New coordinator: ‘I won’t stop till the job is done’
Hurricanes offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, introduced to the media Thursday on a Zoom call, says he’ll use a system and scheme to suit the talent he has.
New Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Josh Gattis on Thursday praised the talent he’s inheriting and made clear that he’s not going to try to pigeonhole his players into a system that doesn’t fit their strengths.
And he made clear that the system he will run at UM will be diverse and based in part on what he observes this spring.
“Before I accepted this position I did a ton of research looking at the roster, looking at film, the talent we have here,” Gattis said in a Zoom call with reporters.
“I’ve been so impressed by the players. We’re going to build our offense around what our players do best. We’ll tailor it. It’s not one thing we do. We do everything.”
Coach Mario Cristobal reportedly told recruits that UM will continue to run a spread offense. Gattis has experience using elements of a spread offense during his season as a co-offensive coordinator at Alabama and then during parts of his Michigan tenure.
Gattis, 38, stopped short of discussing how many spread elements will be used in the offense; his system is likely to place more emphasis on a power running game than the high-octane approach of former UM coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who left to become head coach at SMU.
Gattis was effusive about the talent he’s inheriting — starting with quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (who had 25 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions) and a tight end room featuring skilled veteran Will Mallory and Elijah Arroyo and Jaleel Skinner, jewels of the past two recruiting classes.
“Tyler had a ton of experience last year, started coming into his own, had a ton of success,” Gattis said. “You hope going into year two you’ve got that confidence, game experience. But it’s a clean slate for everyone.
“The offensive line did a really good job, the receivers were talented and the running back position was exciting with a bunch of depth there. And the tight end position potential is in the top 5 of those groups in the country. When you add the pieces together that makes you excited as a coordinator.”
Gattis moved to a runheavy system at Michigan last season because that’s what suited his personnel. Wolverines running backs touched the ball on 54 percent of Michigan’s offensive plays, compared with 34 percent for UM.
But Gattis emphasized that he will use a system and scheme to suit the talent he has.
“We have some key, unique pieces I’m really excited about at every position,” he said. “Spring is going to come pretty soon in March. We’ll start developing the identity. We’ll take great pride in who we are, how we do things. That’s what we’ll be about offensively.”
Last season, with Gattis calling the plays, Michigan ranked in the top 25 in several major categories last season (16th in scoring, 15th in rushing, 25th in yards per game).
He’s likely to rely on a rotation with multiple backs at Miami, as he did at Michigan. In the past, he has spoken about the importance of the big play (Michigan led the country in 50-plus-yard plays last season) and avoiding tackles for loss (Michigan averaged the fewest per game in 2021.)
“I think it started with identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your players,” Gattis said when asked about what he will implement. “I’m not going to base it on last year’s film, because we were so young.
“We have to continue to build those guys, build the confidence of our players and put all the pieces together. I take tremendous pride in developing offensive programs. We have a lot of work to do. I’m excited about the energy right now surrounding our program, the commitment of players. We’re excited about the opportunity to build something special.”
Of his departure from Ann Arbor, Gattis said: “It was a very emotional week as far as leaving. Change is always hard. I felt I didn’t leave players behind, I left friends behind. …
“My family is still back in Michigan right now. But the thing that helps you get through change is surrounding yourself with great people. And being here with coach [Mario] Cristobal, the staff he’s put together, the energy, excitement.
“Coach pops in, checks on me, and when you believe in his vision he sets the tone. I’ve been so blessed to be here. Each day has been eye-opening to me. I’ve been exhausting everything I have in this program, and I won’t stop till the job is done.”
Gattis, who was cooffensive coordinator at Alabama in 2018, said this when asked about recruiting: “The head coach really sets the tone and identity of how you recruit and who you recruit. There’s no better guy in the evaluation process than coach Cristobal. His process has been proven, the evaluation process.
“We have three, four hours carved out each day just for recruiting. Everyone in the country comes and recruits South Florida because of the talent here.
“We will recruit nationally. The brand will get us in every high school across the country. But we have to put a border up in our backyard, keep our talent home and we have to build The U back.”
Susan Miller Degnan: 305-376-3366, @smillerdegnan Barry Jackson: 305-376-3491, @flasportsbuzz