Appalachian St OC hired as Miami QBs coach
Ponce has spent most of his coaching career in the Miami area:
Appalachian St finished 2021 ranked # 23 in points per game, #31 in yards per game, and that breaks down into #54 in passing yards per game and #35 in rushing yards per game.
Ponce is expected to be moved into the OC job soon, as Miami is expecting Josh Gattis to leave for a head coaching job in as soon as one year from now.
Miami fans and sports writers have very high hopes in what Josh Gattis is going to bring to the offense. They mention over and over on YouTube videos, blog posts, and Miami sports sites, that he was "The Broyles Award winner". That phrase has created a high level of expectation for what Gattis is going to do in his likely very short time there. In doing a casual search of Miami Hurricane football sites and the name Josh Gattis you'll come across the phase probably 50 times in a short time of searching.
February 9th, 2022 at 10:49 PM ^
Obviously Gattis knows what’s best for him, but from an outside perspective, he was much better placed to get a good head job at Michigan. The offense could be elite next year and Miami’s offense probably won’t be. Sam said this was an emotional decision and I think it has the potential to blow up on him. We’ve seen how quickly hot names cool off in the coaching world
February 9th, 2022 at 11:16 PM ^
“Good head job.”
February 10th, 2022 at 6:08 AM ^
Is this post about the recruiting trail?
February 10th, 2022 at 8:20 AM ^
more like "recruiting tail" amiright??
February 10th, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
Tomorrow is my birthday. This is exactly what I asked for.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:21 PM ^
With the way rumors about Gattis are going, maybe you shouldn't have phrased it that way.
BTW, has there been any confirming of that rumor yet from someone credible?
February 10th, 2022 at 12:31 AM ^
Miami has been a train wreck for years. In stead of leaving for a head coaching position, he could be leaving with a bootprint on his ass looking for any position.
February 10th, 2022 at 5:41 AM ^
They won 5 of 6 down the stretch last year after going with Van Dyke at QB. They had some good wins over NCState and Pitt.
Though the loss was to abysmal Florida State.
At least he’s going to a place with what seems like a good QB situation.
February 10th, 2022 at 7:26 AM ^
Am I the only one who thinks his Broyles award was semi-fraudulent? I kinda agree w Brian’s assessment.
Like was Michigans offense THAT mind blowing? I would figure UGA’s defensive coordinator would be the winner.
February 10th, 2022 at 9:37 AM ^
Just my opinion but I think he certainly deserved to be a finalist for the Broyles, and was as deserving to win as any of the other finalists.
The committee is a group of retired coaches, and I doubt they were really looking that deeply into the minutiae of each assistants role.
February 10th, 2022 at 3:53 PM ^
In my opinion, he wasn’t even the best coordinator on his own team. Our defense allowed us to establish the run and not be forced to play from behind. Macdonald was the most important coordinator we had last year.
February 9th, 2022 at 10:54 PM ^
I get it. He was minutes away from becoming HC at the University of Michigan and just like that has to go back to life as an OC. It would be a letdown. I'd like him to stay but whatever.
Good luck and thank you for your part of the 2021 season.
February 9th, 2022 at 10:57 PM ^
Speed in Space in Miami? Okay, let's see what really develops with the Canes. He clearly was blocked at Michigan by Harbaugh occupying the HC position.
It's unfortunate Gattis mouthed ("texted") off on his way out the door. Not a good look. Hopefully, in the future, he's able to find a way to behave better when he gets disappointing news.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:11 PM ^
Speed in South Beach!
Or is it Speedos on South Beach ⛱️.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:24 PM ^
Haulover Beach, better than South Beach. Do not forget the SPF 70 !
February 9th, 2022 at 11:54 PM ^
Or is it Speedos on South Beach
Cue Big Boutros in 3, 2, 1…
February 10th, 2022 at 11:32 AM ^
Banana Hammocks in Boca Raton
February 10th, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^
Agreed it isn't a good look on him. He probably saw the opportunity to leave and took it because Michigan is one of the most criticized teams that is constantly in the news.
The other thing that is telling is I haven't seen ANY posts from players about Gattis. No thank you, no we will miss you, nothing.
February 10th, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^
Speed near Space Coast
February 9th, 2022 at 11:11 PM ^
Post this on a Miami (YTM) board.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:39 PM ^
Will you follow over there to comment on that post?
