The list of names the Seattle Seahawks could talk to while they search for their new offensive coordinator continues to grow. And if you’re looking for some out-of-the-box yet still realistic options, Brock Huard has a couple.
Seattle Seahawks OC Search: Four candidates to watch
As Huard discussed potential replacements for Ryan Grubb, who the Seahawks let go Monday after just one season as the team’s OC, the longtime Seattle Sports host and former NFL quarterback leaned on his experience as a FOX college football analyst.
First was someone with a similar background to Grubb as a veteran offensive assistant at the college level, and second was a name from the same coaching tree as Seattle’s head coach. Let’s look at what Huard said about both during the Blue 88 segment of Tuesday’s edition of Brock and Salk.
Two potential Seattle Seahawks OC candidates
Penn State OC Andy Kotelnicki
Huard mentioned that Kotelnicki is known for his creativity in the run game, which would be a welcome change as Grubb’s Seahawks offense relied more on the passing game than head coach Mike Macdonald is looking for. Huard added that Kotelnicki’s creativity was apparent when he and his FOX broadcasting partner, Jason Benetti, talked to Kotelnicki in meetings when he was the OC at Kansas from 2021-23.
“Now, he’s Grubb-esque,” Huard said with the understanding that that’s not exactly a positive at this moment. “He’s a lifer in college football – Wisconsin-Whitewater to Buffalo to Kansas. And Penn State said, ‘You know what? We’re going to finally do this. We’re going to reboot and we’re going to find the most creative run doctor in all of college football.’ Of all of the coordinators I’ve sat with the last 18 years, he is by far the most creative. Jason Benetti’s curiosity meter goes off the charts. We had him three or four different times (for FOX broadcasts when Kotelnicki was at) Kansas over the last few years, and Benetti’s like, ‘I just love the way that guy’s mind works.’”
The 43-year-old Kotelnicki is known for running an option-heavy offense, which is rarely seen in the NFL, but he showed this season with Penn State that he has more up his sleeve.
“He just puts the chess pieces in creative ways that nobody else does,” Huard continued. “And I was curious how it would work at Penn State because he’s always been largely an option guy, that has been a component of it. He has (quarterback) Drew Allar out there, (who is) not an option guy – transitioned just fine. Obviously (Penn State is) playing in the national semifinal, I think they’ve got a great shot to play for the national title, and he would be one that I would at least interview who checks those boxes.”
Former Stanford coach David Shaw
Once again, Huard knows this name may not immediately instill confidence in Seattle-area fans. But he has good reason for thinking Shaw has something going for him as a Seahawks OC candidate, which is the fact that Shaw comes from the same Harbaugh coaching tree as Macdonald. For that reason, co-host Mike Salk said he was “very intrigued” when Huard mentioned Shaw.
Macdonald was defensive coordinator for both the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens under head coach John Harbaugh and in college at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, while Shaw was Jim Harbaugh’s passing game coordinator at the University of San Diego (2006) and then his offensive coordinator at Stanford (2007-10). When Jim Harbaugh went to the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, Shaw succeeded him as Stanford’s head coach, and with a 96-54 record in 12 seasons, he eclipsed Pop Warner as the winningest coach in program history while winning four Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards.
Point being, if there’s any potential Seahawks OC candidates who understand the kind of offense that Macdonald wants to complement his defense, it’s probably Shaw.
“The end of the tenure at Stanford was really poor, but I think if you talked to him, he would say you stripped me of the opportunity to toughen the guys and strain the guys,” Huard said of Shaw. “Trying to find somebody with that Harbaugh root, a Harbaugh branch, a Harbaugh background – he’s been in college, been in the NFL, he’s now a consultant with the Broncos. He’s going to interview for some of these head jobs.”
Shaw began his coaching career in the mid-1990s at Western Washington in Bellingham, and he quickly ascended to the NFL where he held various offensive coaching roles from 1997 to 2005. Along the way in his career, Shaw has developed a strong reputation not just for his success on the field but his personality behind the scenes.
“I would (interview Shaw) because of just family background,” Huard said, “and looking at the body of work when he had a chance to really do it the way he wanted to do it – impose your will and run the ball unapologetically, yet also be just a pretty warm, friendly, likable (guy) respected by just about everybody.”
Hear the full segment in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Brock Huard answers three football questions during Blue 88 at 7:45 a.m. during each edition of Brock and Salk, which airs from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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