ESPN: Miami Hurricanes OC Rhett Lashlee potential 2020 ACC impact coordinator
In an article highlighting the “College football coordinator moves that will impact the 2020 season” ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg projects that new Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator “Rhett Lashlee could be the impact coordinator hire in the ACC” for 2020.
Miami Hurricanes head football coach Manny Diaz hired Rhett Lashlee from Southern Methodist as the offensive coordinator after one year with Dan Enos was largely a failure. Lashlee promises to speed the tempo and go to a more modern spread offense in 2020. Enos operated a more antiquated pro-style offense in 2019.
The Miami Hurricanes offense has seen more changes entering the 2020 season than Diaz bringing in Lashlee to create an offense to match his assertive, aggressive defense. Butch Barry was not a good fit with Lashlee as the offensive line coach. Garin Justice who was the OC at UNLV was brought in to replace him.
Wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield left to accept the same position at Penn State. Diaz and Lashlee have yet to replace him. Among the leading candidates are reported to legendary Miami wide receiver Lamar Thomas and current director of recruiting David Cooney. Upgrading the play at WR will be critical for Miami in 2020.
Lashlee comes to Miami with an impressive pedigree of playing for Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn in high school. The former Arkansas QB was an offensive coordinator at Auburn under Malzahn and had the same position at UConn and SMU. Lashlee is tasked with improving a moribund Hurricanes offense.
"“Rhett Lashlee could be the impact coordinator hire in the ACC, as his arrival at Miami coincides with the Hurricanes adding quarterback transfer D’Eriq King from Houston.Quarterback play has been Miami’s biggest problem for years, but King is a proven playmaker who should thrive in Lashlee’s offense, which averaged 41.9 points and 309 pass yards per game in 2019.”"
Lashlee is the only coordinator in the ACC highlighted by Adam Rittenberg of ESPN with the potential to be the impact coordinator hire in the ACC for 2020. If Lashlee falls just about anywhere below that level, Diaz will face the potential of losing his job and so would Lashlee.
Lashlee comes to Miami as the Hurricanes third offensive coordinator in as many seasons and fourth in the last six years. If rising redshirt junior QB N’Kosi Perry stays with the Miami Hurricanes he will have to learn his third offense in as many seasons. With Jarren Williams transferring, Perry is the favorite to be the second team QB.
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SMU put up impressive offensive numbers in 2019. With King leading the Miami Hurricanes offense in 2020 the expectations will be similar on offense. Miami needs playmakers beyond tight end Brevin Jordan to step up. Lashlee showed the ability to create playmakers when he was at SMU. Miami needs that to continue.