Here's a Novel UW Idea: A Room Full of Offensive Brainpower

Five Husky coaches have an OC job title on their college resumes.

The "Run the Damn Ball" hat that Jimmy Lake wore and drew so much attention a year ago likely sits discarded in a bin somewhere at Goodwill, drawing dust and going for a nominal fee.

Lake's University of Washington coaching staff forever will be remembered for its offensive shortcomings that ultimately helped blow up a season and cost nearly all of those people their Montlake jobs.

The response was to hire Kalen DeBoer and go in the opposite direction — flood Montlake with specialists who know their way around the end zone and astronomical yardage totals, preferably doing it through the air.

Consider DeBoer's Husky coaching lineup now has five men who have served as either offensive coordinators or co-offensive coordinators on the college level, including the head coach himself.

In fact, every one of the Husky offensive coaches on staff has one of those job titles on his resume except for one person, Lee Marks. the running-backs coach. Yet he has showed he can handle greater responsibility with a team when called on.

Last December, Marks took over as Fresno State's interim coach and seamlessly prepared the the Bulldogs for a New Mexico Bowl victory over UTEP once DeBoer accepted the UW job and had to leave for Seattle right away.

When the Husky offensive staff meets these days, DeBoer sits at the head of the table where the men in the room collectively hold 30 years of experience as collegiate offensive coordinators or play-callers.

"We use that in recruiting," the UW coach said.

DeBoer has 15 years as an OC at Sioux Falls (2000-04), Southern Illinois (2010-13), Eastern Michigan (2014-16), Fresno State (2017-18) and Indiana (2019).

The current Husky OC, Ryan Grubb, brings eight years of experience at Sioux Falls (2010-13), Fresno State (2019-21) and now Washington (2022).

Wide-receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard counts four years as a co-offensive coordinator at Purdue (2018-21).

Tight-ends coach Nick Sheridan spent the previous two seasons as the OC and DeBoer's replacement at Indiana (2020-21).

UW offensive-line coach Scott Huff spent a season as a co-offensive coordinator at Boise State (2016).

In contrast, Lake's defensive-oriented Husky coaching staff totaled just 10 years of offensive coordinator experience in fired OC John Donovan, who spent seven years in that capacity at Vanderbilt (2011-13), Penn State (2014-15) and the UW (2020-21); former wide-receivers coach Junior Adams, with two years at Western Kentucky (2017-18); and Huff in his Boise State sojourn. 

Ryan Grubb moved from Fresno State to the UW as offensive coordinator / Dan Raley

With this current Husky crew, there should be no shortage of offensive planning.

"I think the biggest thing I would say is there's really not an ego," Sheridan said. "I think Grubb does a great job of facilitating ideas and everybody contributes just to help the players, to ultimately put the players in the best position to be successful."

A former Michigan quarterback, Sheridan succeeded DeBoer as Indiana's offensive coordinator. Both coaches worked closely with quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who left the Hoosiers this past offseason to become the Huskies' starter.

More than anyone, however, Sheridan has experienced the fickleness of what works and ultimately what doesn't. 

In 2020, he drew raves for coming up with offensive game plans week after week that helped beat Penn State (36-35 in OT), Michigan (38-21) and Michigan State (24-0), and one that pushed Ohio State to the limits before losing (42-35).

Last year, the Hoosiers lost nearly all of their top offensive players to injuries, including veteran quarterbacks in Penix and one-time Utah player Jack Tuttle, plus most of their running backs and some of their top pass-catchers, and the Big Ten team landed with a bad thud, finishing 2-10. 

Sheridan was made a scapegoat for the sudden slide and fired, ending his five-year run at Indiana. He took the dismissal in stride.

"I was a 6-2 coordinator the year before, but I was a 2-10 coordinator last year," Sheridan told Hoosiers Now of the Sports Illustrated network. "Like they say, you are what your record says you are."

Grubb first worked as DeBoer's offensive coordinator at Sioux Falls and rejoined him at Fresno State, where the two were responsible for refining ex-Husky Jake Haener's quarterback skills and making him into the All-America candidate that he is now.

An Iowa native, Grubb has morphed from a running back and wide receiver in his playing career for Buena Vista University in his home state to a studious and respected offensive leader. He was largely responsible for Fresno State averaging 464.8 and 470.3 yards per game to lead the Mountain West in total offense in 2020 and 2021.

"Grubb sees the vision and we contribute where we can as we see fit," Sheridan said. "Grubb is open to ideas and suggestions. He has strong convictions and beliefs."

Bringing up the rear in this room full of creative offensive people, Shephard spent the prior four seasons as co-OC at Purdue and Huff assumed a similar role at Boise State for that lone season on Bryan Harsin's Broncos staff.

"Having different people having served in those roles, we're just trying to help however we can," Sheridan said. "It's been good."

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