Dad wins big: Michigan’s Gattis credits his children

Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was named 2021 winner of the Broyles award on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, in Little Rock. .(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was named 2021 winner of the Broyles award on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, in Little Rock. .(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis mentioned that he's never had an issue expressing how emotional he can be at times.

On Tuesday, he had no qualms relaying to a lively crowd inside Little Rock's Marriott Hotel about how he routinely draws inspiration from his daughter Reece and his son Jace before games -- the latter of whom he noted has a knack for drawing up plays for his dad to theoretically use as a part of his weekly planning.

Those youngsters may not have had a direct hand in what transpired in downtown Little Rock, but Gattis will almost certainly have another heartening story to tell them once he lands back in Ann Arbor, Mich., after he was named the 2021 winner of the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach in college football.

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"I'm so thankful to be here because of them," Gattis said of his two children. "My son, he's the best coach in the house. He tells me at the end of the week, 'Dad, use one of my plays.' I always tell him after games, 'Did you see that touchdown? That was one of your plays.' He gives me a cut-out of his game book every week, and I put that in my actual playbook, and I carry that to the booth with me to symbolize just how much he means to me.

"Without them, I couldn't be who I am."

Who Gattis is as a father spoke volumes to those in attendance during the luncheon ceremony, but who he's become as the mastermind behind Michigan's offensive success may ring ever louder among his peers on a national scale.

The North Carolina native has guided a unit that averages nearly 38 points and more than 451 yards of offense per game. Those totals are a far cry from the 28 points and 381 yards of offense the Wolverines averaged a year ago in Gattis' second season.


No. 2 Michigan, which is set to play No. 3 Georgia on Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl in the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs, also rank 10th in the nation in rushing yards per game with 223.8.

Gattis, 37, took home the honor, which has been given to college football's top assistant coach for the past 26 years, in the closest vote ever, according to Broyles Award founder David Bazzel.

He won the award over Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning and Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes -- both two-time finalists -- Wake Forest offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero and Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

It was announced later Tuesday that Knowles has been named the new defensive coordinator at Ohio State.

The award is named for Frank Broyles, the head coach at the University of Arkansas in 1958-1976. Broyles died in 2017

Last year's winner, former Alabama offensive coordinator and current Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian, was issued the award virtually because of concerns and limitations related to covid-19, but it was evident Tuesday that those involved with the event -- particularly the honorees -- were happy to be a part of the festivities in person.

"It's an honor to be here to represent Wake Forest University, our entire program, our staff and all of our players," said Ruggiero, who helped guide the Demon Deacons to a bowl game for the sixth year in a row. "It's been great, and I want to recognize the Broyles Foundation and thank them for an amazing two days here with a first-class event and for everything they do in the community and for people with Alzheimer's."

The organization supports Alzheimer's caregivers, which is something Gattis said he knows a great deal about.

"With [the Broyles Award], you oftentimes think about the coaching part and aspect of it," he explained. "I'm really honored to be here for the charitable cause that it serves. I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's, and I know what it takes to be a caregiver, and I know the impact it takes on your loved ones."

Gattis has made an impact on the Wolverines since joining Coach Jim Harbaugh's staff in 2019.

In his first year, his offense averaged more than 400 yards and had 13 players receive All-Big Ten accolades. That kind of production allowed Michigan to go 9-4 and notch a berth in the Citrus Bowl.

Last season, the Wolverines had several games cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and sunk to a 2-4 record before the team surged back with a banner 2021.

Michigan (12-1) won its first conference championship since 2004 by beating Iowa 42-3 last week and are set to take part in the national semifinals for the first time.

"I was a young kid that didn't know much growing up in Durham," Gattis said. "I found that football was an avenue, and that avenue was to create a better opportunity of life. But little did I know that avenue was to create a better opportunity in other people's lives."

Gattis spent 2018 as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Alabama, where the Crimson Tide played in the national title game. Four years prior to that, he was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Penn State.

However, it was Harbaugh, Gattis said, who saw something in him that others may not have.

"Jim Harbaugh took a risk and hired a long-time wide receivers coach who was a co-offensive coordinator at the time, gave me my first opportunity to be an offensive coordinator," he said. "2019 was amazing, and then we faced adversity in 2020. A lot of things went wrong in that past year. For a lot of people, they didn't think we belonged there, didn't think I belonged there, didn't think I was the right man leading our program offensively.

"And I'm forever grateful to Coach Harbaugh because he believed in me. And when you have that kind of support from your head coach, it means the world."


Josh Gattis at a glance

AGE 37 (born Jan. 15, 1984)

POSITION Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach

HOMETOWN Durham, N.C.

ALMA MATER Wake Forest

NOTEWORTHY Helped Penn State land four top-25 recruiting classes from 2014-2017. … Also spent time on the staffs at Vanderbilt (2012-13), Western Michigan (2011) and North Carolina (2010). … Was taken in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by Jacksonville in 2007. … Garnered All-ACC honors at safety in 2005 and 2006

 



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