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Kirk Herbstreit raves about Josh Gattis, calls Michigan OC a ‘rising star’
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One of the biggest hires of the offseason, the Michigan Wolverines pegged Josh Gattis as their new offensive coordinator in January. Serving as the co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at Alabama in 2018, Gattis – who will be calling plays for the first time in his coaching career – and his spread attack have been a couple of Michigan football’s biggest talking points since his hiring.
While he notes his inexperience as an in-game play-caller, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks the Wolverines made a great decision in Gattis.
“He’s never called plays, so he’s got a huge stage and a huge opportunity.
“I would tell you, regardless of if he stayed at Alabama or he ended up going to Michigan, if you asked me to name five offensive coaches who were the young guys up-and-coming, shooting stars in the business, I would have told you a year ago that Josh Gattis is among them. He is a rising star. I’m not surprised at all that Jim Harbaugh made that selection.”
Gattis’ “Speed in Space” system emphasizes getting the ball in the hands of your best players on the edges. Michigan has some questions at the running back position, but four-star freshman Zach Charbonnet has been impressive since his arrival, even while dealing with a knee injury.
The Wolverines have a quartet of receivers that can cause problems for opposing secondaries. Juniors Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black and sophomore Ronnie Bell all have the potential to thrive in Gattis’ offense.
Seeking to reach the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time in Harbaugh’s five-year tenure, the Wolverines will begin their season on Saturday by hosting Middle Tennessee State at 7:30PM ET.
The 2018 Wolverines finished 10-3 (8-1 Big Ten) and dropped the Peach Bowl to the Florida Gators, 41-15.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.