by Kyle Hunter
Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023Week zero of the college football season is here! The offseason is long, but we’ll have football on every Saturday from now through the end of the year.
I hit 70% in college football last year. I hit 66% in college football two seasons ago. The preparation for this year has been going on a lot for the last couple months.
One of the things I think bettors should pay more attention to is new coordinators on both offense and defense. Offensive coordinators can completely change the way a team plays. Knowing these changes ahead of time can keep you one step ahead. Here are five key new offensive coordinators.
Alex Golesh (USF Bulls) Alex Golesh is both the new head coach and the new offensive coordinator of the USF Bulls. Golesh has worked with Josh Heupel in recent years at UCF and at Tennessee. USF ranked 98th out of 133 teams in tempo last year, but with Golesh calling the plays and running the offense I have to think they will play faster than that this season. USF is still short on talent compared to many other teams, but their offensive scheme should help them.
Scotty O’Hara (UTEP Miners) O’Hara is the new offensive coordinator at UTEP this year. UTEP is in an interesting position this year. Conference USA is clearly watered down compared to what it was previously. Many of the most talented teams are now playing in another league. UTEP has an opportunity to take a clear step up. The thing that will need to improve the most is the passing game. O’Hara aims to improve the efficiency of the passing game this season.
Pat Welsh (Miami-Ohio Redhawks) Welsh has been the tight ends coach at Miami and will now take over as the offensive coordinator. Head coach Chuck Martin wanted to shake things up a bit and see if they can give the offense a much needed boost. I would expect some more passing out of the Redhawks this season, especially if star quarterback Brett Gabbert can stay healthy. Miami did lose their star receiver from last year, and I would expect them to throw a lot of quick short passes. This is a team capable of making some noise in the season ahead.
Liam Coen (Kentucky Wildcats) Coen is coming back! He served as offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 2021 before moving to the NFL to be with the LA Rams last season. Kentucky tumbled to 101st in yards per play last year, and the Wildcats offense completely lost their explosiveness. With Coen returning I think this is a clear positive for the Kentucky offense in the season ahead. Devin Leary transferred in from NC State at quarterback. It’s likely that Kentucky will get better quarterback play this year than they did from a high draft choice (Will Levis) last season.
Kevin Decker (Old Dominion) Decker comes in from Fordham, where he was the offensive coordinator for the last few seasons. Fordham was well known for its extremely fast pace and innovative offensive sets. This is a hire that I want to watch very closely. Old Dominion is badly shorthanded when it comes to offensive talent. Will they look to play as fast as possible even with this talent disadvantage? Can Decker make this work right away? I would guess it will take some time, but keep a close eye on this situation.
