As college football fans are gearing up for spring ball and their team’s annual intra-squad game, several programs will begin preparations for the 2023 campaign with new offensive coordinators. The right offensive coordinator can propel teams into the national spotlight and playoff contention, and the wrong move can set a program back years in terms of growth, development, and relevance. The background of coordinators going to new schools is quite diverse as teams look to find a dynamic play-caller to change the fortunes of their programs. Two of the coaches were coordinators changing schools and one candidate was a former NFL head coach, perhaps looking for a job to thrust them back into the head coaching ranks. So which teams made headlines with splashy hires, and what should we expect from them as they embark on the latest quest for a national championship?
1) Tommy Rees to Alabama
Alabama is the premiere job in the college football world. You have an iconic program with a hall-of-fame coach, arguably the greatest in the sport’s history. Coaching at Bama gives you unparalleled access to world-class athletes year in and year out. The pressure is enormous, and the team expects to win the national championship every year.
Tommy Rees joins the Alabama staff as offensive coordinator, replacing Bill O’Brien, who accepted the O.C. position with the New England Patriots. Rees held the same position at Notre Dame for the last three seasons, and his ties to Notre Dame go back to his playing days when he was the quarterback for the Irish from 2010-2013. The Irish were 63-14 as a team while Rees was on the staff for Notre Dame and 31-8, including an appearance in the college football playoffs in 2022 while he was the offensive coordinator. In 2022 the Irish averaged 31.8 points per game which was 42nd out of 131 schools. Notre Dame finished the season with a 9-4 record culminating with a 45-38 Gator Bowl victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks.
So what should the Tide fans expect from a Tommy Rees offense? Ball control, balance, and a focus on adapting the offense to the on-field talent. In 2022 Notre Dame had an offense heavily dependent on the running game, which featured three solid and versatile backs and the country’s best tight end. Rees’ pro-style offense is a far cry from the RPO-heavy focus of many other programs across the college landscape. Coach Rees has proven capable of maximizing the talents of several quarterbacks with differing skill sets during his time as O.C. at Notre Dame. His ability to adapt his scheme to fit the personnel and his understanding of how to coach the quarterback position will prove invaluable to the Crimson Tide next year and beyond.
2) Garret Riley to Clemson
The TCU horned frogs had an incredible 2022 season, winning the Big 12 conference game and earning a berth in the college football playoffs. The frogs defeated the Michigan Wolverines 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl and secured a spot in the national championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Cinderella season would come crashing down around the Horned Frogs with a 65-7 loss in the championship game.
Offensive coordinator Garret Riley was able to parlay the success of 2022 into a job offer from Dabo Swinney to be the O.C. at Clemson. Riley received the Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach following a breakout season at TCU. The 2022 iteration of the Horned Frogs scored 582 points on the season and averaged 38.8 points per game. This offensive output was ninth out of 131 teams. Quarterback Max Duggan completed his collegiate career with over 9,600 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a QBR of 141.4 to go along with a second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting.
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Riley replaces Brandon Streeter as offensive coordinator for the Tigers. Clemson fired Streeter in January, and he is currently the quality control coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs. Streeter had a buyout of $1.85 million from Clemson, which must pay him the buyout minus his salary from Georgia. Clemson finished the season with an 11-3 record, including a 35-14 blowout loss to Notre Dame and a 31-14 loss to SEC rival Tennessee Vols in the Orange Bowl.
Garrett Riley has football in his blood, and it runs in the family; his brother is Lincoln Riley, head coach of USC. Garrett Riley will attempt to develop and refine the quarterback play while installing a more dynamic and creative offensive scheme. Clemson fans hope that he can duplicate the success he had at SMU. Riley had tremendous success with Shane Buechele at SMU, averaging 38.6 points per game, ranking them 15th in the nation. Riley and company followed that up with a 10th rank nationally in points per game in 2021 under transfer QB Tanner Mordecai. The Tigers are counting on Garrett Riley to improve the quarterback play of Cade Klubnik and avert a third consecutive three-loss season.
What a Win & Welcome! ?
Congrats @ClemsonMBB https://t.co/E7twHeLqdZ
— Garrett Riley (@CoachGRiley) January 15, 2023
3) Bobby Petrino to Texas A&M
The team most in need of a new offensive coordinator, is Texas A&M. The Aggies were 101st out of 131 teams in points per game and averaged just 22.8 during the 2022 campaign. The team finished the season with a 5-7 record and 2-6 in the SEC. Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey was fired after the 2022 season. Dickey joined Texas A&M in 2018 and has over 30 years of coaching experience, including a head coaching stint at the University of North Texas. The Aggies opened the season ranked number six in the country, only to end the season statistically near the bottom of the college football world in most offensive categories.
Bobby Petrino has 16 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, including stops at Louisville, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, and, most recently, Missouri State. Petrino also had a brief stint in the NFL as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Petrino was offered and accepted the offensive coordinator position at UNLV but resigned to take the Texas A&M job.
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher has called the offensive plays for the entirety of his head coaching career. He was expected to hand the play-calling duties over to his new offensive coordinator beginning in 2023. However, at a press conference earlier this month, Fisher was asked about play-calling duties and said, “We will go through that as we go. Plan on (Petrino) making calls. Plan on him calling plays. I have no problem with that at all.” The comment has caused some to question if Fisher is genuinely committed to giving up control of the play-calling duties to Petrino.
Jimbo Fisher signed a 10-year contract worth $95 million in guaranteed money in 2021. A buyout after the 2023 season would cost the Aggies nearly $77 million. With a hefty contract and a loaded roster, the Aggie faithful hope that Bobby Petrino can turn the team’s offensive woes around in 2023. In 2016 Petrino’s Louisville Cardinals, led by Lamar Jackson, were sixth in the nation averaging 42.5 points per game, nearly 20 points per game more than the Aggies averaged in 2022. The Texas A&M contingent is optimistic that a change in the play-caller position will allow the Aggies to earn a spot in the college football playoff spot. The expectations and pressure have never been higher in College Station, Texas, for the Aggies.
Which team benefits most from the addition of their new offensive coordinator? Well, that remains to be seen. The exciting validation of a university’s faith in their hire will play out every Saturday next fall. Check back with us soon as I unveil the top 3 off-season O.C. hires that flew under the radar but could have substantial positive impacts for their new teams next season.
