The Jacksonville Jaguars have announced they’ve hired Grant Udinski to be the team’s offensive coordinator under head coach Liam Coen.
“Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville,” said Head Coach Liam Coen in a statement. “He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization and we can’t wait to have him lead our offense.”
While Coen will be the play-caller for the offense, Udinski will obviously play an important role in the construction of the offense, along with building and implementing the weekly game plans.
At the top of the to-do list for both Coen and Udinski will be getting quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville passing game back on track.
But before we dive into all of that, here are three things you need to know about the Jaguars’ next offensive coordinator:
Udinski worked closely under Vikings’ coach Kevin O’Connell
Udinski’s official title with the Vikings was assistant quarterbacks coach and special projects. And with that, Alec Lewis, who covers the Vikings for The Athletic, would say that Udinski worked “very, very closely” with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Over the last three seasons with O’Connell at the helm, the Vikings are 34-17, which includes a 13 and most recently a 14 win season. With O’Connell having been the LA Rams offensive coordinator before joining the Vikings, there is a bit of a Sean McVay connection in terms of the offensive play-style with Udinski.
Beyond winning, O’Connell has done so with different quarterbacks in an offensive scheme that is multiple and does a good job of keeping the defense off-balanced.
Sam Darnold had a career year in 2024
With Udinski as the assistant quarterbacks coach, Sam Darnold put together a career season with the Vikings in 2024.
In addition to leading the Vikings to 14 wins, Darnold would complete 66% of his passes for 4,564 yards with 36 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
As a whole, the Vikings’ offense would rank ninth in points per game scored last season and sixth in yards per pass attempt.
Udinski is a fast riser in the coaching ranks
Udinski is still just 29 years old, but has been a popular candidate this coaching cycle for offensive coordinator roles. According to Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars were one of five teams that Udinski has interviewed with since the season ended.
The intrigue is, in part, rooted in the success that the Vikings’ offense has had with different quarterbacks, and the high regard that O’Connell and his offensive scheme are held in around the NFL.
Udinski has been with the Vikings since 2022. Before that, he was the Carolina Panthers’ coaching assistant from 2020-2021 and a graduate assistant at Baylor in 2019.
