Former Miami Hurricanes and Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson was hired Monday by Utah and head coach Kyle Whittingham as co-offensive coordinator.
According to ESPN.com, Whittingham has been trying to find a way to overhaul the offensive side of the ball and Erickson, who is considered to be an offensive minded coach, fits the system perfectly for the Utes. According to the report, he will start his job officially on Feb. 19th.
The 65-year-old Erickson won multiple national championships while at the University at Miami and has been a Pac-12 stalwart in his later career, stopping for stints at Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona State, where he was fired after the 2011 season.
Erickson has been a coaching lifer and has spent time as head coach at six different universities and according to ESPN, he is the only coach who has won Pac-10 or Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors with three different schools.
"Dennis Erickson brings a wealth of knowledge and coaching experience to our program," Whittingham said in a statement. "He has been labeled as one of the original architects of the spread and we are looking forward to the impact he will have on our offense. Coach Erickson also has recruiting connections across the country which should benefit us on that front as well."
Whittingham made it clear that Erickson will be the co-offensive coordinator and it is not yet fully clear what role he will have next to offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who has been in that role since being promoted when he was 24 two years ago. Utah is known for their high-powered offenses, but the team was ranked 11th in the conference after dealing with a number of injuries.
The team averaged less than 200 passing yards and was ranked last in the Pac-12 in passing offense. The team was eighth-ranked in scoring, averaging nearly 30 points per game, but went only 5-7 on the season.
Erickson has put together a 179-96-1 record in 23 seasons and also has professional NFL experienced with the 49ers, where he was head coach for two seasons and went 9-23. His last head coaching job was with Arizona State and went 31-31 from 2007 to 2011, taking the team to a bowl game in 2011.
"I want to thank Kyle Whittingham and the University of Utah for the opportunity to get back into college football," Erickson said. "Being around football players and coaches has been my life and that's why I'm coming out of retirement. I will do whatever I can to help the players and coaches at Utah be successful and I am excited to get back out on the football field."
Utah was in its second season in the Pac-12 last year and went just 3-6 to miss a bowl game for the first time in nine seasons. Utah came to prominence under coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Alex Smith, who was drafted to the 49ers as the No. 1 pick from the school.
The Utes opened the season with two wins in three games, before going on a four game losing streak. The team bounced back with two wins before dropping two of the final three games, including a 34-24 loss against Arizona. In the final game, Utah defeated 1-10 Colorado 42-25.
