How Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Has Influenced Jaguars OC Grant Udinski

For new Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, the last three years of his NFL coaching career have prepared him for anything.

For each of the last three years, Udinski worked closely alongside Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell as he has reversed the Vikings' culture and on-field success. The reigning NFL Coach of the Year has established himself as one of the very best in the profession today.

Now, Udinski will use every lesson he learned from O'Connell to help the Jaguars experience a similar turnaround.

"Well, how much time do we have?" Udinski said when asked how much O'Connell has impacted his career.

"But he influenced me in probably more ways than I even recognize, to be honest with you. In terms of the game, seeing the pass game, seeing how you build an offense, seeing how you teach an offense and build that progression, and then most importantly, probably the quarterback position, how you develop that starting from the ground up, laying the foundation and scaffolding things in a true progression that allows those guys to learn and grow in an environment that maximizes their chance of success."

O'Connell, like new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, is a direct branch from the Sean McVay tree with the Los Angeles Rams. Now, O'Connell is starting his own tree with Udinski landing a significant promotion in Jacksonville.

"So, I could probably go on for hours about what that kind of process looks like, but from a football standpoint, he kind of covers all the bases in terms of, you learn things explicitly and implicitly in terms of just concepts or certain schemes and philosophies, but all the way down to the detail on how those concepts are executed or how those concepts are implemented or how those concepts are game planned," Udinski said.

"I think that's something that he does at a really high level and the results kind of speak for itself with him and the success he's had there in Minnesota, and even prior to that. And then on top of that, my role, I was in a very fortunate position to be with him and spend so much time with him."

If Udinski is going to be a successful coordinator and not only continue to elevate his own career but also elevate the Jaguars' offenses, it will come directly down to just how much he took away from a golden opportunity in Minnesota.

"Seeing the connector that he is and the type of person that he is and the impact that he has on people's lives, not just in the meeting room and with us as coaches or with the players, but even beyond with the entire organization from everybody in that building or everyone that walks through that building feels his impact and his presence and the culture that he's set there," Udinski said.

"That pays dividends and kind of has a ripple effect beyond his immediate reach.”

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.