Josh Gattis discusses leaving Michigan for Miami offensive coordinator job
Josh Gattis is “truly honored” and “excited” to be the new offensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes. The former Michigan offensive coordinator abruptly departed Ann Arbor last week after three seasons with the Wolverines.
According to a report from ESPN.com, Gattis texted his players that he felt he had “very little appreciation” from the athletic department administration at Michigan and sought employment elsewhere. In the message, he also expressed his gratitude and love for the players but that it was the right move to leave for Miami.
Part of Miami head coach Mario Cristobal‘s staff, Gattis hit the ground running last week and was involved in the team’s winter conditioning from the jump. He met with reporters Friday morning and mostly discussed his vision for the offense, but also provided some commentary on his whirlwind of a week.
“I’m excited just to be here at the University of Miami,” Gattis said. “Obviously, it was a very emotional week as far as leaving. Any time you go through change is always hard, because I didn’t feel like I left players behind — I feel like I left friends behind.
“I’m a person that’s built on relationships, and coaches that have worked for me, they’re always going to tell you, it’s about relationships. I left a tremendous amount of friends. My family is still back in Michigan right now. So that’s always hard, going through change.
“But the thing that helps you go through change is surrounding yourself with great people. And being here with Coach Cristobal and the staff he’s put together, the energy, the excitement. I walk past Coach every single day and I say, ‘Thank you.’ And he pops in, checks on me. When you’ve got a guy like that leading your program, and you believe in his vision, he sets the tone and energy and excitement throughout the program.
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“I’ve just been so blessed to be here. Each day has been eye-opening to me, but I’m still running on fumes. I’ve been exhausting everything I have into this program, and I won’t stop until we get the job done.”
Gattis had his fair share of ups and downs at Michigan. During his first season leading the offense in 2019, the Wolverines turned the ball over 13 times in the first six games and didn’t find a rhythm within the new spread system. By the end of the year, though, Michigan began finding success through the air, passing for more than 300 yards in three-straight games to conclude the regular season.
The 2020 campaign was a disaster by all accounts, and it didn’t help the offense that star wide receiver Nico Collins opted out and several offensive linemen suffered injuries. Michigan scored just 28.3 points per game (66th nationally) and racked up a dismal 381.8 yards per contest (78th).
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made major staff changes — including promoting Sherrone Moore to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach — and they paid off for the Wolverines, who won the Big Ten title and earned a berth to the College Football Playoff in 2021. Leaning on a run game that churned out 214.4 yards per game (15th in the country), Michigan tallied 443.1 yards per game (24th) and scored 35.8 points per outing (16th).
