After losing offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee following the 2021 season, some national college football analysts are projecting that his successor could have a short-lived Miami Hurricanes tenure. Mario Cristobal was able to convince an unappreciated Josh Gattis to leave Ann Arbor, Michigan for Coral Gables.
Gattis had an impressive tenure with Michigan. The Wolverines adapted their offense to fit the personnel in their three seasons under Gattis. Gattis was named the Frank Broyles assistant of the year in college football in 2021. Michigan improved to 35.8 Points per game and 16th nationally in 2021 from 28.3 and 66th in 2020.
Gattis is part of an all-star staff hired by Mario Cristobal. The decision to leave the Michigan Wolverines for the Miami Hurricanes allows Gattis to return to his college football roots. Gattis had 154 tackles, 10 interceptions and two return touchdowns in his final two seasons in 2005 and 2006 as a defensive back for Wake Forest.
The loss for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan is a big gain for the Miami Hurricanes football program. Gattis has also spent time on the staffs at North Carolina, Western Michigan, Vanderbilt, Penn State and Alabama. Prior to being hired by Harbaugh, Gattis was the Co-OC for one season with the Crimson Tide.
"“(Adam) Rittenberg: The only tangible fallout at Michigan after Jim Harbaugh’s NFL flirtation was offensive coordinator Josh Gattis leaving for the same role at Miami. Gattis, the 2021 Broyles Award winner, ultimately didn’t feel appreciated enough by Michigan’s administration after a championship season.He generated interest for Power 5 jobs in December and should be high on the radar for vacancies in the next cycle. Gattis should have even more autonomy at Miami than Michigan, and he inherits a talented quarterback in Tyler Van Dyke, who had nearly 3,000 pass yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions last fall, despite not opening the season as the starter.If Gattis delivers in coach Mario Cristobal’s debut, he should have the chance to lead his own program in 2023. The lack of coaching diversity is a very real problem in the sport, and now that Tony Elliott finally took a job and Marcus Freeman landed the Notre Dame gig, Gattis is the nation’s highest-profile Black coordinator."
The above comments came from Adam Rittenberg of ESPN as part of a roundtable of their college football reporters. Rittenberg was responding to the question “Which assistant coach/coordinator will be the most sought after for the next coaching carousel?.” Gattis is one of the most highly regarded assistants in college football.
Three of Cristobal’s assistants at Oregon in the last two seasons left to become head coaches. Cristobal has stated he is using the blueprint that Nick Saban devised at Alabama. Cristobal has described working for Saban as getting a Ph.D. in football. Gattis will now have the opportunity to work for Cristobal and Saban.