Jonathan Smith, the Huskies' offensive coordinator for the past four seasons, is leaving UW to become Oregon State's next head coach.
Jonathan Smith is on his way out after four seasons as the Washington offensive coordinator. Oregon State is expected soon to announced Smith, 38, as the Beavers’ new coach.
Here are six candidates expected to be on coach Chris Petersen’s short list to replace Smith as the UW offensive coordinator and play-caller:
Close ties
Bush Hamdan, Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach
Hamdan, 31, was on the UW staff the previous two seasons — first as an offensive quality-control coach in 2015 and then as the wide receivers coach/passing-game coordinator during UW’s 2016 run to the College Football Playoff. He’s now in his first season as the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach. A former Boise State QB, Hamdan is highly regarded by Petersen and was popular among players at UW.
Matt Lubick, UW wide-receivers coach
Lubick is in his first season as the Huskies’ wide-receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator, a job he got after a recommendation from former Oregon coach Mark Helfrich. Lubick was Helfrich’s offensive coordinator at Oregon in 2016 and the wide-receivers coach in Eugene the three years before that.
Worth a call
Mark Helfrich, former Oregon coach
Helfrich could be in demand. There is speculation that Helfrich could reunite with Chip Kelly at UCLA. Petersen and Helfrich have been close friends for more than 20 years. Helfrich has spent this season as an analyst for Fox Sports, and he told The Times this month that he enjoys the gig. He said in that interview that he goes “back and forth” on whether he wants to return to coaching. “Just being with a group of guys and coaching, that’s a unique working relationship, a unique lifestyle. A lot of those things are fantastic, and a lot of those things are not so fantastic,” Helfrich said. “But it’s been a lot of fun.”
Troy Taylor, Utah offensive coordinator
Don’t rule out a reunion for Jake Browning and his high-school coach. Taylor has mentored Browning since the quarterback was 10 years old. Taylor, now in his first season as the offensive coordinator at Utah, left Folsom High in the Sacramento area in 2016 to be a co-offensive coordinator at Eastern Washington — a job Petersen recommended him for.
Wild cards
Beau Baldwin, California offensive coordinator
Baldwin, a Tacoma native, just wrapped up his first season as the California offensive coordinator, helping the Bears to a surprising 5-7 season in Justin Wilcox’s head-coaching debut. Baldwin was 95-35 as the coach at Eastern Washington from 2008-16, winning the FCS national title in 2010.
Doug Nussmeier, former UW offensive coordinator
As part of changes with the new coaching staff at Florida, Nussmeier was ousted as the Gators’ coordinator this week. He spent three years as the Huskies’ offensive coordinator on Steve Sarkisian staff from 2009-11.