Jaguars coordinator deep dive: Who’s OC Grant Udinski?

It’s been an offseason of change for the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Shad Khan nonetheless in search of the appropriate normal supervisor to steer the franchise’s entrance workplace operations, new head coach Liam Coen has completed fleshing out his teaching employees – with two first-time NFL coordinators taking the reins of the offense and protection. Within the first of two deep dives into Coen’s most necessary colleagues, we ask the query; who’s new OC Grant Udinski:?

Early years

Born in January 1996 in Doylestown, PA, Grant Udinski gravitated to soccer from an early age. Attending Central Bucks Excessive College West, Udinski performed tight finish – being named an all-conference participant for the Bucks as a senior. In 2015, he started a low-key faculty profession, first with Davidson in North Carolina. However after only one reception in his freshman 12 months, Udinski would each switch and alter place, taking part in defensive finish for Towson. In two seasons with the Tigers, Udinski would make 43 tackles and 4.5 sacks – modest numbers that will supply him no alternative to additional his taking part in profession as knowledgeable.

It was within the classroom the place Udinski would exhibit the psychological acumen that will assist him forge a powerful and speedy ascension by the teaching ranks, being named a CoSIDA Educational First-Staff All-American and registering a 3.94 GPA at Towson. He would in some way enhance that while finding out for a grasp’s diploma, incomes an ideal GPA of 4.0.

First foray into teaching

Grant Udinski would start his teaching profession at Baylor in 2019, incomes a grad assistant job underneath head coach Matt Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow. It’s extensively reported that Udinski initially lived in his automobile when he first moved to Waco with a purpose to pursue his teaching dream, till Snow came upon and allowed Udinski to maneuver in with him. That season, the Bears would go a powerful 11-3, making it to the Large 12 Championship Recreation.

Udisnki’s dedication and expertise was clearly evident from the beginning; when Matt Rhule turned head coach of the Carolina Panthers that offseason, he took the grad assistant with him as a training assistant. It was a troublesome two years for Rhule and his employees in Carolina, with the Panthers going 10-23 in that time-frame. Rhule would solely final 5 extra video games the next season, however by that time Udinski had already left, following tight ends coach Brian Angelichio to the Minnesota Vikings. Angelicho had been recruited by Kevin O’Connell as his new passing recreation coordinator, and inspired his new boss to convey the younger proficient coach up North as effectively…

Udinski was named ‘assistant to the pinnacle coach/particular initiatives’, a title that was imprecise for a motive – he would do something and every thing required. Very like in his earlier stops in Waco and Charlotte, Udinski wasted no time making an impression, exhibiting creativity and a focus to element in each follow and when offering superior opponent scouting stories. O’Connell has been quoted as saying that Udinski’s understanding of soccer is ‘unbelievable’, and duly promoted him to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023. Udinski gained even additional duties final 12 months, including assistant offensive coordinator to his title forward of a powerful season for the Vikings.

A rising star

Udinski’s rise by the teaching ranks has been nothing in need of meteoric, culminating in his rent by the Jaguars as offensive coordinator on February 5. That announcement made him the third-youngest coordinator in NFL historical past, behind not too long ago appointed Declan Doyle (OC, Chicago Bears, 2025) and Sean McVay (OC, Washington Redskins, 2014). He has acquired reward for his work with quarterbacks Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy inside and out of doors of the Vikings group, serving to Darnold set profession highs in completion share (66.2%), yards (4,319) and landing passes (35) as Minnesota went 14-2 within the common season.

The symmetry with McVay’s teaching trajectory is extra than simply coincidence; similar to the pinnacle coach of the Los Angeles Rams, Udinski has the power to recall performs to the best element. The Vikings QB coach Josh McCown in contrast him to a younger Kevin O’Connell coming by with the Cleveland Browns, going as far to say that “You can inform instantly, together with his presence and mind, he was going to be a extremely good coach.” Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips would instantly direct any questions from his quarterbacks to his younger protege, who would take in as many duties because the proficient Minnesota teaching employees would permit him.

A distinct thinker, O;Connell describes Udinski as “distinctive of a man as I’ve ever been round”. As a part of his dedication to the quarterbacks, Udinski would positively encourage late-night textual content messages from rookie quarterback McCarthy, who mentioned he typically felt a stage of disappointment from his coach had he not reached out the evening earlier than. Udinski is praised for his readability of message when delivering directions, making detailed schemes sound as a easy matter of decisions underneath strain. The salvation of Darnold, a quarterback as soon as mocked for ‘seeing ghosts’, is the proper instance of how he is ready to make issues simpler at an important place within the sport.

What this implies for the Jaguars

While after all acknowledging it’s straightforward to be optimistic in February, Jags followers must be excited with the hiring of Grant Udinski as offensive coordinator. The transfer reinforces an infusion of youth amongst the teaching ranks in Jacksonville, following on from the appointment of Liam Coen at 39 years previous. It additionally acknowledges the necessity for appreciable concentrate on quarterback; for too lengthy, this franchise has failed to maximise the skills of Trevor Lawrence. Contemplating Udinski’s historical past and success teaching the place, it seems all makes an attempt are being made to proper that flawed.

There are some unknowns with this rent. Working underneath Kevin McConnell and Wes Phillips, Udinski will doubtless have had restricted enter into the scheme or playbook in Minnesota. As a lot as he took on while working for the Vikings, there’s at all times a studying curve to embrace if you step as much as a coordinator function – how Udinski handles that leap will decide simply how steep or shallow the curve is. Contemplating his intelligence and the variety of promotions within the few years he’s been teaching, all indicators level to that being a comparatively clean transition.

Lastly, the wedding between OC & HC appears, from the skin a minimum of, match. Coen brings a QB-friendly, excessive powered aerial offense with him from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which ought to mesh effectively with Udinski’s historical past. We solely have to have a look at the disjointed nature of final 12 months’s offense in Duval County to grasp the significance of everybody being on the identical web page. With Udinski thriving on a employees that had a head coach together with his fingerprints all around the scheme and play calling in his final cease, confidence must be excessive that he can dovetail with Coen and provides Jacksonville an offense that may problem for the AFC South.