Miami has fired offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, the program announced Friday morning.
The move comes one year after Gattis joined Mario Cristobal's attempt to reboot Miami into a new iteration of The U, and two months after the Hurricanes played their final game.
Gattis joined the staff fresh off coordinating Michigan to a long-awaited win over Ohio State, a Big Ten title, and the program's first College Football Playoff berth. Those efforts helped Gattis win the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach for the 2021 season. Jim Harbaugh's pursuit of an NFL head coaching position and then his 11th-hour return led to some miscommunication between Gattis and Michigan.
Michigan's loss was Miami's gain. The addition of the reigning Broyles Award winner was seen as a major coup for Cristobal.
"And being here with coach Cristobal and the staff he's putting together, the energy, the excitement — I walk past coach every day and just say, 'Thank you,'" Gattis said in February. "And he pops in, checks on me. And 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. And so, 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 mean, it's been — I've exhausted everything I have into this program, and I won't stop until we get the job done."
Miami started the season No. 16 in the AP poll and rose to No. 13 after a 2-0 start, but won just three of its final 10 games.
Gattis' scheme and Miami's players never clicked. The Hurricanes fell from 6.13 yards per play to 5.34, from 34.1 points per game to 23.6, and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke plummeted from 11th in passing efficiency to 70th.
The rise for Gattis was a swift one. After spending six seasons coaching wide receivers for James Franklin at Vanderbilt and Penn State, Gattis joined Alabama's staff as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2018. One season later, he was overseeing a total scheme overhaul as Michigan's offensive coordinator while also coaching wideouts. Having inherited a team that averaged 6.06 yards per play, the Wolverines dipped below six per play in 2019 and '20 before the 2021 breakthrough (6.39 per play). That led to the Broyles Award, the Big Ten title and, ultimately, the Miami job.
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