Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Kansas Jayhawks Football Hires Jeff Grimes at Offensive Coordinator to Replace Andy Kotelnicki

Starting point is 00:00:00 On this bonus episode of Locked on Jayhawks, Kansas has a new offensive coordinator, Jeff Grimes. Come on now. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Eric Johnson.

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Starting point is 00:00:41 Thank you. The everydayers tuning into each and every episode. We had an episode out earlier today with Nick Schwert talking to KU basketball, KU football, whose stat line is it anyway? We'll have a KU Missouri preview on tomorrow's show, so you can catch all that anywhere you get your shows. We're going to be talking offensive coordinator news as KU has a new one at their OC position, Jeff Grimes in.

Starting point is 00:00:59 Obviously, Andy Kotelnicki, the previously offensive coordinator for KU since 2021, has taken the job as the offense coordinator at Penn State. Kansas announced Jim Zabrowski was co-offensive coordinator, and that kind of left some opening like, okay, why is he co? If Kotelnicki's leaving, was it just a procedural thing? I think we found out they were leaving it open to go out and possibly make a hire. So Jeff Grimes comes in to replace him. Now, who is Jeff Grimes?

Starting point is 00:01:25 He's originally from Garland, Texas. He played as an offensive tackle at UTEP in the late 80s, early 90s. He eventually got into a coaching career in the kind of mid-90s, starting as a GA at Rice and Texas A&M. And then he was a longtime offensive line coach starting at Hardin-Simmons in the late 90s, Boise State, Arizona State, BYU. He was at Colorado where he was also the associate head coach.

Starting point is 00:01:55 Then he went to Auburn from 2009 to 2012. So I believe he would have won a national title with Cam Newton at Auburn. Offensive line coach at Virginia Tech in 2013 from LSU from 2014 to 2017. And then he became an offensive coordinator for the first time in 2018 with the BYU Cougars. He was there as the offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2020. And then he got the job after that 2020 season with BYU.

Starting point is 00:02:18 He got the job as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Baylor from 2021 to 2023. So first of all, that's very interesting. He was the offensive coordinator slash tight ends coach at Baylor because what was Andy Kotelnicki? He was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. You don't see a lot of offensive coordinators who are also the tight ends coach a lot of times and ends up being the quarterback's coach or something like that. But that allows, because KU is such a multiple offense,

Starting point is 00:02:41 it's so important with how they use the tight ends for them to be that guy. Now, he has offensive line history, but Scott Fuchs has done an excellent job as the offensive line coach for KU. So I would imagine this is a perfect hire that Grimes can come in, be the tight ends coach and the offense coordinator once again at KU. We do know for sure he's the offense coordinator.

Starting point is 00:02:59 I guess the other part is just me kind of assuming, though. Now, as far as his past career and what he's done at Baylor and everything like that, first all I like this hire I'll get into the fit here in a second but you look at his time um he in 2018 is the offense coordinator at BYU they averaged 5.5 yards per play his first year there they were 70th in the country in yards per play so that's not a great number it's not a horrible number though even about kind of middle of the pack in the NCAA. But he had a kind of quarterback controversy that year. It was like a freshman, Zach Wilson, and yet another quarterback

Starting point is 00:03:32 who was kind of in there as well. It's kind of up and down. Year two, they grew a lot. They were 29th in the country in yards per play at BYU, 6.1 yards per play. And 2020 was the incredible season with Zach Wilson that ended up turning Zach Wilson into a top three pick in the NFL draft, where they averaged 7.7 yards per play. That was first in the entire country, even above Alabama, who was number two that year. They were also third in the country that year in points per game, over 40 points per game.

Starting point is 00:03:59 So then he goes to Baylor, gets the job there. 2021, they're 41st in the country in yards per play at 5.9 and they win the big 12 they go 12 and 2 they make it to the sugar bowl and all through his time at Baylor like you're trying to play kind of complimentary offense because you're with a defensive coach so keep that in mind but then 2022 they're top 40 offense in points per game and they were at 5.5 yards per play which is 58th this past year though bottomed out a bit 86 yards per play that was uh uh 5.1 yards per play for them they were one of the worst offenses in the big 12 but i think what you see when you go across all those different years for what he

Starting point is 00:04:35 did in his previous stops when he had a good quarterback zach wilson or i think that first year like blake shapen had a really good year in 2021. When you had a good quarterback, he was able to produce elite offenses. When he had struggles at quarterbacks, they were basically national, from a national perspective, average to below average offenses. So I like the hire overall. He also was a good recruiter, whether it was – you look back 24-7 sports, I think that goes back about a decade, decade plus, a little bit over that in terms of their recruiting database.

Starting point is 00:05:09 According to 24-7 sports, Grimes was the primary or secondary recruiter on 21 different four- or five-star commits over the course of his time as an offensive line and offensive coordinator over the past, you know, whatever that database goes back to. And 20 of those 21 four and five star commits he got, in addition to other high level three stars, were offensive and defensive linemen. So somebody who can come in and be a good recruiter in the trenches for you too.

Starting point is 00:05:36 I like this hire. Let's get into why I think it's a good fit and then what it means for Jim Zebrowski here in just a moment. This episode, bonus episode of Locked on Jayhawks, is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. As the weather gets colder, the NFL offers stay hot on FanDuel. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning money line, a $5 bet.

