Tag: Mike Yurcich

Ohio State officially names Corey Dennis new quarterbacks coach

Ohio State head coach has officially named Corey Dennis the new quarterbacks coach per a release from the university.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has officially announced the naming of Corey Dennis as the new quarterbacks coach. Dennis takes over for the departed Mike Yurcich after he accepted the offensive coordinator role at Texas.

Dennis has been with the Ohio State football program as the senior quality control coach, working with the quarterbacks over the last couple of years. He has been instrumental in putting together game plans and helping guide two Heisman finalists under center.

He has been on staff at Ohio State for six seasons, initially as a graduate assistant before being promoted to the role he had prior to this. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech where he met his wife Nicki Meyer Dennis, the daughter of former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer.

“Corey is a talented young coach and someone I’ve worked closely alongside for three seasons,” Day said in making the announcement. “He knows our system and he knows how we teach. I think he is going to allow us to develop some continuity in the quarterback room, and that’s important. I also believe that he is going to be an excellent recruiter for us.”

It has to be an exciting day for the Dennis household, and by extension, the Ohio State football program.

2020 Texas Longhorns Profile: Cade Brewer

With new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich coming in could Cade Brewer see a rise in production?

The tight end position has become one that has become a lost art in the college game. Without the player being a freak athlete used as a big slot receiver, the days of using one in the offense are all but dead. Just look at the entire college football landscape, but will the Texas Longhorns be any different with Cade Brewer?

Brewer is your prototypical size at the position standing 6’4″ and 250 pounds. Given his size, Brewer is a perfect candidate to play a big slot receiver or line out wide for Texas. Especially given what the team is losing at wide receiver due to the seniors who are graduating. Texas has talent but Brewer has experience.

In the run game, Brewer is a good physical blocker so getting him involved in the run game is relatively seamless. He can block on the edge or as inline tight end even though that isn’t the best spot for him on the field. He is more of the spread offense type.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The key for Brewer is getting the ball in his hands and allowing him to use his athleticism in space. In high school, he showed off his leaping ability to showcase that he can be a handful in space. On top of the athleticism, Brewer’s size makes him an attractive redzone target for the offense. He can win the jump balls in the endzone to give Texas another option when trying to score and that makes the Longhorns that much more dangerous on offense.

The question remains on if new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich will use Brewer in 2020. At Ohio State, the Buckeyes used two tight ends but it was more about the running back and wide receivers for Ryan Day’s offense.

While at Oklahoma State, Yurcich used current Dallas Cowboys tight end Blake Jarwin in a way that could be similar for how they deploy Brewer in 2020. During his time in Stillwater, Jarwin secured 41 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns. His yards per receptions were 15, which is a number very feasibly obtained with an athletic tight end in Cade Brewer.

Texas Longhorns: Five Areas To Improve In 2020

The Texas Longhorns finished the year 8-5 but here are five areas to get even better in 2020.

Even with the Texas Longhorns victory over the Utah Utes to cap off a 8-5 campaign, there are plenty of areas where the team can improve upon in 2020. The Longhorns will be looking to get to double digit wins for only the second time since 2009 that ended a run of nine consecutive 10-win seasons under Mack Brown.

Defense Needs To Create Turnovers

For any offense, creating turnovers is their best friend. It gives the offense some advantages in that they deal with short fields and the Longhorns could do well to put pressure on the opposing offense that really can play right into the hands of the defense.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Longhorns created 22 turnover opportunities under Todd Orlando and with the recent hire of Chris Ash, Texas needs to continue to create more opportunities for Sam Ehlinger and the offense. D’Shawn Jamison led the team with three picks in 2019.

Chris Ash will be looking to bring some of that 2014 Ohio State magic to the Longhorns defense. That season, the Buckeyes tallied 25 interceptions. Ash has a big opportunity to create a defense that Texas has been missing for the last several years.

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Jalen Milroe still 100% committed to the Longhorns

After hiring a new OC, recruiting is picking up for Texas. QB Jalen Milroe is “100% committed” and is “excited” to meet OC Mike Yurcich.

Experiencing a dip in recruiting after the firing of offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, Texas had a bad string of decommitments. Most of that was because it was not known who was going to be hired to those roles going forward for the Longhorns.

Now that they have hired Mike Yurcich as the offensive coordinator and Chris Ash as the defensive coordinator, recruits have started to reaffirm their commitment to Texas. First, it was 2021 athlete Billy Bowman, now it is 2021 quarterback Jalen Milroe.

