See You Soon, Grime-Dog
With Jeff Grimes off to Waco & Baylor as offensive coordinator, let's examine what BYU could/should do to replace him
As you undoubtedly have heard by now, BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is leaving the Cougars to head to Baylor University to join Dave Aranda’s staff as the Bears’ new offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. This should not be a surprise to Cougar Nation. Anytime you put together a stellar season like BYU had in 2020 (11-1 record, potential Top-10 final ranking), other programs are going to look to pick off some of that success.
Grimes’ tenure in Provo cannot be construed as anything other than a success. He came in the aftermath of a dismal 2017 season that saw Kalani Sitake clean house on his offensive staff, including firing Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer who preceded Grimes as OC. Grimes set about rebuilding the BYU offense on the fly, showing an ability to adapt his system to his quarterback, beginning with Tanner Mangum before inserting Zach Wilson as the starting quarterback midway through Wilson’s freshman season in 2018 and really taking off from there.
When Grimes was hired in Provo, I had conversations with two confidants in Provo that indicated to me that Grimes’ track record was one of shorter stints wherever he had coached in his career and that his second run in Provo would follow a similar track. They told me that Grimes had a three-year plan as he returned BYU, after coaching there from 2004-06, coinciding with his son entering high school and that his plan was to stay in Provo for the duration of his son’s high school days and then reevaluate where he was at. 2020 was year three and his being named as a Broyles Award finalist was bound to garner attention as the Cougars finished No. 3 in the country in scoring offense with a 43.5 points per game average.
Now Kalani Sitake will look to replace his offensive coordinator, but he shouldn’t have to look any further than down the hall inside the Student Athlete Building at BYU. Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick has been Jeff Grimes’ right-hand man in building the offense and should be inherit the title of offensive coordinator immediately.
Roderick would ensure continuity for the Cougars offensively as they look to replace Zach Wilson this fall. He was a critical cog in putting together game plans and also called plays for the Cougars on gamedays with Grimes providing input on the sidelines.
While Roderick figures to remain in Provo with a promotion, there are questions as to if Jeff Grimes will take any of BYU’s other offensive assistants with him to Waco. There appears to be openings on the Bears staff with the departure of passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Jorge Munoz and reports that offensive line coach Joe Wickline is not going to be retained. Could Fesi Sitake and Eric Mateos be Texas-bound to reprise their roles they held at BYU for the Bears? It bears watching closely to see what Jeff Grimes and Dave Aranda opt to do.
Both Fesi Sitake and Steve Clark have previous offensive coordinator experience and their input and insight have been critical components to BYU’s rise offensively. I’d keep an eye on one or both of them being candidates to join Grimes at Baylor as well as being in line for a promotion to passing game coordinator in Provo.
The good news, if you choose to see it that way, is that it won’t be long before Cougar fans will be able to see Jeff Grimes on the sidelines again as BYU is currently scheduled to face Baylor on Waco on October 16.
The coming days will give clarity on what position(s) Kalani Sitake will need to replace on his staff. Wild success offensively like BYU enjoyed in 2020 was not going to be overlooked by people in football circles, no matter the level of opposition that the Cougars faced this past season. It was a remarkable run of continuity for BYU offensively over the past few seasons and now it will be up to Kalani Sitake to ensure that his team can build off the success of the past few seasons moving forward with solid hires of new assistant coaches.
Now, before we go, let me recommend some stories you should be reading if you haven’t done so already
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