Why Appointing Gunter Brewer as Louisville's Next Offensive Coordinator Makes Sense

(Photo of Gunter Brewer: University of Louisville Athletics)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Over this current offseason, the Louisville football program has experienced a decent amount of coaching staff turnover, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Out of the four assistant coaches to move on from the program, three have been offensive assistants: running backs coach Norval McKenzie, quarterbacks coach Frank Ponce and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford.

Fortunately, the Cardinals have done a solid job of hiring replacements. East Carolina's RB coach in De'Rail Sims joined the Cardinals to the same position, quality control coach Pete Thomas was promoted to quarterbacks coach, and reportedly, Auburn's Jack Bicknell Jr. will take the reigns as the offensive line coach.

What Louisville has yet to do, is designate one of these offensive assistants to be their next offensive coordinator. It is highly unlikely that they will make another outside hire for the position, as they currently have five offensive assistants and just four defensive ones following the departure of safeties coach ShaDon Brown.

For those who don't know, college football programs can only have ten assistant coaches on staff. Unless defensive coordinator Bryan Brown, who also serves as cornerbacks coach and was recently elevated to associate head coach, takes on additional responsibilities and will also guide the safeties, Louisville's next offensive coordinator is already in-house.

Out of the five offensive assistant coaches that Louisville currently has on staff, it is my opinion that appointing current wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer as their next offensive coordinator is the move that makes the most sense.

Before we dive into his total coaching history, let's take a look at his tenure at Louisville. Before even mentioning a single element of his coaching, Brewer is one of the most well-liked and well-respected individuals on the coaching staff. His infectious positivity echoes throughout the halls of the Schnellenberger Complex, and the players would be incredibly responsive to him.

It also helps that he has done wonders for the wide receivers room. After finishing with just 406 yards and two touchdowns in 2018, Tutu Atwell was transformed into a star once Brewer arrived. In 2019, he set the school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,276, and tied the school mark in touchdowns with 12, both of which led the Atlantic Coast Conference that season.

While Dez Fitzpatrick was already an established receiver prior to Brewer's arrival, he made progressions in his game for the two seasons he was under Brewer. While the offensive system might not have utilized him like it should have, Fitzpatrick averaged 18.1 yards per catch in 2019 and 19.4 yards in 2020, his two best marks over the course of his five-year career.

Now let's dive into his previous coaching history. First and foremost, not only does Brewer have over 30 years of coaching experience, but he has over 10 years experience of being an offensive coordinator in some capacity. He served as North Carolina's co-offensive coordinator from 2012-17. Oklahoma State's co-offensive coordinator from from 2008-10, and Marshall's associate offensive coordinator from 1996-99.

At each one of those stops, Brewer achieved a high level of success. While at Oklahoma State, he coached not one, but two Biletnikoff Award finalists in Justin Blackmon and Dez Bryant, both of whom were also AP First-Team All-Americans. He coached a third Biletnikoff Award finalist while at Marshall, a little-known wideout by the name of Randy Moss.

While he did not coach a Biletnikoff Award finalist while at North Carolina, Tar Heel receiver left their names all over the record book thanks to him. During his six years as their co-offensive coordinator and 11 total years in Chapel Hill, he coached four of the top five wide receivers in career receptions by the time he left to join the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.

Not only does Brewer have an extensive coaching resume than spans three decades across both college football and a brief stint in the NFL, but he has coached at a high level everywhere he goes. While it will be hard to replace the figurehead that was Coach Ledford, making Coach Brewer the next Cardinals offensive coordinator is the next best thing.

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