John Garrett will be the new offensive coordinator at Oregon State, multiple sources told FootballScoop on Tuesday. Garrett replaces Danny Langsdorf, who spent nine seasons in Corvallis before accepting the quarterbacks job with the New York Giants.
Two things immediately jump off the page about Garrett. First, the bloodlines. He's the older brother of Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, the brother of Dallas Cowboys director of pro scouting Judd Garrett, and the son of longtime NFL assistant and former Columbia head coach Jim Garrett. Second, it's his inexperience as a coordinator. John Garrett has nearly 20 years of coaching experience, almost none of it in college football and none of it as an offensive coordinator.
Garrett broke into coaching as a player personnel assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. He spent seven years with the Cincinnati Bengals, six with the Cowboys, two with the Arizona Cardinals and coached wide receivers for the Bucs in 2013. Amongst that, he spent a four-year sabbatical from the NFL under Al Groh at Virginia, coaching wide receivers from 2004-07 and earning a promotion to assistant head coach for offense his final year in Charlottesville.
Though Garrett himself may be lacking coordinator experience, his offense does return a wealth of experience at a key position: quarterback. Sean Mannion is college football's leading returning passer after connecting on 400-of-603 (66.3 percent) throws for 4,662 yards (7.7 yards per attempt) with 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions (146.55 rating) in the Beavers' 7-6 season.
Oregon State started the year 6-1, averaging 44.1 points per game in the process, but then dropped five straight - all against Pac-12 bowl teams - games while seeing its scoring output more than cut in half to 21 points per game. The Beavers recovered to close the year with a 38-23 win over Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl.
Garrett has missed out on recruiting the 2014 class, but he still has one major personnel matter left hanging in the balance: