SALT LAKE CITY—With the offseason just days away for Utah Football, interest is growing in the program’s future, most notably what will happen with the offensive coordinator position.
Utah missed out on their top candidate, Ben Arbuckle, who agreed to become Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator. Despite that, there are still really promising options for the Utes in the market.
Since the news broke about Arbuckle and Oklahoma, one name has emerged above the rest as a new target.
Utah Football will be adjusting to the times with this hire
Under Whittingham, player development was a significant factor in Utah’s successes. Utah was lauded for its ability to turn a three-star recruit into a four-star collegiate player consistently. That process took time, though, and given the changes to the sport, time is less affordable.
RELATED: ‘Put The Program First’ Will Be At The Core Of Kyle Whittingham’s Own Future
“Our formula was to recruit, develop, and manage but with the turnover and the way the portal is, that system is very hard to make work,” Whittingham shared. “That plays into schemes too. You can’t have a scheme that is so complicated and in-depth that it takes a guy two or three years to learn because you don’t have that time anymore.”
New look at potential offensive coordinator candidates for Utah Football:
Brennan Marion, UNLV Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 37
Experience:
- Arizona State – 2015 – Offensive Quality Control
- Oklahoma Baptist – 2016 – Running Backs
- Howard – 2017-18 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Pittsburg – 2021 – Wide Receivers
- Texas – 2022 – Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
- UNLV – 2023-Present – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
The Lates: It is Brennan Marion who has the buzz as the new top name for Utah. However, according to a source, Marion and Utah have only had early-stage communication. He has been linked to numerous jobs, but some of those have already closed. After missing out on Arbuckle, Utah has a tremendous opportunity to still land one of the top up-and-comers.
Why He Fits: Marion is perhaps the hottest name in the market, the results speak for themselves. His “Go-Go Offensive” has led to massive improvements for the Rebels offense. He has been with the Rebels for two seasons now. They averaged 34 points per game in 2023 and 38 points per game this season. The Rebels gained over 3,000 yards rushing and 2,100 yards through the air this season. Marion has been linked to numerous job openings, including head coaching opportunities at the lower level. He’s also been an effective recruiter in Texas, which will be a big point of emphasis for the program moving forward.
Why He Doesn’t: Again, Marion is one of the hottest names on the market and head coaching opportunities. It will be tough competition. Utah probably has ground to make up on other programs.
Joe Craddock, Tulane Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 39
Experience:
- Clemson – 2012 – Player Development
- Clemson – 2013-2014 – Graduate Assistant
- SMU – 2015-2017 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Arkansas – 2018-2019 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Troy – 2022-2023 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Tulane – 2024 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
The Latest: Craddock has been linked to a handful of jobs, including the Oklahoma job which Arbuckle filled. Craddock is garnering big interest from the Power Conference level, which now includes Michigan as well. There has not been much buzz here but that could change over the next couple of days.
Why He Fits: Tulane has had one of the top offenses this season. Prior to his time with the Green Wave, Troy also had a productive offensive run. He also has valuable time at Arkansas and SMU. Those two stops would provide him valuable recruiting ties for Utah in the Big 12 footprint.
Why He Doesn’t: Craddock is a tough one to poke many holes in, aside from his one foray into P5 full-time coaching at Arkansas, which wasn’t a highly successful experience. He also is a hot commodity that is in the mix with other power programs.
Mack Leftwich, Texas State Offensive Coordinator
Age: 29
Experience:
- Lehman (Texas) High school – 2017 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Incarnate Word – 2019-2021 – Graduate Assistant
- Incarnate Word – 2022 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Texas State – 2023-Present – Offensive Coordinator
The Latest: Leftwich is the offensive coordinator for Texas State, who previously held the commitment of Utah’s newest quarterback commit, Jamarian Ficklin. Leftwich hasn’t been linked to too many jobs just yet but as new opportunities arise, Leftwich is expected to emerge as a top option for multiple schools. Leftwich is absolutely one to monitor over the coming days.
Why He Fits: Leftwich has been calling plays the last two years at Texas State and the results have been outstanding. He’s another promising young mind that has the employment path that has seen several hot offensive names emerge as of late. He also brings enough run game and balance to make it seem like a scheme that could work beyond just Texas State. Given Utah’s interest in quarterback prospect Jamarian ‘Byrd’ Ficklin, that is also intriguing.
Why He Doesn’t: Obviously, he lacks experience. Although that is less of an issue than it used to be, it is still a little worrisome. Is he ready for a jump to the power conference level?
A.J. Milwee, Texas Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 38
Experience:
- North Alabama – 2009-2010 – Graduate Assistant
- East Mississippi – 2011 – Quarterbacks
- Akron – 2012-2018 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Alabama – 2019-2020 – Offensive Analyst
- Texas – 2021-2024 – Quarterbacks/Co-Offensive Coordinator
Why He Fits: His age and experience in the state of Texas. Though he hasn’t been playcalling at Texas, he does have good playcalling experience at Akron. His time at Texas and Alabama has to be incredibly valuable in understanding football at the most competitive level. An opportunity to be the playcaller could be enticing for Milwee, who, given his recruiting profile would be a boost as well.
Why He Doesn’t: How interested is Milwee in taking on offensive coordinator duties? How much of his recruiting success was him or the Texas brand?