February 10th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
No I won't because I couldn't care less about the Miami Hurricanes football program. And this news is not thread worthy.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:43 PM ^
Why do people use caveman statistics here anymore?
February 9th, 2022 at 11:43 PM ^
I have a feeling he won’t do as well as he expects. He’s walking into a worse situation in terms of talent. Miami was not good last year.
February 10th, 2022 at 3:46 PM ^
I have a feeling Gattis will be impressed with whatever he does. Didn’t you hear? #broylesAwardWinner. #underappreciated
Did I do that right?
February 9th, 2022 at 11:57 PM ^
Gattis heads to the University of Miami and gets Ponce to lean on. If they head to St. Augustine, about 320 miles north of Coral Gables, they might find a fount of youthful recruits to help them rebuild the Hurricanes' offense.
February 10th, 2022 at 12:03 AM ^
Ponce to lean on
I see what you maybe did there
February 10th, 2022 at 12:27 AM ^
. . . and please remember to tip your server.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:58 PM ^
I simply can't read anything that says "Appalachian State" without breaking into hives and cold sweats.
February 9th, 2022 at 11:58 PM ^
So Miami Hurricane fans shouldn't be going crazy about hiring the reigning Broyles Award winner?!
I don't get it?!
This was a HOME RUN hire for them. Will it pan out? Who knows. But Cristobal is putting together a very nice staff.
February 10th, 2022 at 12:05 AM ^
Feels more like the two times we got an OC from alabama and were excited while bama was like, 'meh, go for it.'
February 10th, 2022 at 7:40 AM ^
That's not even close to what happened in Miami. We got that "meh" hire from Alabama and turned him into a potential head coach and at the very least a highly coveted OC. Gattis was a roll of dice when we hired him; he is now a proven commodity and Miami should be excited.
I get that people are annoyed with the way Gattis left but it doesn't mean he is a mediocre coach. It is ok the be annoyed that this is the collateral damage for Jim looking around. It is also ok, to think that Gattis' departure is just a bump in the road and that his replacement(s) will do just fine with Jim's leadership. It is not ok to not give Gattis his due as a solid coach because he is no longer with the program.
February 10th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
The thing is, though, that Gattis wasn't really 'getting his due' as a solid coach while he was still here. Most people - myself included - don't buy into all of Seth's preaching that Gattis was running 'his' offense. The entire run game, and large parts of the TE based passing game, are things that Harbaugh has been running and coaching since he was in Pop Warner. And all of that are things that Gattis had zero - ZERO - experience with as a player or coach. None. Zero. Zilch.
He certainly brought some changes, some new ideas, and some stabilization to the tempo game. But everyone here was surprised he won the Broyles Award, and rightfully so. And, to be honest, I don't wish him any ill will, but I also don't wish him any luck in Miami. He left taking shots at the entire AD in a text to the players. Any way you look at it, that is unprofessional and unethical, it is not something a good person does.
February 10th, 2022 at 10:39 AM ^
It is honestly pointless to argue nuance of which we are not certain. You disagree with Seth on how much Gattis was involved in the play calling. Who is correct? You or Seth? We don't really know so to criticize Gattis using unverified information is folly. We know that he found a job even before he was out of one so, yes, he was desired.
I know it is easier to flame the person that left than look at them objectively but we should be better than that. Personally, I am going to withhold my judgement on his coaching acumen until it can be based on something other than speculation. His personality on the other hand, can be judged more clearly. We know he flamed the administration on his way out, that was a dick move. Even if you feel wronged by your employer, you shouldn't poison the well - that doesn't benefit anyone.
February 10th, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^
Thunder has talked a couple of times about how the M offense looked exactly like the Baltimore Ravens offense .He said it was because of Matt Weiss. The fact that M didn't make any effort to keep Gattis here tells me he wasn't important to the team. I think M offense in 2021 was Weiss.
February 10th, 2022 at 12:32 PM ^
Agree with everything you said I had similar thoughts. The whole machine made him look better and I think there is great potential for him to have hurt his prospects if Miami sputters his first year which is more probable than not.
