Michigan Offensive Coordinator Josh Gattis Signs Contract Extension
While Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh has six new assistant coaches for the 2021 season, some things are staying the same, with Harbaugh signing offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis to a one-year contract extension that runs through the 2022 campaign, according to MLive, which obtained Gattis' contract via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The move was made last month, though there was no official announcement made by the program. Before the extension, Gattis was set to enter the final season of his three-year deal he inked back in 2019.
Gattis' new deal will expire Jan. 10, 2023, meaning he's under contract for two more seasons. His base salary of $900,000 will remain in place for the 2021 campaign, but that will be bumped up to $1 million in 2022.
Incentives include a $100,000 bonus for finishing top two in the Big Ten in scoring offense and $100,000 for finishing top 10 in the FBS in scoring offense. Additionally, Gattis is set to receive $50,000 per win Michigan collects over eight in a season, with a max of $200,000 allowed.
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The 37-year-old was hired by Harbaugh in 2019 following one seas as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Alabama. Previous stops included Penn State, Vanderbilt and Western Michigan. Gattis implemented a spread offense with run/pass option (RPO) concepts, and coined the phrase "Speed In Space."
It took some time for the Wolverines to get adjusted to Gattis' system during his first year in 2019, with the Wolverines finishing 44th nationally in scoring offense (31.7 points per game) and 68th in total offense (401.5 yards per game). The unit did show improvement throughout the year, with quarterback Shea Patterson throwing for over 300 yards in the final three games of the regular season, despite never eclipsing that landmark in a game during his Michigan career.
Michigan's offense took a step back in 2020, with quarterback Joe Milton, who has since transferred to Tennessee, struggling among a younger unit that was replacing four starters on the offensive line and dearly missed wideout Nico Collins, who opted out of the campaign. The Wolverines scored just 28.3 points per game, which ranked 68th in the country, and mustered up 381.8 yards per contest, which checked in at No. 78 in the land.
Gattis is working with some new faces in 2021, with Harbaugh, deciding not to bring back offensive line coach Ed Warinner, promoting Sherrone Moore from tight ends coach to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Jay Harbaugh was moved from coaching running backs to tight ends, while Mike Hart was brought in to mentor the ball-carriers. Meanwhile, Matt Weiss, who previously worked under John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens, was hired to coach quarterbacks.
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