Could Former Dallas Cowboys QB Coach Doug Nussmeier Help Miami Hurricanes WR Recruiting?
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With the termination of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has been reportedly interviewing candidates to be the new leader for the offense. One of them was just discussed here at All Hurricanes, Doug Nussmeier.
A person can find the details of what’s going on with Nussmeier and The U right here.
For the rest of this particular report, however, it’s about the impact Nussmeier could have for Miami recruiting. In particular, wide receiver recruiting.
The Miami Hurricanes signed two dynamic wide receivers from the class of 2023, Robby Washington and Nathaniel “Ray Ray” Joseph.
Both players were top recruits and prospects that Cristobal coveted. That stated, Miami did not sign enough wide receivers to fill their overall needs, nor did they find that big-bodied receiver to complement Washington and Joseph.
Seeing how Miami played on offense last season, especially the passing game, that’s not honestly surprising.
After doing some background work via asking several top wide receiver recruits the past two weekends during Battle Miami and Pylon Orlando, top-notch seven-on-seven tournaments, several were interested in the Canes. That’s the good news.
The bad news, the entire Gattis situation and Miami’s porous 2022 offense has unfortunately placed the Hurricanes behind the proverbial eight ball with many top 2024 wide receiver recruits as well.
In short, interested, but quite curious what Miami would do with the next offensive coordinator hire.
Hard to blame them after Miami was ranked No. 97 in the nation in scoring last season at 23.6 points per contest. The potential hire in question has been far more successful during his coaching career, and he could bolster Miami’s wide receiver recruiting efforts.
Nussmeier has been at six college football programs and two NFL franchises: Michigan State (2003-2005), St. Louis Rams (2006-2007), Fresno State (2008), Washington (2009-2011), Alabama (2012-2013), Michigan (2014), and Florida (2015-2017). His most recent coaching stop was with “America’s Team.”
His second stint in the NFL was with the Dallas Cowboys, and it went well.
Three of the offensive numbers he helped orchestrate during his last stop with the Cowboys (2018-2022) can be found below. He was the tight ends coach in 2018 and 2019, and became the quarterbacks coach during the past three seasons.
Scoring: 2018 - 21.4 (21); 2019 - 27.1 (6); 2020 - 24.7 (17); 2021 - 30.4 (1); 2022 - 26.8 (4).
Passing yards per game: 2018 - 229 (22); 2019 - 296.9 - (2); 2020 - 260.1 (10); 2021 - 279.4 (4); 2022 - 223.1 (13).
Passing touchdowns per game: 2018 - 1.3 (23); 2019 - 1.9 (5); 2020 - 1.6 (18); 2021 - 2.3 (5); 2022 - 1.7 (6).
The Cowboys have produced top-notch offenses, as well as Nussmeier having helped the career of quarterback Dak Prescott.
Speaking of Prescott, he earned his second highest quarterback rating during his seven-year NFL career, in 2021. That was the first season Nussmeier was in charge of coaching the quarterbacks for the Cowboys.
The primary weapon for the talented signal caller was CeeDee Lamb. He lit it up under Nussmeier and the staff for the Cowboys, too. His three-year totals:
2020: 74 receptions, 935 yards, 12.6 average, and five touchdowns.
2021: 79 receptions, 1,102 yards, 13.9 average, and six touchdowns.
2022: 107 receptions, 1,359 yards, 12.7 average, and nine touchdowns.
Seeing the passing and quarterback numbers above, as well as seeing the development of Lamb during his first three seasons in the NFL, it's blatantly obvious that such numbers would be mentioned with each wide receiver recruit he went after.
It would also seem as though Miami wide receiver recruiting would be on the rise if the former Cowboys quarterback coach came to Coral Gables.
Indeed, Nussmeier would be a monumental hire for the Hurricanes.
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