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Starting point is 00:06:27 I think it's a good fit. I mean, A, he's had success when he's had good quarterbacks. I think there are some interesting comparisons you can make with Zach Wilson, Jalen Daniels. And obviously with Zach Wilson, his NFL career kind of sputtering out right now that makes what he did with him even more impressive. But I think there's some interesting comparisons, like in terms of both are more undersized quarterbacks right they're not your typical 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 quarterback right both are really good throwing on the run both despite not being that 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-6 guy have insanely strong arms and live wire arms on the outside I think there are some interesting comparisons there and when

Starting point is 00:07:01 you look at what he did at BYU and what he did at Baylor, I think his first two years more so than what he tried to do, smash mouth power running the football with a lot of wide zone combined with play action and downfield shots on the play action. And are those not exact staples of what Kansas has done with Andy Malnicki? So it's not an exact replica, but Jeff Grimes likes to run motion, right? Maybe not extensively and as extremely as Andy Kotelnicki did, or maybe not as crazy of formations as Andy Kotelnicki did, but both like to do a lot of motions, okay?

Starting point is 00:07:39 Both like to do wide zone. We heard so much when Lance Eiffel first came over the wide zone from Buffalo. That's something Jeff Grimes really likes to do, and it did really well at BYU and did well at Baylor too. So those things are very, very similar. The play action, the downfield shots, off play action, like that's something Kansas has done a very good job of, and that's something that he likes to do. And so I think this is a good fit. And when you look at it, like Kansas has lot of the the good infrastructure you need around that like you have good offensive line coach you have you know these other good

Starting point is 00:08:09 assistant coaches you have the good head coach and Lance Leipold you have good player personnel and the good quarterback um and and I think he's coming into a system here where if you're Jeff Grimes you probably very because there was there was talk that he was close to taking the BYU job going back there I think what interests you the most, if you're Jeff Grimes in this, isn't just some of that personnel and everything. It's that Lance Leipold, when he finds a coach that he likes, you're in it with him for the long haul. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:08:34 You have really good job security, and that has to be a good thing for Kansas when you're hiring other coaches that they see, yeah, you're going to have this continuity with your coaches. Instead of going to Baylor where I get fired after year three, because I'm kind of scapegoated, check out, there's a good locked on Baylor episode when he got fired that they thought he was scapegoated and he kind of got the raw end of the deal. That doesn't really happen in Kansas with Lance Leipold.

Starting point is 00:08:57 So I think this is a really good fit. He does a lot of the things that you've been doing well and with, with wide zone, with play action and everything that he wants to do and and because kansas has all these other things in place i don't think it's going to be as simple as oh jeff grimes comes in and he has full autonomy of the offense i think it's gonna he comes in yeah he has some autonomy on the offense he's the offensive coordinator but it is kind of a teamwork deal and it kind of keeps running from where it kind of has been so to that notion what does this mean for Jim Zabrowski? We're going to get to that coming up in just a moment.

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Starting point is 00:10:43 We'll get to our KU Missouri preview tomorrow. Thank you to tuning in for each and every episode with our everydayers out there with Locked on Jayhawks. So what does this mean for Jim Zabrowski? Jim Zabrowski, the quarterback's coach for KU. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator for the bowl game. I am under the estimation in that I'd imagine if you're Jeff Grimes, you probably, you know,

Starting point is 00:11:03 get into it with the staff and you go along this process during the bowl game of what preparation is like here at Kansas and maybe get to know the players a little bit and stuff. I don't know the rules with him being hired and how that can all work. But I'd imagine for the bowl game, Jim Zebrowski will still be the one calling plays, and I think that'll be good experience for him. And then I would imagine after that they'll work together and that Grimes will be the play caller I think Grimes has been more known for being a great offensive mind than maybe calling play specifically so maybe it does stay as co-

Starting point is 00:11:36 offensive coordinator to where Zabrowski's calling the plays I I don't know I still feel like Grimes probably going to call the plays um and I think it'll be one of those situations where like Grimes is probably going to call the plays. And I think it'll be one of those situations where, like, Grimes is more doing the run game coordination and Zabrowski is doing more of the pass game coordination. And then the two come together, Grimes calls the plays, and I think it'll be a seamless, easy transition for KU because of some of the similarities and because of all the infrastructure KU has in place.

Starting point is 00:12:01 Now, as far as for Zabrowski, we'll see if he stays as the title, as co-offensive coordinator, because that could be interesting there. Or if he does, just go back to quarterbacks coach and being passing game coordinator in some way. But either way, I do think Zabrowski is going to still have his fingerprints on the offense, even if Jeff Grimes is the one kind of calling plays in some way.

Starting point is 00:12:18 And I expect him to be the play caller for the bowl game. That'll do it for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. You can find our show anywhere you get your podcasts and on our YouTube page as well. Back tomorrow with the KU Missouri preview. All right, that'll do it for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. You can find our show anywhere you get your podcasts and on our YouTube page as well. Back tomorrow with the KU Missouri preview. Until then, later.

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Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Kansas Jayhawks Football Hires Jeff Grimes at Offensive Coordinator to Replace Andy Kotelnicki

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