A new era of Northwestern offense is about to be introduced. On Wednesday, the Wildcats officially announced who will take over as offensive coordinator moving forward.

Mike Bajakian will be Northwestern’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Northwestern released a statement on the hire Wednesday. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said he’s excited about the future of the Wildcats offense.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Mike, Michelene and their five children, to the Northwestern football family,” said Fitzgerald. “He has demonstrated outstanding impact and improvement at every stop of his career, both in college football and in the National Football League. The feedback we received from former colleagues and student-athletes was impeccable. He has helmed offenses that beat you through the air, and others that punished opponents on the ground, depending on personnel. Mike rose up our candidate list with every conversation we had about him, and we are thrilled to have him on board in advance of the early signing period and winter workouts.”

Last season, Bajakian was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boston College. From 2015-18, he served as the quarterbacks coach with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s also served in similar roles at Cincinnati, Tennessee and Central Michigan.

Bajakian replaces former offensive coordinator Mick McCall, who was not retained following the 2019 season. The Wildcats had the worst Power Five passing attack in college football and ranked 116th in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game.