According to Mike Roach of 247sports.com, Milroe is “100% committed to Texas,” and is “excited” to meet and talk to new OC Mike Yurcich.

Milroe had been approached and offered by Arkansas earlier this month, adding another team to his long list of offers. He is currently the second-highest-rated recruit in the Texas 2021 class, only trailing ATH Ja’Tavion Sanders.

Yurcich, Ash, and the Longhorns staff will continue to build a great 2021 class. Ranked third in the country right now, the Longhorns are looking at another top 10 recruiting class.

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Report: Ohio State expected to name Corey Dennis QB coach to replace Yurcich

Reports have surfaced that the Ohio State football program expects to elevate Corey Dennis to its cavant quarterbacks coach position.

Now that Ohio State finished achingly short of its goal of getting to New Orleans, there are some housekeeping items that now can be addressed. The Buckeyes still have to replace departed co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Halfey, but it also must do something to fill the void of quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich who accepted the offensive coordinator position at Texas.

We’re still waiting on the big hire on the defense, but today, according to information provided by Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports, Ohio State is expected to name current senior quality control coach Corey Dennis its new quarterbacks coach.

Dennis has a great reputation in the quarterbacks room already and has been heavily involved through the last few years. He is the husband of Urban Meyer’s daughter, Nicki Meyer Dennis.

The news was a welcomed one from former players and those within the program, and will provide some stability and continuity with what’s already taking place in Columbus.

Report: Mike Yurcich Salary Set At $1.7 Million

New offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is set to make $1.7 million per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Following the Texas Longhorns’ victory over the Utah Utes, a report surfaced that showed that new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is set to make $1.7 million per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Yurcich will be joining Texas after just one season with the Ohio State Buckeyes who lost to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl as they were pursuing a national championship in the college football playoffs.

He will inherit an offense that ranked 14th in yards per game (468.2), the Buckeyes were top five (529.9). The Longhorns scored 53 offensive touchdowns to Ohio State’s 87. It is a big payday for the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State and he will be looking to justify that price in 2020.

Ohio State football assistant Mike Yurcich named Texas offensive coordinator

It’s official. Ohio State assistant coach Mike Yurcich has been named the new offensive coordinator at Texas.

Success leads to opportunity.

Ohio State just finished up a highly successful 2019 campaign — albeit prematurely it feels — and the assistant coaching staff is now being poached. By now you know the news of co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley being named the new head coach at Boston College. Now too, the Texas Longhorns have made it official and have named Buckeyes’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich its new offensive coordinator.

Credible rumors of such a move began circulating last week but Ohio State was deep in the throws of a national championship quest. Now that the journey is over, Texas has made the move.

Yurcich will be working for former Ohio State offensive coordinator turned Texas head coach Tom Herman.

“I talked with a number of coaches as we tried to find the best fit at offensive coordinator, and Mike is a guy who really stood out,” Herman said. “I’ve admired his work for many years, he’s very highly regarded and respected in the coaching world, and in talking at length with him, I was extremely impressed with what he’ll bring to our staff. He knows our conference well from his time at Oklahoma State and, including the run he had with Ohio State this year, has played a big part in some of the nation’s best offenses for the past several years. All of that said, what impresses me most about him is how he works with and develops players and the creative ways he utilizes all of his weapons on offense.”

Herman is entering his fourth season at Texas, one in which he’ll likely need to make a leap in consistency and tangible results on the field. The Longhorns have yet to contend for the Big Twelve title and unperformed some pretty lofty expectations this year. Herman was brought in to rejuvenate the program and bring it back to national prominence, but that has yet to happen.

Yurchich released the following statement in response to the news.

“When looking at offensive coordinator positions, Texas is a no-brainer career move,” Yurcich said. “I’m excited to work with coach Herman and the entire staff. Having recruited the state of Texas, and having coordinated in the Big 12, I’m excited and proud to represent UT Football as its next offensive coordinator.”

The move is a risky one for Yurcich, but one that results in a promotion. At Ohio State he worked with Justin Fields to help him become a Heisman finalist and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. How much was him and how much was Ryan Day is not known, but now the Ohio State head coach must now replace two assistants that stayed in Columbus for just one season.

Something tells me he’ll be able to attract a couple of pretty good candidates to replace what’s been lost.

Vegas Odds: Who Will Be The Next Texas Offensive Coordinator?

Sportline has released the Vegas odds for the next Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator.

As the Texas Longhorns prepare for their Alamo Bowl game against the Utah Utes on December 31st, there is still a looming question of who will be the new offensive coordinator for Tom Herman in 2020 following the Tim Beck demotion following their win over Texas Tech.

