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Miami fires OC Josh Gattis, here are options for OC/WR Coach

According to a university press release this morning, Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has been relieved of his duties with the University of Miami football program.

Nearly everything went wrong for Gattis in one season at Miami. The unit ranked 114th in the country in offensive scoring, 97th in yards per game, and 110th in red zone scoring percentage. Miami was decimated by injuries and could not recover as the season progressed.

Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went from a potential first-round pick to needing another season to improve his draft stock after suffering an apparent shoulder injury in the latter part of the season. Multiple impact players had rough campaigns and eventually entered the Transfer Portal, further opening more holes on the roster.

Gattis came to Miami after helping lead Michigan to a College Football Playoff appearance and winning the Broyles Award for the top assistant in all of college football.

Miami will now be looking for their fourth offensive coordinator in six seasons. Miami will also have to replace Gattis with a new wide receivers coach. A quarterbacks coach is also needed with Frank Ponce also leaving the program and returning to Appalachian State.

So who could potentially replace Gattis and Ponce in three position groups? Here are some potential names to monitor.

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Marcus Arroyo

Marcus Arroyo was the co-offensive coordinator with Cristobal at Oregon in 2017 under head coach Willie Taggert. He took over the offensive coordinator duties when Cristobal was anointed the head coach and helped the Ducks win the Pac-12 north in 2019 and beat Utah in the conference championship game.

Oregon finished that year with a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. Arroyo went on to become the head coach at UNLV and was fired last November after posting a 7-23 record.

Reuniting with Cristobal would help to reenergize his career and maybe Miami's offense.

Joe Brady

The 2019 national champion LSU Tigers were unstoppable with Joe Burrow, Ja’marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson. Joe Brady was the brains behind that operation. He left the program following their championship season to become the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.

He moved on to be the quarterbacks’ coach for the Buffalo Bills. Brady runs an up-tempo, highly-explosive offense, something Hurricanes fans would love to see.

He developed quarterbacks and implements the right system to fit the quarterbacks’ style of play. Tyler Van Dyke would benefit from a coach that caters to his strengths like former Miami OC Rhett Lashlee.

However, Brady is receiving interest from the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, and Alabama Crimson Tide for their openings at the offensive coordinator position.

Major Applewhite

The former Longhorn quarterback spent time with Alabama and Texas before becoming South Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2021.

The group of five offense averaged 31 points per game and over 423 yards per game. Applewhite led the Jaguars to one of their best seasons in program history in 2022 finishing 10-3. He is a name to watch.

Andy Ludwig

Andy Ludwig has made several stops as an offensive coordinator at different college football programs over the years that included Cal, Oregon, and Vanderbilt.

If Miami would like a balanced offensive attack, which seems to be Cristobal's preference, Ludwig may be the guy.

James Coley

The Miami native James Coley had a stint in Miami as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2013-2015 under then head coach Al Golden. He also spent a year under Cristobal during his time at FIU as the OC.

He is currently the wide receivers coach at Texas A&M and it would make sense to jump back into the OC position at Miami. Coley went to high school at Miami High and coached at Miami Norland so he is someone who can jump right in on the recruiting trail and be effective right away.

Ken Dorsey

Most Miami Hurricanes fans would love to see the living Miami legend return to his alma mater. Ken Dorsey coached only on the professional level and after leading arguably Miami's best championship team during the 2001 season.

Dorsey coached as quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills and is currently the OC for Buffalo. With a disappointing exit from the playoffs, Dorsey may want a fresh start at a place where he is beloved.

Clint Trickett

The former West Virginia quarterback has seemed to have found his footing as an offensive coordinator. Clint Trickett led the Marshall Thundering Herd offense to a 9-4 record including an upset win in South Bend against Notre Dame.

Brian Hartline

The current offensive coordinator at Ohio State is a monster when it comes to recruiting, developing, and producing NFL Draft picks at the wide receiver position. That alone is worth a look.

Brian Hartline also has a house in Plantation as he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. Sources believe that he has been interested in the offensive coordinator job at Miami this off-season.

Kelsey Pope

Kelsey Pope played a key role in Tennessee's record-setting offensive staff in 2021 and further developed the wide Volunteer wide receivers in 2022 into one of the best in the nation. Multiple players had 60+ receptions for the first time in history. Tennessee was one of two SEC programs with multiple players with seven or more receiving touchdowns in 2021.

He should be someone Miami looks at for the wide receiving coaching job.

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