February 10th, 2022 at 12:55 PM ^
The text he sent to players dropping hints to follow him to Miami may come back to haunt him. If the offense at Miami is mediocre and predictabele, like it was at Michigan in 2019 and 2020, that tweet might be dredged up and run though Miami sports sites. Tjose things tend to happen when fans are restless, and the pitch forks and torches start coming out.
February 10th, 2022 at 5:37 PM ^
But OMG, flea flickers!!! He brought this revolutionary play to us!
February 10th, 2022 at 8:12 AM ^
Eh. Prior to this year (and really, prior to Penn State) Gattis wasn’t very highly thought of at all. “Proven commodity” might be a stretch. This truly does feel like when Hoke hired Nussmeier from Bama. A guy that is much more highly thought of nationally than he is locally. I also don’t know that we can say he’s a highly coveted OC. We know nothing about any interest outside of Miami, and Michigan sure wasn’t in any rush to sign him to an extension or throw a bunch of money his way. Does one team wanting someone make that person highly coveted?
I didn’t care that he left, and that was before his antics on the way out. If you were to give me a choice between Sherrone Moore and Gattis, I’d have taken Moore. Gattis hasn’t impressed me as an OC, and half a season (with plenty on input from other coaches) of good playcalling isn’t really changing my mind.
February 10th, 2022 at 8:43 AM ^
Our offense was not good Gattis’ first two years. Was it because Shea played too much golf and Milton was a practice phenom only, or did it have something to do with Gattis? Our offense didn’t set the world on fire for the first few games this year. Remember all of the concern about not being able to pass? Offense looked great at the end of the year, but I’m guessing there was a reason Warde didn’t give him the respect he wanted. Jumping ship and (publicly?)flaming the AD to players is hotheaded. Didn’t he have a flame war with Locksley where Locksley didn’t give him any credit? I wish the guy well, because the Haskins, Corum and DE stuff was great, but he’s creating a lot of little red flags. I would have been upset if he was named Michigan’s HC without at least a second successful year where he was clearly making an impact.
February 10th, 2022 at 10:43 AM ^
As someone who has criticized Hoke's personnel decisions many times, I feel compelled to say that Dave Brandon hired Nussmeier. He was swayed by that Bama pedigree and forced the move on Hoke.
February 10th, 2022 at 3:37 PM ^
The point wasn’t so much who actually hired him. Just that we were collectively excited about snagging Bama’s OC that had a pretty good reputation nationally. Similar to Miami right now. Meanwhile, Bama seemed pretty indifferent about him leaving and fans welcomed it. Which is similar to how many Michigan fans are reacting.
Gattis to Miami has a very similar feel as Nussmeier to Michigan.
February 10th, 2022 at 8:53 AM ^
Saban always has been and always will be the straw that stirs the drink in Tuscaloosa.
Now of course, guys like Kirby Smart have left and found plenty of success on their own, so that's not to suggest that all his staff turns to crap when they leave Alabama. My point is just that I'm pretty sure Alabama would've been just as successful with or without them.
February 10th, 2022 at 4:17 PM ^
Once or twice a year someone posts something that reminds me that Nussmeier spent a couple of weekends in Ann Arbor. Jonesy gets thes honors.
February 10th, 2022 at 6:57 AM ^
The optics look great for Miami and I honestly think they can move up the pecking order in that conference. There are at least 3 offensive minded coaches on that staff.
I am rooting for Gattis. But I didn't like the way he left Michigan.
February 10th, 2022 at 8:31 AM ^
Lol okay dude. BTW your username accidentally says Chris, Josh.
February 10th, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
Considering how bad the Hurricanes were last year, this is definitely a good upgrade for them. The fans should be excited because it at least seems like he will make them better on the offensive side of the ball. That being said....
I was never overly impressed with Gattis during his time here. Sure, some of that probably has to do with him learning to call plays during games and adjusting his gameplan, but we were halfway through the season this year before the offense hit any kind of stride at all. I think we can all agree that the last couple of years before this were either disappointing or outright bad on offense compared to the talent level. Gattis brought a different offense with him (sorta), but I can't say it was any better than the Fisch offenses and it definitely hasn't been consistently good in ways that the Fisch offense was either.
February 10th, 2022 at 12:08 AM ^
No problem with Gattis leaving...
not a fan of scorching earth on the way out however...seemed like an emotional guy, but I think it got the better or him with that volley