PITTSBURGH — New Pittsburgh coach Todd Graham’s favorite word is “speed.” He peppers every practice, workout and team meeting with it, unless of course he’s using words like “explosive” or “quick” instead.

The fast-talking, fast-walking 47-year-old coach is always in a hurry. It’s just Graham’s way, and he has no plans on slowing down now that he’s finally landed a head coaching job in a BCS conference.

During his first meeting with the players after accepting the job in January, Graham promised the seniors he would do everything he could to help the Panthers win right away. His players plan to hold him to it.

“He’s big on trust,” defensive lineman Miles Caragein said on Monday during the team’s media day. “He doesn’t think we need to wait to learn about his system. He thinks we can do it now.”

Trust is the word the Panthers wanted to hear following a bizarre stretch last winter when they had four coaches in a month.

The school forced Dave Wannstedt out in December following six uneven years. The Panthers hired Miami (Ohio) coach Mike Haywood as Wannstedt’s replacement, only to have Haywood resign on New Year’s Eve after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett filled in during Pitt’s win over Kentucky in the BBVA Compass Bowl before Graham was hired away from Tulsa on Jan. 10 to give Pitt some stability.

Caragein did his best to keep the team unified, though he acknowledges the program was nearly “in shambles.” Running back Ray Graham called the period “chaotic,” with players calling each other to try to track down the latest rumor.

“It was very unstable,” Ray Graham said. “But we kept telling each other we were going to stick together.”

Todd Graham said when he took over that it was not the way he envisioned getting his first job in the big-time. It also didn’t matter. He’s here, and he’s here to do one thing.

“When we looked at the opportunity to come to Pittsburgh, city of champions, it’s pretty obvious they want us to win championships,” Graham said. “Anything less than winning championships is unacceptable.”

And that starts now. Though Graham knows it’s impossible for the offense to fully grasp the intricacies of an attack that helped make Tulsa a perennial Conference USA contender, it doesn’t mean he thinks his players should get a pass just because they’re learning the system.