10 KEY COORDINATOR CHANGES
- Alex Grinch, defensive coordinator, Oklahoma — Lincoln Riley wanted him. Lincoln Riley got him. Grinch comes from Ohio State, but it’s his work at Washington State that fuels this move, as pretty much nobody else has paired a shut-down defense with an Air Raid offensive attack that barely chews clock.
- Josh Gattis, offensive coordinator, Michigan — Gattis was at Alabama last year — when the Tide’s offense flourished — and he was at Penn State as a receivers coach when PSU’s receivers did so well. The offensive overhaul of the Wolverines will be fascinating … but, yeah, can they score big against Ohio State?
- Rich Rodriguez, offensive coordinator, Ole Miss — He was out of coaching last season after his tenure at Arizona didn’t end well, but the man can flat-out coach offense. Better yet, RichRod — the father of the modern zone-read principles — doesn’t have to worry about defense, often his downfall at Michigan and Arizona. He’ll leave that to former Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, another clever coordinator hire by head coach Matt Luke.
- Jay Bateman, defensive coordinator, North Carolina — Mack Brown scored by taking offensive coordinator Phil Longo from Ole Miss, and this is a win, too. Army’s defense became formidable under Bateman, who deserves a lot of credit for the renaissance of West Point football engineered by Jeff Monken. If Bateman could craft a flinty and effective defense with service academy athletes, imagine what he could do in the ACC.
- Dan Enos, offensive coordinator, Miami — When new head coach Manny Diaz hired Enos away from Alabama, it seemed like a move designed to lure transfer Jalen Hurts to Coral Gables. That didn’t happen, but this is still an excellent move. When you consider where Miami has struggled in recent years, establishing a technique-perfect quarterback rates at the top of the to-do list. And that makes Enos the perfect man to make that happen.
Apr 13, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive coordinator Josh Gattis looks at tight end Luke Schoonmaker (86) during the spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Photo Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Five more: Kendal Briles, offensive coordinator, Florida State; Graham Harrell, offensive coordinator, USC; Kerwin Bell, offensive coordinator, South Florida; Jim Chaney, offensive coordinator, Tennessee; Steve Sarkisian, offensive coordinator, Alabama.
