Jaguars' Offensive Assistant John Donovan Accepts University of Washington Coordinator Gig
The Jacksonville Jaguars are losing a piece of Doug Marrone's coaching staff, as the University of Washington announced it has named Jacksonville offensive assistant John Donovan as its new offensive coordinator.
Donovan has coached with the Jaguars since 2016, serving as an offensive quality control coach in 2016 before becoming an offensive assistant in 2017.
In 2017, Donovan helped coach the Jaguars' quarterbacks en route to a 10-6 season and an AFC Championship Game appearance. Donovan was credited by former Jacksonville offensive coordinator Nate Hackett as being an instrumental piece to Jacksonville's red zone plans, a season in which the Jaguars had one of the best red zone offenses in the NFL.
In 2018, Donovan coached tight ends and in 2019 served as Jacksonville's assistant running backs coach.
“I have been working with John since our time together at Georgia Tech, and it’s been a privilege to see how much he’s grown as a coach over the past 20 years," Marrone said in a statement Friday. "He is a diligent worker and has had success coaching offenses in the collegiate ranks at Penn State and Vanderbilt, and I look forward to seeing the impact he makes at Washington. I appreciate his time in Jacksonville and how deeply he cares for developing the players he works with, and I wish him, his wife, Stacey, and their family all the best in Seattle.”
Washington is undergoing a transition within its own coaching staff, leading to newly appointed head coach Jimmy Lake to tab Donovan as his first offensive coordinator.
"Coach Donovan has a great deal of experience at both the college and NFL levels, learning from a lot of great offensive minds about coaching the kind of aggressive, pro-style offense we want to play here at Washington," Lake said. "From my own experience, I know how much a coach can learn and grow by spending significant time in the NFL. I'm excited for him to get to Seattle and get started."
