'It's My Passion': Ryan O'Hara Ready for Opportunity as Gators' QB Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Ryan O'Hara's coaching journey may be ordinary in the grand scheme of college coaches, but the now-Florida Gators' quarterbacks coach's diligence and ability to overcome challenges thrown at him are extraordinary.

A former quarterback at Arizona with experience at the Arena level, O'Hara began his career as a volunteer quarterbacks coach before becoming the head coach Marshall Fundamental School in Pasadena, California for the 2010 season.

While enjoying the challenge of being a small-school high school coach, the dream never changed.

"I said that to my wife when I was a head high school coach who had 19 players on the team, I said ‘We’re gonna go coach in the SEC,'" O'Hara said Wednesday.

He got much farther than most coaches do, too.

O'Hara eventually worked his way to becoming the receivers coach at Alabama A&M in 2016, but as fast as his rise was, the fall was even faster. After the 2017 season, the staff was let go following the dismissal of then-Bulldogs head coach James Spady, and O'Hara became a program-less coach in need of a home.

"I was driving Uber and Lyft in between time, you know coaches we got to find jobs to pay the bills, and my wife was working in Huntsville, Alabama, all the way across from my family in California," he said. "In between, you know, I would post things on Twitter just QB drills, mechanics, thought process, et cetera."

Those posts caught the attention of a young head coach entering his first season at the University of Louisiana: Billy Napier.

A follow from Napier and a message from O'Hara led to O'Hara joining the Ragin' Cajuns' staff in June of 2018 as a defensive intern, ironically under now-UF defensive coordinator Ron Roberts.

"He puts me over on defense because that’s where he started with Saban as an analyst," O'Hara explained. "He said ‘Listen, if you go over on defense and you provide value to our defensive coordinator, and you know you kind of help them out in terms of reading the other team’s quarterback and their pass game’, so I ran a bunch of reports and kind of worked that way. He said ‘If you do well there, I’ll move you over to offense, I’ll make you QB quality control.'"

Four years with the Ragin' Cajuns, during which he elevated to that quality control position, under Napier eventually led to O'Hara joining him at Florida ahead of the 2022 season as an analyst. While working at the Power Five level was a dream come true, he still had to bide his time and work his way up to truly get to the position he wanted.

Florida Gators offensive analyst for quarterbacks Ryan O'Hara (left) and Florida Gators offensive coordinator Rob Sale (right) shake hands after the game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, April 13, 2023. [Jesse Gann/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Florida Gators Orange Blue Spring Game | Jesse Gann / USA TODAY NETWORK

NCAA rules at the time limited the number of on-field assistants a program could have and further limited how much on-field instruction analysts could give. Ahead of the 2024 season, the NCAA changed the rules and allowed analysts to give on-field instruction, which also got rid of the assistant limits by proxy.

After a year as the Gators' de-facto quarterbacks coach while still holding the analyst title, O'Hara was officially named the program's quarterbacks coach during spring camp.

"He's acquired more responsibility in every cycle," Napier said. "He's proved to be able to handle the workload. And certainly, last year, the rule that was made freed him up, and I thought he did great work."

While 2024 eventually became a successful season for the Gators, the start was difficult. As the team began the year 1-2 with losses at home to Miami and Texas A&M, O'Hara was trying to find balance as a limitless analyst.

He equated the transition to riding a bike.

"It's interesting, because at first you're like, you've still kind of got that analyst feeling. You have to be very careful so you don't get the program in trouble, get yourself in trouble," he said. "But then after the first couple weeks, you know, I kind of got into my groove and it felt right and got back to doing what I do."

The Gators, led by freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, turned their season around with a four-game winning streak, which included two wins over ranked SEC opponents and the program's first bowl win since 2019.

O'Hara, meanwhile, relished in the opportunity to finally coach the way he wanted to even if he still held an analyst title.

"Last year was when we had the rule change, that was great for me because then I could fully go ahead and coach the quarterbacks," O'Hara said. "And so that's what I love. It's my passion, it's my craft. And so to finally be recognized now as the quarterback coach, I take great pride in that, and there's nothing I want to do more than help these guys improve every day."

Florida Gators offensive analyst for quarterbacks Ryan O'Hara, left, talks with recruit DJ Lagway, right, after the University of Florida Orange & Blue game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Orange defeated Blue 10-7. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Orange And Blue Game | Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK

From a high school volunteer to college assistant to Uber driver to defensive intern to now becoming Florida's full-time quarterbacks coach, O'Hara has found his groove and is ready to take advantage of the opportunity ahead of him.

He still reflects on the highs and lows of his journey, though, from his days as a young assistant using Uber and Lyft to pay the bills.

"So you just talk about it, you manifest it, you believe in the goal and you just keep moving forward, and that’s all you can do. It may happen, it may not happen, but it happened for me," he said. "So I would just tell that guy to keep pushing, keep moving forward, don’t give up, don’t give in, fight for what you want, you know. And if you work at it and if you can become really good at it, you have a chance.”

O'Hara's elevation also comes at a crucial time in the program's history. In going on 12 years of the College Football Playoff, Florida has yet to make an appearance and has yet to truly establish itself as a contender despite close finishes in 2019 and 2020.

Napier's tenure has been anything but steady, too, with under .500 finishes in 2022 and 2023 and a bleak start in 2024. However, the emergence of Lagway, a competitive defense and depth across the roster that Florida hasn't had in years, the end of 2024 puts Florida in a position to really be competitive in 2025, O'Hara believes.

That belief is what caused him to stay at Florida as an analyst despite opportunities to be a full-time assistant at other schools.

"I know what we’re building here and I know what it’s going to become, so I just believe in the vision," he said. "And (Napier's) my mentor, and I’m going to back him and I’m going to stay behind him and I’m going to stay loyal until we see this thing through to a national championship. And several, you know, that’s the goal. We’re not afraid to speak it and say it, we want to get to the football playoffs, and kind of we’re trending in that direction right now."

O'Hara's journey may be ordinary in the grand scheme of an average coaching experience, but his grind and rise to the Power Five level remains extraordinary, and it's something Florida's "newest" assistant remains proud of.

"It's been a good one, it's been a long one. I've learned every step along the way," he said. "And, you know, look up, and now I'm the quarterback coach for the Florida Gators. So it's truly been something that's been great, and I'm excited about the opportunity."

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