Cleveland Browns 30-year-old head coach candidate Grant Udinski has inspiring story

The Cleveland Browns are casting a wide net on their coaching search.

After firing Kevin Stefanski last week, the Browns have 13 known candidates that they’re interested in meeting with for their head coach opening.

One week after firing Stefanski after his sixth season with the Browns, the team interviewed former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. They're also hoping to meet with ex-Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh this week.

But the Browns also requested to interview Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski.

Udinski, who turned 30 on Monday, did not call the plays for Liam Coen’s Jacksonville Jaguars, but has been a fast-rising candidate with an inspiring story.

Udinski's inspiring story

At 23 years old, Udinski was living in his car in a Walmart parking lot before former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Phil Snow found out and invited him to move in. Months later, he began his college coaching career at Baylor.

He started his career in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 as a coaching assistant before spending three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive assistant.

Early success with quarterbacks

During his time with the Vikings, Udinski helped revive Sam Darnold’s career. He was quickly hired away by Coen’s Jaguars as the team’s offensive coordinator.

"Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville," Coen said in a statement. "He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization and we can't wait to have him lead our offense."

And the fast-riser delivered.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high 29 touchdown passes in his fifth season. The Jaguars were an impressive 13-4 and didn’t even get too much production out of No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter, who was injured before Week 9.

The Vikings sorely missed Udinski in his one year away from the team. J.J. McCarthy sputtered, leaving most wishing the team would have just held onto Darnold. But The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported that many believed Udinski’s departure left a massive void.

"During the season, even early on, multiple team sources explained that Udinski’s absence affected QB preparation and pass-game design,” the report said.

Udinski's fit with the Browns

Udinski could be a great fit for the Browns, who find themselves in a transition mode seeking for answers on the offensive side of the football. While Udinski’s age could be seen as a detractor, the team has been desperately seeking fresh ideas on how to solve their quarterback crisis while modernizing their passing game.

When Sean McVay became the youngest head coach in the NFL’s history, he was 30 years old and 353 days. If he lands a job this year, Udinski would be 11 months younger. He’d be the youngest coach in the NFL by seven years.

After firing Stefanski on Monday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry addressed the media. He delivered some very interesting insight when he was asked about the importance of hiring someone with head coaching experience.

“We’ll be pretty open minded,” Berry said. “I think there are a number of different archetypes of successful head coaches.”

So far, the Browns are the only team to express interest in an interview with Udinski.