JD Pickell: Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis will adjust to talent on roster

Miami experiences a massive overhaul this offseason as Mario Cristobal brought in a combination of South Florida staples and up-and-coming talent like former Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. With so many new faces around, On3’s JD PicKell broke down what fans can expect from the staff and the roster in year one.

During a recent episode of The Hard Count, JD PicKell broke down what new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis brings to the table after researching his time spent at Michigan last season.

“Josh Gattis coming over from Michigan, the offense at Michigan was really good last year,” said PicKell. “They were like No. 14 in the country in terms of points scored per game at 36. They’re going to score points. And if you watched Michigan last year, you’re thinking, ‘Oh no, we’re just going to run the ball, just doggedly run the ball every single play.’ And they ran the ball a lot last year, yes, but a lot of that was in part because of what Josh Gattis had in that running back room. Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins, two guys who could go, and did a great job carrying Michigan – carried them all the way to the College Football Playoff and to a Big Ten title.”

JD PicKell on Miami offense

As Josh Gattis transitions from Michigan to Miami, JD PicKell makes it clear that his emphasis will remain the same but in different ways based on the talent on the roster.

“So I think the emphasis here is that they want to own the trenches, yes, but even more so they’re going to take advantage of the playmakers they have,” said PicKell. “One thing I noticed watching Josh Gattis’ offense a year ago, he did a great job calling different run plays for different backs. … All that to say, they’re going to call this offense: 1. To establish the trenches, 2. To cater to their players. So Jaylan Knighton, the running back from Miami, he’s going to make sure he is very much aligned with Josh Gattis and his vision for the offense. They’re going to play to the strengths of their playmakers.”

Continuing, PicKell assures Miami fans they will not see a restricted version of star quarterback Tyler Van Dyke no matter how well the run game works.

“Ultimately, you are catering to your playmakers’ abilities,” said PicKell. “So Tyler Van Dyke, he’s going to be able to air it out. Don’t worry, they’re not going to put his arm on the shelf and just have him hand the ball off. They’re still going to try to create explosive plays. I think it will look a little bit different than it did at Michigan for Josh Gattis and this offense strictly because of personnel.”