Jaguars hire Vikings assistant Grant Udinski, 29, as offensive coordinator
Minnesota Vikings assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski walks the sideline before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are assembling one of the NFL’s youngest coaching staffs.
Head coach Liam Coen, 39, hired Minnesota assistant Grant Udinski as his offensive coordinator late Wednesday, although Coen plans to call plays during his Jaguars tenure.
The 29-year-old Udinski comes to Jacksonville after spending three years working under Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and getting two promotions. He started as assistant to the head coach/special projects before becoming assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023 and then assistant offensive coordinator last year.
“Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville,” Coen said in a statement. “He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization, and we can’t wait to have him.”
Coen previously hired Green Bay Packers run-game coordinator and linebackers coach Anthony Campanile as Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator. The 42-year-old Campanile is entering his sixth NFL season and first as a defensive coordinator.
Together, they give the Jaguars a first-time head coach, a first-time OC and a first-time DC. They also have a first-time executive vice president after hiring Hall of Fame left tackle Tony Boselli. And they could end up with a first-time general manager, a position they expect to fill after the Super Bowl.
Udinski surely will have the least NFL experience of the bunch.
A college tight end at Davidson and then Towson, Udinski landed a graduate assistant job at Baylor under Matt Rhule in 2019. Udinski lived in his car in a Walmart parking lot before moving in with Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Phil Snow.
Udinski followed Rhule to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers the following year. O’Connell lured him to Minnesota in 2022.
Coen and O’Connell both come from Sean McVay’s coaching tree, having spent time working under McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Jaguars also interviewed Washington quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and Rams offensive assistant and passing game specialist Nathan Scheelhaase for the OC job.
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