Nevada hiring Matt Lubick as offensive coordinator following Leukemia battle

On Monday, Nevada named Matt Lubick the program’s next offensive coordinator. Lubick was diagnosed with leukemia Oct. 7, and has been undergoing treatment at the Anschutz Center for Advanced Medicine in Aurora, Colo.

Now in remission, Lubick is ready to provide his expertise at Nevada. Wolf Pack head coach Jeff Choate welcome Lubick in a statement published by the university.

“Matt has obviously had a long battle, and it’s really gratifying to see him come out the other end,” Choate said. “One of the things he talked about with our team was gratitude, how grateful he was for the opportunity to coach at Nevada.

“I can say the same thing—I’m extremely grateful that Matt is going to be our offensive coordinator. We’re very excited to have him in a position where he can engage with us now. Matt’s an extremely accomplished coach, and even better person, and I’m looking forward to what he’s able to bring.”

Lubick has served as a senior analyst at Kansas for the past two seasons. With Lubick’s help, the Jayhawks have seen a meteoric rise, boasting a 9-4 record in the 2023 campaign.

Before Lubick joined Kansas, he spent one season as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Before that, he spent three years as Washington’s co-offensive coordinator and WRs coach.

Perhaps most notably, Lubick spent three seasons at Oregon, including one year as the program’s sole offensive coordinator. While there, Lubick was key in Oregon quarterbacks leading the nation in passing efficiency in both 2014 and 2015.

“Whether it was at Oregon, or Nebraska, or Kansas, he’s been a guy that has really done a great job of pairing the run game with the play-action pass game,” Choate said. “I think it’s going to be a great combination to have he, Brian, and Mike combining our front end and what we do with our play-action game and our drop-back game.”

Lubick hasn’t allowed his illness to slow him down. In 2023, Lubick opened up about his fight with leukemia in an interview with ESPN.

“I was crushed, but I knew what to do and I was prepared,” he said. “I’m grateful for the profession. You have to be prepared and deal with adversity. Life challenges are opportunities to grow. That’s what I’ve been telling my players for the last 20 years, and now I have to live my advice.”

Matt Lubick has his work cut out for him. Nevada went 2-10 last season, ending the year on a blowout 42-6 loss to Wyoming. Nonetheless, if anybody can tackle a challenge head-on, it’s Lubick.