Greg McElroy names top five best offensive coordinators heading into 2022

Contrary to what Georgia did last season, offense is still the preferred method to win in college football. Even the Bulldogs boasted a Top-10 offense that scored 38.6 points per game of their own. The last team to win it all without a Top-10 offense was Alabama in 2017 who still scored 37.1 a contest. All in all, scoring is paramount and, with that in mind, Greg McElroy recently broke down the best offensive play callers in the sport.

McElroy was asked to list his top three OCs during an episode of ‘Always College Football’. In no particular order, he went on to list his five top minds on offense from across the NCAA.

Jeff Lebby – Oklahoma
Josh Gattis – Miami
Kendal Briles – Arkansas
Jeff Grimes – Baylor
Zach Kittley – Texas Tech

McElroy threw in Lebby and Gattis as proven commodities as well as Briles and Grimes who could all go on to be head coaches in the near future. Between their four offenses at Ole Miss, Michigan, Arkansas, and Baylor, they averaged 33 points per game. That has led half of that quartet in Lebby and Gattis to start new jobs this season with the Sooners and Hurricanes respectively.

McElroy’s option that is ‘surging’ is new Red Raiders OC Zach Kittley. Over the last four seasons at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky, he has fielded some of the best offenses in the nation. The Huskies averaged 32.3 points over his three seasons with the program and the Hilltoppers finished with the No. 2 offense in 2021 that averaged 44.2 points per game. Kittley is the guy Greg McElroy thinks the nation needs to keep our eyes on.

“If you can take Bailey Zappe and break Joe Burrow’s records throwing the football, you’re clearly doing something right (on offense),” said McElroy. “This is a young guy that I kind of have set to the side for the moment. He could skyrocket up the list…He’s been able to wave the magic wand a few different times and now he’s on everybody’s radar.”

All five names here could be head football coaches in the near future. That is how much stock goes in to the offense of football these days. Regardless, all five should field some of the more potent scoring teams headed into 2022.