Scot Loeffler's decision to take the head coaching job at Bowling Green has left the Eagles in search of an offensive mind to shape their future. Should they choose someone with pro-style similarities to head coach Steve Addazio, or familiarity with spread schemes that are so popular today?
"I want to hire another really great quarterback teacher," Addazio said. "I want to hire somebody who's real strong in the throw game."
Paul Peterson
The former BC quarterback has put together quite the résumé in just a decade of coaching. Peterson began his career as a graduate assistant for a nationally-ranked BYU team before joining Tom O'Brien's staff at NC State. After stops at Southern Utah and Sacramento State, where he helped set new passing records as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Peterson took a head coaching job with his other alma mater, Snow College. This year, Snow dominated junior college defenses, averaging over 50 points and 500 yards of offense per game. The 38-year-old expressed interest in a jump to offensive coordinator when a positioned opened up at BYU last year. If he's still interested, Peterson would likely spread the Eagles out even more on offense and continue their up-tempo trend.
Mark Whipple
Whipple and UMass went separate ways after a 4-8 finish this season, making the 61-year-old coach a free agent. Before he served as a quarterbacks coach for the Browns, he was Miami's offensive coordinator. A return to an OC gig in the Power Five, this time closer to home, could be appealing. A creative play-caller, Whipple often lines up wideouts as running backs and his affinity for jet sweeps would fit right into BC's style. He often goes a step further by playing with the positioning of his lineman and keeping the wildcat in his back pocket. Although he was suspended for a week without pay for his "rape" comment this season, Whipple doesn't have the bad marks on his record that might disqualify a Hugh Freeze or Greg Schiano from the Jesuit-sponsored role.
Mike Sanford
Two years after taking over for Jeff Brohm, Sanford got the can from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Sanford had success as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, guiding the Fighting Irish to 30+ points per game in both of his seasons in South Bend. He previously held the same job at Boise State, where he played quarterback from 2000-04. At 36, Sanford is one of the youngest candidates on this list.
Sean Gleeson
If the Eagles are looking to pluck a young talent from the Northeast, Gleeson might be their guy. In just two years at Princeton, he has developed a pair of stud quarterbacks and built the best offense in the Ivy League. This year, the Tigers averaged 47 points per game, second-most in the FCS. An in-depth breakdown of his offensive schemes can be found here. Princeton's head coach, Bob Surace, may also be a candidate for the job.
Graham Harrell
Harrell won a Super Bowl with the Packers, but his greatest accomplishment has been transforming the offense of North Texas. When he arrived as OC in 2016, the Mean Green scored nearly 10 more points per game than they did the year before—the 11th-best turnaround in the country. His offense saw the 11th-best turnaround in the nation, scoring 9.6 points per game more than it did in 2015. This year, North Texas averaged 472 yards of offense per game, 15th in the nation. A former assistant at Washington State under Mike Leach, Harrell and his experience transforming pro-style offenses into spread attacks would be valuable assets.
Marc Trestman
Less than a year after winning a Canadian Football League championship, Trestman is again out of a job after his Toronto Argonauts finished this season in last place. It marked the end of another short coaching stint for Trestman, who also spent just two years as head coach of the Chicago Bears (2013-14) and offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens (2015-16). But the 62-year-old boasts decades of NFL experience with 11 different teams and has a track record of quarterback development. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh once said that Trestman "taught me everything." He would bring some West Coast offense to Chestnut Hill and build upon its improved passing game.
Ron Whitcomb
Whitcomb has earned a reputation as a quarterbacks guru at Old Dominion. He mentored Taylor Heinicke, who won the FCS equivalent of the Heisman as a sophomore and finished his career with the third-most yards of total offense ever among FBS quarterbacks. More recently, after Whitcomb's promotion to assistant head coach for offense, his latest pupil, David Washington, had the second-lowest TD:INT ratio in the country. Whitcomb offered insight into his quarterback evaluation and philosophy on Twitter.
Dave Patenaude
Steve Addazio may keep his eyes on this fellow Central Connecticut State alum. In 2017, his first year as the Owls' OC, Patenaude was thrown a curveball. The heir apparent to Philip Walker, the school's departed leading passer, went down with an injury halfway through the season. Nevertheless, Temple finished 4-2 and set a new record for single-season passing yards. This year, the Owls' offense put up 35 points on the Eagles—their second-highest point total allowed in 2018—and ranked 52nd in the country with 420 yards per game.
Brian Scott
The arguments for Scott, Old Dominion's OC of 11 years, are pretty similar to those for his colleague, Ron Whitcomb. While Witcomb would likely be better for Anthony Brown's development, Scott would bring more play-calling expertise to the table.
Morgan Turner
Another option for Addazio is to find a talented position coach from a top program to make the leap to OC. The possibilities are endless, but given the depth of BC's tight end room, Stanford specialist Morgan Turner could be an intriguing fit. Even with Tommy Sweeney leaving, the Eagles have a surplus of young tight end talent led by Hunter Long. Turner, who has a proven track record coaching NFL-caliber tight ends like Coby Fleener and Zach Ertz in a pro-style offense, could match well with Addazio's system if he can pry the assistant away from Palo Alto.
