The University of Miami fired its offensive coordinator, Josh Gattis, following a disappointing season. The school announced the move with a simple one-sentence statement: “Josh Gattis has been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator, Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal announced Friday.”
Josh Gattis via InsideTheU YouTube
Miami hired Gattis just a few weeks after winning the 2021 Broyles Award, which recognizes the top assistant coach in college football. Despite this recognition, the Hurricanes struggled in Gattis’ only season at the helm, finishing with a 5-7 record and suffering embarrassing losses to Middle Tennessee, Duke, and Florida State.
The Miami Hurricanes started last season with a bang, scoring 100 points in their first two games against Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss. However, their offensive performance plummeted in the following games, averaging only 18.3 points per game.
Josh Gattis via InsideTheU YouTube
Despite this, the Hurricanes finished the year with a winning record in games where their defense held their opponents to 14 points or fewer, going 5-0 in such games. On the other hand, they could not secure a win in any of the seven games where their opponents scored more than 14 points.
Starting four-star quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke was injured throughout the year, missing three games and attempting only eight passes in two other games. However, Van Dyke struggled in the new scheme even before he missed three games with a shoulder injury, throwing for 1,844 yards, ten touchdowns, and five interceptions on the year with a QBR of 51.7.
Miami had aimed to establish a strong ground game, but their efforts fell short, with an average of only 128.1 rushing yards per game, ranking 10th in the ACC. In addition, the team struggled to establish a reliable rushing attack despite having four-star running backs Henry Parrish and Jaylan Knighton in the backfield.
Tyler Van Dyke via Canes All Access YouTube
This raises the question of whether Miami’s offensive line was the weak link. However, Miami’s 2022 offensive line group was highly experienced, boasting 137 career starts, ranking them as the fourth most in the country.
Miami’s offensive tackle combination of Zion Nelson and DJ Scaife was among the most seasoned in the country, with Nelson having accumulated 2,391 snaps on offense and Scaife 2,943 in their careers. The starting center, Jakai Clark, had also seen substantial playing time with 2,062 career offensive snaps.
However, Zion Nelson’s summer surgery impacted the team’s plans, which prevented him from participating in the 2022 season. Furthermore, the loss of interior offensive linemen Jonathan Denis and Justice Oluwaseun due to injury added to the team’s challenges during the season.
Miami Hurricanes run onto the field against Georgia Tech in October 2013 via Canes All Access YouTube
The absence of the starting quarterback and three vital offensive linemen spelled trouble for Miami’s season. Despite this, Josh Gattis was and still may be a highly touted future head coach at a Power Five program. However, in his case at Miami, it was clear that a change was necessary, and he was relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator.
Last season, Miami’s offense struggled to make an impact, ranking 86th nationally in total offense with an average of 367.1 yards per game and 97th in scoring offense. In the wake of these disappointing results, the team is now on the hunt for a new offensive coordinator. Jason Candle, head coach at Toledo, has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the position.
305 Sports Twitter
What do you make of Miami firing Josh Gattis?