Dec 16, 2014 2 min read

PITTSBURGH – Pitt football coach Paul Chryst is moving closer to taking the head coaching job at Wisconsin.

A person with direct knowledge of situation told the Associated Press Chryst traveled to Madison, Wis., Tuesday to meet with university officials about replacing Gary Andersen. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was not announced.

Andersen abruptly left the Badgers for Oregon State last week after just two seasons, leaving the same day Heisman Trophy finalist Melvin Gordon said he’d skip his senior year to enter the NFL draft.

Chryst, a former player and offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, is 19-19 in three seasons with the Panthers. He interviewed with Badgers’ athletic director Barry Alvarez about the vacancy last week but said Monday he was awaiting a final decision.

University of Wisconsin regents planned to meet this afternoon in closed session to consider employment terms for a new football coach, according to a meeting notice released Tuesday. State laws prevent the school from making a hire before that meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m.

Chryst, a Madison native, attended practice with the Panthers Tuesday before heading to Wisconsin for what looks like a homecoming. He played quarterback for the Badgers in the 1980s and was part of the Wisconsin staff from 2005-11, helping the school to five double-digit victory seasons and two Rose Bowls.

Chryst leaving Pitt would put the Panthers on the market for a football coach for the fourth time since the end of the 2010 season.

Chryst’s level-headed approach helped Pitt after several rocky years. Before that, he helped turn the Badgers into one of the Big Ten’s most explosive attacks as a coordinator.

Pitt approached Chryst about an extension before this season, but details were never finalized.