These 12 new coordinators facing pressure immediately
Here’s a look at 12 key new coordinators (or co-coordinator, in one case) who take over at programs that didn’t change head coaches. A case can be made that there is more pressure on these guys than there is on coordinators at schools that have entirely new staffs.
Some of these coordinators are taking over at schools where a certain side of the ball has been woeful; others need to make sure they keep what has been a good thing (or even a great thing) running smoothly.
Liam Coen, Kentucky offense
The buzz: UK threw for a combined 4,913 yards the past three seasons; SEC foes Alabama and Florida threw for 4,656 and 4,543, respectively, last season alone. Shown the door was OC Eddie Gran, and in comes Coen, 35. He spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (two as the assistant wide receiver coach and last season as the quarterback coach) after working at Brown, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine from 2010-17. Presumably, he learned a few things from Rams coach Sean McVay, which means we’ll see whether at least parts of McVay’s system translate to the college level. The biggest question this season for Coen is whether there is an SEC-caliber quarterback on the roster; Penn State transfer Will Levis seems to be the likely starter. The biggest positive is a solid group of running backs.
Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech offense
The buzz: Cumbie, who turns 40 on August 8, is a former Red Raiders quarterback and assistant (2011-13) who is returning “home” after seven seasons as TCU’s coordinator/co-coordinator. Cumbie replaces David Yost, who was fired. There is some urgency to the situation, as Tech has gone 8-14 in two seasons under Matt Wells. Quarterback play has been inconsistent, and, in turn, the offense has sputtered at times. While Cumbie was a quarterback for “Air Raid” guru Mike Leach, he understands the value of a balanced offense, but still needs to find a consistent quarterback. Oregon transfer Tyler Shough seemed to adapt quickly to Cumbie’s offense in the spring, and that bodes well.
Tim DeRuyter, Oregon defense
The buzz: Ducks DC Andy Avalos left to become coach at Boise State, his alma mater, and Mario Cristobal plucked DeRuyter, 58, from Pac-12 foe California. DeRuyter had spent the past four seasons at Cal and oversaw a physical, aggressive unit that was much better than the sum of its parts. He will be working with more talent at Oregon, including stud edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and an impressive group of linebackers. One aspect that Cristobal surely had to have noticed: DeRuyter was Texas A&M’s DC when stud edge rusher Von Miller wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Will Thibodeaux do the same? Expect to see Thibodeaux lined up as a standup defensive end in some 5-2-4 sets. Job One for DeRuyter is making sure Oregon improves against the run. Oregon has Pac-12 title aspirations, but it won’t meet them if the run defense doesn’t get better.
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame defense
The buzz: Freeman, 35, was one of the hottest names in the business last fall, and Brian Kelly snapped him up when Irish DC Clark Lea left to coach Vanderbilt. Freeman, a former Ohio State star linebacker, oversaw some mighty salty units at Cincy, helping the Bearcats to a 31-6 record the past three seasons. He preferred a 3-3-5 set at Cincy, but the Irish had success playing more basic schemes, so it’ll be interesting to see how much mixing and matching Freeman will do (or can do, given that the Irish lost some key guys off their defense). Freeman seems destined to become a head coach. How soon is the question.
Daronte Jones, LSU defense
The buzz: The Tigers’ defense was an ill-conceived mess last season, and Bo Pelini – hired before the season amid much fanfare from coach Ed Orgeron – was shown the door following a 5-5 finish that saw the Tigers allow 34.9 points per game. Jones, 42, spent the past five seasons in the NFL, including serving as Minnesota’s secondary coach in 2020. He has spent one previous season in the FBS ranks, as Wisconsin’s secondary coach in 2015. LSU has an extremely talented secondary and an experienced front, but there are concerns at linebacker. LSU surrendered 492.0 yards per game last season, and that figure needs to be reduced by at least 125 yards this fall.
Jim Leavitt, SMU defense
The buzz: This is the fifth stop in seven years for Leavitt, who was coordinator at Colorado (2015-16), Oregon (2017-18) and FAU (2020) as well as an analyst at Florida State (2019) in that span. Leavitt also will work with linebackers, and his connection with Oregon led to touted linebacker transfer Isaac Slade-Matautia ending up with the Mustangs. He has preferred using a 3-4 defense in the past, but there could be growing pains this season moving from a 4-3. Still, Leavitt generally has been successful wherever he goes, and it’s safe to say SMU won’t allow 30.9 points or 180.3 rushing yards per game, as it did last season. (An aside: Mike Stoops replaced Leavitt at FAU; Leavitt was co-DC with Bob Stoops at Oklahoma in the 1990s.)
