Mario Cristobal, Miami football parts ways with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis

Josh Gattis joining the Miami Hurricanes staff last offseason was one of the biggest additions made to Mario Cristobal’s first staff in Coral Gables. However, that decision now looks to be one and done as, per a release from the university, Gattis has been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator.

Gattis, who won the Broyles Award at Michigan in 2021, never seemed to find his footing with Miami in 2022. The offense was actually a big part of the team’s struggles overall as they finished 5-7. While the defense wasn’t much better, Gattis’ offense barely finished Top-100 in the nation with an average of just 23.6 points per game. That number was down nearly two touchdowns from his final season in Ann Arbor.

Gattis has been a major Power Five coach since 2012-2013. He started at Vanderbilt, then made his first stop in the Big Ten at Penn State, and returned to the SEC at Alabama before joining Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan.

Gattis will likely a big-name option for schools in search of offensive help even though things didn’t work out with the ‘Canes. As for Miami, they’re now left to find a new OC to put in place ahead of their spring schedule.

ESPN analyst believes Miami will take ‘huge step’ under Mario Cristobal

Coming into 2022, there was tons of excitement around Miami for Mario Cristobal’s first season there. It didn’t work out the way people expected, though, with Miami going just 5-7 and missing bowl season.

Despite that, there are still going to be people excited about Miami because of the team’s talented roster and Cristobal’s track record. One of those people is ESPN analyst Greg McElroy, who said that he expects the Hurricanes to take a huge step forward.

“Year one coaches in the ACC last season a big topic of discussion,” Greg McElroy said. “Coming into the season, everyone’s saying, hey, Mario Cristobal at Miami. Don’t look now, Mario’s gonna get them going. Well, obviously, they fell flat.”

After starting the season 2-0, Miami lost three games in a row, including against Middle Tennessee State, and never recovered. Other than a couple of wins against some of the ACC’s rebuilding programs, it was a lost year.

Despite all that, Greg McElroy thinks Miami is ready to improve rapidly going forward.

“It was a really disappointing first season. But if you look at where Miami is at and how they have kind of stockpiled? They might be in a position to be successful. Maybe not as soon as ’23. But I’d be shocked if they didn’t take a significant step here at some point in the near future,” McElroy said.

“It feels like the commitment is there, it feels like the resources are there. It just feels like Miami is kind of coiling up ready to spring forward. And I get the sense that I trust Mario Cristobal. I think that he’s going to figure it out and I think that that program, in general, will be back to becoming front page news at some point very soon.”