Former Panthers assistant quickly rising up the ranks of future NFL coaches

The Carolina Panthers once had one of the up-and-coming coaches in the NFL. As teams try continuously to get the edge over the competition, they will often look to younger coaches who've spent time as assistants. It's the search for the next schematic mastermind, and it's what the Panthers did in hiring Dave Canales.

op`Grant Udinski was once part of Matt Rhule's staff with the Panthers. He brought Udinski with him from college. Unfortunately, much of the Rhule era was cleaned out for Frank Reich, who has since been cleaned out for Canales. Udinski is no longer in the building, but he is quickly becoming a name to know in NFL coaching circles.

Former Panthers assistant Grant Udinski is becoming a hot commodity

Grant Udinski has been an assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings. They've consistently had great quarterback play over the last few years despite largely using journeymen and backups. Albert Breer says that "the secret is getting out" on Udinski.

"The Vikings’ assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach is a finalist for the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator job, and interviewed Monday for the New England Patriots’ OC post. The first thing you may notice about Udinski is his title, which is unique," he said. "He started his coaching career under Matt Rhule, who hired him at Baylor and took him to the Carolina Panthers. On the advice of veteran assistant Brian Angelichio, Kevin O’Connell poached him in 2022.

Udinski slowly rose the ranks in Minnesota, giving recently extended coach Kevin O'Connell a tough time finding places for him with other talented offensive coaches on the payroll. It worked, though, and Udinski is getting recognition.

Breer reports that Udinski is not getting the Patriots' job, but he could still land in Seattle. That's where Dave Canales got his start, so there's a bit of potential ironic crossover there. Rhule's time in Carolina was not very good, but he did apparently have a decent eye for assistants.

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