By: Mike Huesmann
In the shuffle of head coaches and coordinator moves we frequently miss the position coaches who take other jobs in the offseason. These guys usually fall under two categories: veterans who are trying to bounce back or young guys who were poached upward by a bigger school. These guys are ones to watch for, as all head coaches usually start here. This article has become one of my annual favorites and the research really gets me ready for the following season and what to expect. This is the offensive side of the ball. Defense and special teams will be one article and come later.
QB- Kevin Johns, Oklahoma State
QB is always the toughest one on this list because most QB coaches are also offensive coordinators, and that’s for another list. We are looking solely at QB coaches here. Johns has an impressive resume with stops at Northwestern, Indiana, Western Michigan, Texas Tech, Memphis, Duke, and most recently Oklahoma. He was a massive hire for Mike Gundy and the Cowboys who were one of the nation’s most disappointing teams in 2024.
🚨 BREAKING: #OkState hires Kevin Johns as new QB Coach.
Johns serves as OU’s interim OC & previously Memphis’ & Duke’s offensive coordinator.
An excellent hire 👏 pic.twitter.com/i2AGDURsfN
— Reagan Harris (OSU Mart) (@OKSTMart) December 14, 2024
RB- Rod McDowell, Marshall
McDowell brings both P4 experience and a conference title with him. The Clemson alumni has coached with the Tigers, ULM, and Jacksonville State. In 2024, he helped lead Jax State to a conference championship with Rich Rodriguez. McDowell’s backs have been extremely successful at both his stops as a full-time coach, and I expect that to continue with the Herd.
🏃 DYNAMIC DUO 🏃
Just under half an hour until you can catch Jax State’s historic duo in the @CureBowl on ESPN❗️ @JaxStateFB | #NoLimitsOnUs pic.twitter.com/22Nm03Xvc2
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) December 20, 2024
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WR- Jordan Reid, Wisconsin
Reid is a fine young coach who has earned a rapid rise to the P4. He started coaching at Ohio, his alma mater, with Frank Solich before moving to Wake Forest, Western Michigan, and now the Badgers. If you’re relatively new to coaching and Solich, Clawson, and Fickell hire you, that tells me almost all I need to know. This past season Kane Womack was stellar under his tutelage.
Wisconsin’s new assistant coach, Jordan Reid, brings energy and a focus on teamwork to the Badgers receiver room.
“When you understand that everything you do is for a greater good, that’s when you can put selfish ways aside.”
Story via @Badger_Notes: https://t.co/QbjOXaRklb
— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) January 21, 2025
TE- Brian Ferentz, Fresno State
Say what you want about Ferentz as OC at Iowa, he never had a chance to succeed. They were never going to open up the floodgates, change their identity, and reverse course enough for him to meet the silly goals they set. For new head coach Matt Entz, Ferentz is a position coach who brings P4 coordinator experience and experience coaching in the NFL. That’s solid for a G5 school. After one year at Maryland this might be what Ferentz needs to rehabilitate his name.
Red Wave, welcome Coach Ferentz to the Bulldog family‼️ pic.twitter.com/HjjfZd5RCG
— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) January 15, 2025
OL- Phil Loadholt, Mississippi State
Loadholt appears to be destined for the NFL, where he spent seven seasons playing for the Vikings. He coached at UCF and Ole Miss before returning to his alma mater, Oklahoma, as an analyst. Loadholt spent 2024 coaching at Colorado where he oversaw a significant improvement and had to make it work with five new starters. That’s no easy task in the trenches. He’s headed back to the SEC after Jeff Lebby, who he worked with at Oklahoma, hired him to lead a group that was poor in 2024.
#NewProfilePic @Coach_Leb LETS WORK!!! pic.twitter.com/PWv1N6gn09
— Phil Loadholt (@LoadholtPhil) December 31, 2024