Jason Beck, New Mexico Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 44
Experience:
- BYU – 2007 – Graduate Assistant
- LSU – 2008 – Graduate Assistant
- Weber State – 2009-2011 – Quarterbacks
- BYU – 2013-2015 – Quarterbacks
- Virginia – 2016-2021 – Quarterbacks
- Syracuse – 2022-2023 – Quarterbacks, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- New Mexico – 2024 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
The Latest: Along with Marion, New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck, is another name that has popped up with buzz.
Why He Fits: Beck has good experience at the power conference level. His time at Virginia and Syracuse included some really solid offenses. In his lone season at New Mexico, he’s helped create a resurgent offensive attack with a dynamic dual-threat quarterback.
Why He Doesn’t: The lack of playcalling experience is kind of a concern. The offense he called at Syracuse was merely average.
Jordan Davis, North Texas Offensive Coordinator/Receivers
Age: 32
Experience:
- Texas Tech – 2016-2017 – Graduate Assistant
- Incarnate Word – 2018-2021 – Associate Head Coach/Receivers
- Washington State – 2022 – Offensive Analyst
- North Texas – 2023-2024 – Offensive Coordinator/Receivers
Why He Fits: A young, promising up-and-comer, Davis is light on experience but big on potential. In two consecutive seasons, North Texas has had one of the top offenses in the country. Davis has called a fairly balanced attack, which is something that Utah is always big on. His ties to the state of Texas are strong, which would add to Utah’s recruiting pitch.
Why He Doesn’t: Again, very light on experience and only G5 experience at that. His hire would probably mean additional changes to the staff, given his background with receivers and not quarterbacks.
Jimmie Dougherty, Washington Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 46
Experience:
- Illinois Wesleyan – 2002-2003 – Defensive Backs
- San Diego – 2004-2008 – WR, TE, QB, Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Washington – 2009-2012 – Passing Game Coordinator/Receivers
- San Jose State – 2013-2015 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Associate Head Coach
- Michigan – 2016 – Offensive Analyst
- UCLA – 2017-2020 – Receivers
- Arizona – 2021-2023 – Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Washington – 2024 – Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Why He Fits: A good mix of youth and experience for Dougherty, he has spent a ton of time at the Power Conference level on the West Coast. He has four seasons of playcalling experience and has been the passing coordinator for 13 seasons. He’s worked with nearly every offensive group, but mostly quarterbacks. During his time with UCLA and Arizona, he proved to be a dynamic recruiter. He played a significant role in Arizona’s recruiting influx of top-tier talent, including Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan.
Why He Doesn’t: He has not served as a play-caller since 2015, which may not lead to the immediate results that Utah might be looking for. He has not been mentioned much in coaching searches and may not be looking for a bigger role.
Ryan Gunderson, Oregon State Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 40
Experience:
- Oregon State – 2008-2009 – Graduate Assistant
- Oregon State – 2010-2014 – Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Director of Player Personnel (’14)
- Nebraska – 2015-2016 – Director of Player Personnel
- San Jose State – 2018-2020 – Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- UCLA – 2021-2023 – Quarterbacks
- Oregon State – 2024 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Why He Fits: Gunderson brings good experience from the coaching and recruiting side of things and has ties to the West Coast and Midwest. He’s a young coach that has shown promise in his first season coordinating an offense.
Why He Doesn’t: Only one season of playcalling and the results have been fairly mediocre. Oregon State’s offense ranks in the 50’s nationally in total offense and in the 90’s in scoring offense. Utah would be taking a chance on potential more than proven production.
Dirk Koetter, Boise State Offensive Coordinator
Age: 65
Experience:
- UTEP -1986-1988 – Offensive Coordinator
- Missouri – 1989-1993 – Offensive Coordinator
- Boston College – 1994-1995 – Offensive Coordinator
- Oregon – 1996-1997 – Offensive Coordinator
- Boise State – 1998-2000 – Head Coach
- Arizona State – 2001-2006 – Head Coach
- Jackson Jaguars – 2007-2011 – Offensive Coordinator
- Atlanta Falcons – 2012-2014 – Offensive Coordinator
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2015 – Offensive Coordinator
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2016-2018 – Head Coach
- Atlanta Falcons – 2019-2020 – Offensive Coordinator
- Boise State – 2022- Offensive Analyst/Interim Head Coach
- Boise State – 2024 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Why He Fits: Look at that resume, it’s unmatched on this list. No other coach has the length of experience or the NFL/College experience that Koetter does. He’s coached a lot of football at the highest levels. He’s guided Boise State this season to one of the top offenses in the country. They are top ten in the country in both total offense and scoring offense.
Why He Doesn’t: Given his age and experience, it may not be the best for Utah. How much of the Broncos success is simply due to a generational talent like Ashton Jeanty? How much recruiting experience does he possess?
Tino Sunseri, Indiana Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 35
Experience:
- Florida State – 2016-2017 – Quality Control Assistant
- Alabama – 2019-2020 – Graduate Assistant
- James Madison – 2021-2023 – Quarterbacks
- Indiana – 2024 – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Why He Fits: Sunseri has spent time with big programs and small ones. He’s played a big role in the success of James Madison the previous few seasons and Indiana this season. Curt Signetti is the coach of the year for the way he’s turned Indiana into a top-ten program. Adding a coach from that regime would be incredibly valuable.
Why He Doesn’t: Sunseri doesn’t have any experience as a play-caller. This would be a bet on potential and the success he’s been a part of, not necessarily generated himself. Though he has been around some really good ones can Utah let a guy learn on the job in that role?