Doug Meacham, TCU offense
The buzz: OK, follow along here. Meacham, 56, was co-coordinator at TCU from 2014-16 with Sonny Cumbie, with Meacham calling the plays. Meacham left to become OC at Kansas, which, in retrospect, wasn’t the greatest career move. Kansas’ staff was fired after the 2018 season. Meacham worked in the XFL in 2019, then returned to TCU as the inside receivers coach in 2020, with Cumbie still the OC. Meacham was promoted in December when Cumbie left to become Texas Tech’s OC. TCU’s offense was especially potent in 2014 and ’15 under Meacham; QB Max Duggan and a deep group of RBs lend hope the unit can be that explosive again. But the passing attack needs big-time improvement after three mediocre seasons in a row.
Sherrone Moore, Michigan co-offense
The buzz: Jim Harbaugh promoted Moore, 35, from tight ends coach to co-coordinator and line coach in January as part of a staff overhaul. The Wolverines’ offense has spotty the past five seasons, only once averaging more than 6.0 yards per play (that’s generally what it takes to get you in the top 50 nationally in that category). The other co-OC is Josh Gattis, who still will call the plays. The Wolverines won’t undergo a change in philosophy, but there will be some tweaks – especially with the running game – thanks to Moore’s switch to the offensive line and the hirings of Mike Hart as running backs coach and Matt Weiss as quarterbacks coach. Michigan also hired a new defensive coordinator, with Mike MacDonald replacing Don Brown, but the offense needs more work than the defense.
Bill O’Brien, Alabama offense
The buzz: The allure of working for Nick Saban is evident in that O’Brien (pictured above) is one of two guys who were head coaches in the NFL last season now on the Tide staff (the other is o-line coach Doug Marrone). O’Brien, 51, spent the past seven seasons as coach of the Houston Texans, and he led them to four playoff appearances. Before that, he spent two seasons as Penn State’s coach, and that came on the heels of a five-year run as an assistant with the Patriots. For a lot of reasons, O’Brien doesn’t seem long for Tuscaloosa, but, man, he has a lot of talent with which to work. His success (or failure) with new starting quarterback Bryce Young will be a huge storyline nationally this season. Predecessor Steve Sarkisian, who left to become Texas’ coach, did a great job with Mac Jones last season.
Mike Tressel, Cincinnati defense
The buzz: Tressel, 43, the nephew of former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, takes over the Bearcats’ defense after Marcus Freeman left for Notre Dame. Tressel spent the past 14 seasons at Michigan State, which was one of the better defenses in the nation during much of that span. But he was the coordinator for just two of those seasons, and he takes over a unit that has been one of the nation’s best the past three seasons. The Bearcats return six defensive starters and have two legit All-America candidates in edge rusher Myjai Sanders and cornerback Ahmad Gardner. Tressel’s defense will get huge tests early in games at Indiana (September 18) and Notre Dame (October 2).
Charlton Warren, Indiana defense
The buzz: The Hoosiers have posted solid defensive numbers in four of the past five seasons (all but 2018), and it’s up to Warren (in conjunction with defense-minded coach Tom Allen) to make sure that continues. Warren, 44, spent the past two seasons as Georgia’s secondary coach, and he replaces Kane Wommack, who became coach at South Alabama. Warren also has worked with the secondaries at Air Force (his alma mater) Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida (IU is his sixth stop in nine years). He takes over a solid unit, one that returns nine starters and adds transfer DE Ryder Anderson from Ole Miss, who should start. Some coverage schemes figure to be tweaked, but Warren isn’t likely to change much.
Mike Yurcich, Penn State offense
The buzz: Yurcich, 45, had a lot of success as Oklahoma State’s coordinator from 2013-18; he spent the ’19 season at Ohio State and oversaw a good unit last year at Texas, but the Longhorns’ staff was let go at the end of the season. Yurcich replaces Kirk Ciarrocca, whose one season in State College did not go well. Yurcich’s Oklahoma State offenses annually featured highly productive quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, and he has good players at those position groups with the Nittany Lions. Yurcich’s top priority with quarterback Sean Clifford will be to cut down on interceptions.
(Top photo of O’Brien: Kent Gidley/Alabama Athletics)