Mario Cristobal, Josh Gattis comment as Miami hiring made official

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal made maybe the surprise assistant coaching move of the offseason, hiring Josh Gattis to be his offensive coordinator. Gattis was the OC at Michigan for the past three seasons, working with head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The move was made official on Wednesday, with both Cristobal and Gattis making statements about the hire.

Beginning with Cristobal, the head coach not only talked about Gattis as an offensive mind but also as a recruiter. He even complimented the offensive coordinator, saying Gattis is a “phenomenal human being.”

“I’m fired up to add Josh Gattis to our staff as offensive coordinator,” Cristobal said. “Josh has championship experience and has achieved the highest honor as an assistant coach. He is a phenomenal human being, has exceptional acumen in player development, and is a tremendous recruiter. His offenses are explosive and well-balanced, and his passion, ambition, and energy will separate him as a difference maker for our offense and for our program.”

Next, Gattis discussed what the Miami program meant to him, growing up around ACC football as a kid. He said the chance to coach for the Hurricanes was just too good to say no to, despite already working for Michigan.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be here. I grew up in ACC land, and I’ve always had the utmost respect for this program,” Gattis said. “When you look at the history, the tradition and the legacy of this place, Miami is one of the most storied programs in all of college football. When the opportunity came up to be a part of this program, it was one that I just couldn’t turn down. We’ve got an unbelievable staff and I’m really, really excited about Coach Cristobal’s vision.”

Gattis will be inheriting one of the top young quarterbacks in college football, Tyler Van Dyke. As a redshirt freshman, Van Dyke threw for 2,931 and 25 touchdowns while completing 62.5% of his throws. Expectations will be high for the Miami Hurricanes going forward, especially with Gattis and Van Dyke running the offense.