The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 37 A year earlier — with the departure of quarterbacks and receivers coach Jedd Fisch after the 2016 season — the Wolverines plummeted from 40.0 to 25.2 points per game. They struggled through quarterback injuries and breaking in new wideouts, but wound up throwing for only 2,226 yards and pitching more interceptions (10) than touch- down passes (nine). It's Gattis' job to upgrade Michigan's at- tack, and Harbaugh believes he will. "Josh has done a phenomenal job of com- ing in, looking at our personnel and what we did well with the run and pass game last year, and making it cohesive with his system," Harbaugh said. "It's blended really well, and the coaches have done a great job of making that happen. The tempo is a huge change, and so is going from huddling to not huddling." Moorhead insists his former prized pupil brings a host of pluses to The Big House. "He's incredibly detail oriented," Moor- head said. "He's high energy. He develops great relationships with his players. He's an excellent tactician, in fundamentals, tech- nique and scheme, and he's very intelligent. "You look at the videos he posts on Twitter of fundamentals and techniques, and in differ- ent drills regarding receiver play. I was always impressed with those, as I would see him ex- plain it. He'd show how the drills play out with game tape, how you carry the drills to the field. "I would see them firsthand during practice. I would walk over to the individual drills and see the receivers. I would see one in person and would see how we carry that out online." Gattis carries out whatever he does with urgency and at substantial decibels, Michi- gan players observe. They describe him as someone who brings incredible energy to the field and who isn't afraid to challenge players fiercely to get the best out of them. That sounds about right, Moorhead noted. "From the second he steps on the field to the second practice ends, his motor is going 100 percent, 100 percent of the time," Moor- head said. "It's infectious. It's something that, at Penn State, we did a very good job of offensively. It's the old phrase, attitude reflects leadership. If the players see the coaches excited about being there for prac- tice, they're going to mirror that attitude." Gattis' own excitement is palpable, well beyond Michigan's practice fields. "It was amazing," Gattis said, regarding taking the OC reins during Michigan's spring practice. "Each and every day, coming to work, working with these guys, working with our staff. I never realized, until you're in that seat, how much it controls your brain. "There are often times where I will go home, and I'm texting myself, so I don't forget my own thoughts. At midnight, or one o'clock in the morning, I can't wait to watch the film the next morning. "It's been exciting, just to be able to go out and see the kids have success, being able to put them in position to be successful. It's having them understand how I think and trying to develop a culture where we think alike, so we can execute fundamentally." A Track Record Of Success Gattis describes the offense as a "mutt," with different characteristics drawn from different places. He's quick to point out it will be a physical offense, fully capable of running the football. Players like Barkley and Alabama's trio of Damien Harris, Najee Harris and Josh Ja- cobs can vouch for that notion. The Alabama threesome all rushed for at least 640 yards last year, led by Damien Harris' 891, and combined for 24 rushing scores. Michigan's wide receivers — an injury- wracked group in the spring, now report- edly healthy — should be especially giddy. Former U-M quarterback Wilton Speight made his widely publicized comment that the "handcuffs" will be off senior quarter- back Shea Patterson this fall, and Gattis' undeniable success with wideouts appears ready for the next chapter. Gattis first worked under Penn State head coach James Franklin at Vanderbilt, where he spent two years before following his boss to Happy Valley. PHOTO COURTESY VANDERBILT ATHLETICS The top four wide receivers Gattis (pictured with wife, Tesa) coached during his lone year at Alabama last season combined for 201 catches, 3,597 yards and 38 touchdowns — one year after the quartet combined for just 34 receptions. PHOTO COURTESY JOSH GATTIS VIA TWITTER