Utah Football Offensive Coordinator Big Board
Nov 26, 2024, 1:41 PM | Updated: 7:00 pm
Utah football, Kyle Whittingham, Morgan Scalley. PHOTO by Joel Davidson
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.
Kyle Whittingham has made clear that Morgan Scalley, will work side by side throughout the process. Utah will be focused on certain dynamics that will help the program adapt to the times.
Coach Whittingham has stated that, ideally, they have a hire in place before the signing period opens next week. However, timing does not come at the expense of finding the right guy for the job.
Utah 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.”
Morgan Scalley will have a prominent role in the process
Morgan Scalley is Utah’s head coach-in-waiting, and Whittingham made it clear that he will be involved in this decision. That will not only influence who Utah ultimately hires but also the candidates they hone in on.
“Very involved, yep, very involved,” Whittingham shared. “It would be an injustice if he weren’t; given our situation, he’s working side by side with me.”
RELATED: Utah Football Names Defensive Coordinator Morgan Scalley Successor To Kyle Whittingham
Utah is putting together a list of potential candidates
“That’s going on right now, evaluating what we’re doing, what attractive candidates are outside the program, evaluating everything, and getting the shortlist ready,” Whittingham shared previously. “That’ll be job one as soon as the timing is right to get that filled,” he shared. “Recruits want to know who the coordinator is going to be, and we will need to solve that sooner rather than later.”
Whittingham and Scalley have spent time putting together their lists of potential candidates. Utah has plenty of options and routes to choose from.
The current belief is that Utah would prefer to add a coach from the Power Conference level. Still, there are truly promising up-and-coming options from the G5 level, too. Given the salary that Utah provided Andy Ludwig, that could lead to some interesting possibilities.
There is also a belief that Utah could look to certain coaches at the NFL level but given the timing and need for Utah to make a hire, that seems unlikely and won’t be the focus here.
First look at potential candidates for Utah Football:
Ben Arbuckle, Washington State Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 29
Experience:
- Seminole (Texas) High – 2020 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Western Kentucky – 2021 – Offensive Quality Control
- Western Kentucky – 2022 – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Washington State – 2023-Present – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Why He Fits: He’s a young and promising offensive coordinator. Outside of UNLV’s Brennan Marrion, Arbuckle might have the best age, production, and trajectory combination. He grew up in a tiny town in the Western half of Texas – and has plenty of ties to the Lone Star State. Arbuckle has put together some strong offenses at Washington State and Western Kentucky. He’s now guided John Mateer, Cam Ward, and Austin Reed to truly dynamic seasons. His offenses at Washington State and Western Kentucky have been among the top of the country. Washington State’s offensive success in 2023, the last year of the Pac-12, is particularly promising.
Why He Doesn’t: He’s young and maybe not as well known as a few other names on this list. His ability to recruit is a bit of a question mark and his experience at the power conference level is a bit lean.
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
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.
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.
Zach Kittley, Texas Tech Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Age: 33
Experience:
- Texas Tech – 2015-2017 – Graduate Assistant
- Houston Baptist – 2018-2020 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Western Kentucky – 2021 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Texas Tech – 2022-Present – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Why He Fits: Kittley has guided the Red Raiders to a pretty balanced offensive attack this season. The Red Raiders are tops in the Big 12 in scoring and second in total offense. Kittley has good offensive coordinator experience while still being quite young. It would be a tremendous move to flip him from a fellow Big 12 program.
Why He Doesn’t: Kittley has strong ties to Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders can afford to keep him around. Utah will have money to spend but Texas Tech would certainly be capable of matching that.
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?
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
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?
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
Why He Fits: Marion is perhaps the hottest name in the market, the results speak for themselves. If Utah hasn’t made a call, what are we even doing?
Why He Doesn’t: He’s quickly ascended the the coaching ranks and seems destined for big things. He may even be in line for a head coaching job or a playcalling job at one of the top programs in the country this offseason. Utah should have at least made a call but this one feels a bit out of reach.
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?
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?