"I want to hire another really great quarterback teacher," Addazio said. "I want to hire somebody who's real strong in the throw game."
Paul Peterson
The former BC quarterback has put together quite the résumé in just a decade of coaching. Peterson began his career as a graduate assistant for a nationally-ranked BYU team before joining Tom O'Brien's staff at NC State. After stops at Southern Utah and Sacramento State, where he helped set new passing records as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Peterson took a head coaching job with his other alma mater, Snow College. This year, Snow dominated junior college defenses, averaging over 50 points and 500 yards of offense per game. The 38-year-old expressed interest in a jump to offensive coordinator when a positioned opened up at BYU last year. If he's still interested, Peterson would likely spread the Eagles out even more on offense and continue their up-tempo trend.
Mark Whipple
Whipple and UMass went separate ways after a 4-8 finish this season, making the 61-year-old coach a free agent. Before he served as a quarterbacks coach for the Browns, he was Miami's offensive coordinator. A return to an OC gig in the Power Five, this time closer to home, could be appealing. A creative play-caller, Whipple often lines up wideouts as running backs and his affinity for jet sweeps would fit right into BC's style. He often goes a step further by playing with the positioning of his lineman and keeping the wildcat in his back pocket. Although he was suspended for a week without pay for his "rape" comment this season, Whipple doesn't have the bad marks on his record that might disqualify a Hugh Freeze or Greg Schiano from the Jesuit-sponsored role.
Mike Sanford
Two years after taking over for Jeff Brohm, Sanford got the can from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Sanford had success as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, guiding the Fighting Irish to 30+ points per game in both of his seasons in South Bend. He previously held the same job at Boise State, where he played quarterback from 2000-04. At 36, Sanford is one of the youngest candidates on this list.
Sean Gleeson
If the Eagles are looking to pluck a young talent from the Northeast, Gleeson might be their guy. In just two years at Princeton, he has developed a pair of stud quarterbacks and built the best offense in the Ivy League. This year, the Tigers averaged 47 points per game, second-most in the FCS. An in-depth breakdown of his offensive schemes can be found here. Princeton's head coach, Bob Surace, may also be a candidate for the job.
Graham Harrell
Harrell won a Super Bowl with the Packers, but his greatest accomplishment has been transforming the offense of North Texas. When he arrived as OC in 2016, the Mean Green scored nearly 10 more points per game than they did the year before—the 11th-best turnaround in the country. His offense saw the 11th-best turnaround in the nation, scoring 9.6 points per game more than it did in 2015. This year, North Texas averaged 472 yards of offense per game, 15th in the nation. A former assistant at Washington State under Mike Leach, Harrell and his experience transforming pro-style offenses into spread attacks would be valuable assets.
Marc Trestman
Less than a year after winning a Canadian Football League championship, Trestman is again out of a job after his Toronto Argonauts finished this season in last place. It marked the end of another short coaching stint for Trestman, who also spent just two years as head coach of the Chicago Bears (2013-14) and offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens (2015-16). But the 62-year-old boasts decades of NFL experience with 11 different teams and has a track record of quarterback development. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh once said that Trestman "taught me everything." He would bring some West Coast offense to Chestnut Hill and build upon its improved passing game.
Ron Whitcomb
Whitcomb has earned a reputation as a quarterbacks guru at Old Dominion. He mentored Taylor Heinicke, who won the FCS equivalent of the Heisman as a sophomore and finished his career with the third-most yards of total offense ever among FBS quarterbacks. More recently, after Whitcomb's promotion to assistant head coach for offense, his latest pupil, David Washington, had the second-lowest TD:INT ratio in the country. Whitcomb offered insight into his quarterback evaluation and philosophy on Twitter.
Dave Patenaude
Steve Addazio may keep his eyes on this fellow Central Connecticut State alum. In 2017, his first year as the Owls' OC, Patenaude was thrown a curveball. The heir apparent to Philip Walker, the school's departed leading passer, went down with an injury halfway through the season. Nevertheless, Temple finished 4-2 and set a new record for single-season passing yards. This year, the Owls' offense put up 35 points on the Eagles—their second-highest point total allowed in 2018—and ranked 52nd in the country with 420 yards per game.
Brian Scott
The arguments for Scott, Old Dominion's OC of 11 years, are pretty similar to those for his colleague, Ron Whitcomb. While Witcomb would likely be better for Anthony Brown's development, Scott would bring more play-calling expertise to the table.
Morgan Turner
Another option for Addazio is to find a talented position coach from a top program to make the leap to OC. The possibilities are endless, but given the depth of BC's tight end room, Stanford specialist Morgan Turner could be an intriguing fit. Even with Tommy Sweeney leaving, the Eagles have a surplus of young tight end talent led by Hunter Long. Turner, who has a proven track record coaching NFL-caliber tight ends like Coby Fleener and Zach Ertz in a pro-style offense, could match well with Addazio's system if he can pry the assistant away from Palo Alto.
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