The team moved swiftly in naming their new defensive coordinator in Chris Ash earlier this month and speculation has run rampant about who will be delivering the calls to quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the Texas offense when they take the field in the 2020 opener in South Florida Bulls at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 5th.

Sportsline has released the Vegas Odds for who is most likely to get the job with no surprises here. All three of the names have been highlighted by Longhorns Wire and most other outlets.

  1. Mike Yurcich, Passing Game Coordinator at Ohio State. Yurcich has Big 12 ties as he was the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 2013-2018 before leaving for the Buckeyes.
  2. Kirk Ciarrocca, Offensive Coordinator at Minnesota. Ciarrocca has been around college football for the better part of the last 25 years. He joined the Minnesota staff in 2017 after a four-year stint at Western Michigan. Ciarrocca also developed NFL quarterback Joe Flacco during his time at Delaware.
  3. Rhett Lashlee, Offensive Coordinator at Southern Methodist. Lashlee has been an assistant in college football since being a graduate assistant for Arkansas in 2006. He was part of the National Championship run at Auburn under Gus Malzahn. He most recently turned the SMU offense to a top teir attack. They ranked 9th in the country.

 

Could Sam Ehlinger Make A Joe Burrow Like Run For Heisman?

Joe Burrow came from solid quarterback to Mr Heisman with a historic run, is it impossible for Sam Ehlinger to make that kind of rise?

This year was a historic run for Joe Burrow who went from a solid quarterback for the LSU Tigers to Mr Heisman over this past season. The question now becomes who will be the next and can it be Longhorns gunslinger Sam Ehlinger? When you look at how the 2018 season went for Burrow it was hard to fathom what he would become in 2019. Following up a campaign with 16 touchdowns, no one saw a 48 touchdown season in which Burrow took over for the Tigers.

What changed for Burrow cannot be understated, he was the ultimate underdog who wanted nothing more than to play for Nebraska and eventually found himself in Baton Rouge. Joe Brady had just as much to do with rise. Brady was an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints the last two seasons before taking the job at LSU.

So what about Ehlinger? The former Austin Westlake product preseason was a top ten Heisman candidate according to the Vegas odds at (+4000). His play in last year’s bowl game brought Ehlinger’s name to the forefront of the conference after the Longhorns took down fifth ranked Georgia. A big performance against the Utah Utes could be a huge step in that direction for Ehlinger heading into 2020. A new offensive coordinator in Austin could just be the launching pad that he needs much like Burrow got in Brady.

If the Longhorns do indeed bring in Mike Yurcich who is the current passing game coordinator for the Buckeyes, look for the Texas offense to become more dynamic. The Ohio State offense scored 32 more touchdowns than Texas this year and averaged 70 more yards of offense per game. This could be a marriage that helps propel Sam Ehlinger and the Texas Longhorns to new heights that they haven’t seen since the Colt McCoy era ended.

Report: Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich leading candidate for Texas offensive coordinator vacancy

According to Horns 247, Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich is the lead candidate to fill the vacant Texas offensive-coordinator position.

Things haven’t gone according to plan for former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman at Texas. He was paid handsomely to restore a Longhorn program that had slid back to mediocrity since the Colt McCoy days.

Three years in, and things still aren’t looking that far up. The Longhorns have been wildly inconsistent under Herman and his staff, so much so that he’s blown up his assistant coaching staff, trying to make changes to provide the momentum needed to probably keep his job in Austin.

One name surfacing as a leading candidate to take on the vacant role of offensive coordinator is current Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich. The interest was reported by the Texas fan site Horns 247, (subscription required) and sites sources close to the program.

Yurchich was lured away from Oklahoma State to act as the passing game coordinator by new head coach Ryan Day at the end of last year. He’s an Ohio native, and the quarterback play and offense in Stillwater have been some of the best in the country under his watch, so it seemed like a good fit.

It’s unclear how much input he had in the offense, or game planning with Ryan Day still calling the plays and Kevin Wilson acting as the co-offensive coordinator, but the news is somewhat surprising.

There definitely appears to be a chance that Yurchich could be leaving Columbus after just one season if the reports are indeed true.

There’s no word yet from Ohio State on the interest, or why Yurcich would even want to make such a move to a program that seems to be teetering on wholesale changes — including at the top.

However, there’s sure to be more come out. As this story develops, we’ll stay on top of it, including if we get anything official from Ohio State.

 

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