to have found its new defensive coordinator. CLICK HERE
  • ALLEN NAMED AFCA COACH OF THE YEAR: Tom Allen received a major award on Tuesday afternoon. CLICK HERE
  • FULL LIST OF INDIANA SENIORS: For a full update on what Indiana seniors are doing, CLICK HERE

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