With the college football season a third of the way complete and teams rounding into form, it's time to check in on some of the most intriguing new offensive coordinator/quarterback pairings in college football. The marriage that decides true offensive success has had varying degrees of that in plenty of places this season.
For some teams' seasons, the coordinator conundrum could be make-or-break for a head coach's entire tenure -- South Carolina, Colorado, TCU, and Clemson are all in that boat. Offensive success will go a long way to determining the narrative around the program as hot-seat time nears. For others, it's simply about getting things off to a positive start, like Florida, California, and Michigan.
And for a few, such as Oregon and Texas A&M, it's a litmus test of the value of internal promotion versus bringing in someone from the outside to bring new ideas to the staff and keep things fresh.
In today's college football, where quarterbacks are not just the premier position but, in many places, are paid commensurate with that expectation in the rev-share era, it is more vital than ever for teams to nail the combination.
So it's progress report time: Who's excelling, and who needs work?
Florida
Coordinator: Buster Faulkner | Quarterback: Aaron Philo: A+
It's hard to call this a new tandem of coach and coordinator. Philo comes in after a spell as backup to Haynes King at Georgia Tech with Faulkner. But they are in new surroundings with new skill and talent. Their chemistry, combined with the pieces left from Billy Napier's Gators, has produced an offense that has scored 50+ points three times in four games, which is more than Napier's entire tenure. Only three teams in the country have more plays of 20+ yards.
Jadan Baugh gets the headlines, and deservedly so, but Philo's the point guard and Florida's offense has a lot of mouths to feed. Any combination of Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson, Bailey Stockton (also a Georgia Tech transfer), Amir Jackson or TJ Abrams can hurt you. Auburn transfer Eric Singleton (who played at Georgia Tech in 2023 and 2024) has barely played due to injury. Philo is operating the offense and even contributing some to the rushing attack on his own. They pass with flying colors early on. Grade: A+
California
Coordinator: Jordan Somerville | Quarterback: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
When you see Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele's natural talent, it's easy to wonder when his ability will become more refined. When you consider that Cal tried from a personnel standpoint to surround him with more talented receivers via the transfer portal -- including Ian Strong from Rutgers -- it's even more head-scratching. Then you consider that Cal has a young 30-year-old offensive coordinator who quipped about only calling plays at the "12-U" level in a recent press conference, and things make a little more sense.
Yes, former head coach Nick Rolovich is on staff, but whatever the disconnect is involved must be fixed sooner rather than later. Cal's offense is averaging 18 points per game against FBS opponents this season, a step back from last season's 25, given the QB's tools. Failing to develop JKS and the surrounding infrastructure would be an all-time program mistake if the offensive struggles continue. Grade: F
Clemson
Coordinator: Chad Morris | Quarterback: Tait Reynolds
Morris returned to Clemson this offseason, and it was a head-scratching decision that continued Dabo Swinney's approach of leaning on familiarity (after going outside the family for former OC Garrett Riley). Now that it is true freshman Tait Reynolds' show at QB1, let's see how long it takes to take root. There have been some legitimate, small signs of optimism around Reynolds in the run game that Clemson is putting together; that's their avenue for explosive plays, to the extent the Tigers have any. But the passing game must come around, or the offense will remain laborious, and the test doesn't get any more difficult than Saturday when they host Miami.
Tempo seems to help Clemson, but it remains to be seen how Reynolds can develop in Year 1 with Morris back in the fold in Death Valley. Grade: Incomplete
Colorado
Coordinator: Brennan Marion | Quarterback: Julian Lewis
Four games in, and Colorado has already benched Lewis. It's the second year in a row the Buffs have been grasping at a replacement for Shedeur Sanders. CU played three quarterbacks in 2025, including Lewis. The early returns have not been good. Through the last two weeks, CU's drives have ended with the following:
- vs. Northwestern -- Punt, fumble, fumble, INT, turnover on downs, punt, turnover on downs, TD, turnover on downs, punt, INT, punt
- vs. Baylor -- Punt, field goal, punt, turnover on downs, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, field goal, TD, punt, fumble, turnover on downs
"I told y'all he'll be coming around the mountain, so what does that mean? He ain't there yet," Sanders said last week about Lewis. "I can't expect something out of you that's not in you. That's not an insult."
Sanders had been sounding the alarm about Lewis earlier in the summer regarding his potential lack of readiness, saying he wasn't counting on Lewis to be a leader of the offense. The hiring of Brennan Marion as offensive coordinator was supposed to stabilize the run game and, therefore, the offense as a whole. It's yet to do so, and Colorado is at least for a little bit turning the page at QB from Lewis, who was one of the program's biggest recruiting wins. Grade: F
Northwestern
Coordinator: Chip Kelly | Quarterback: Aidan Chiles
All things considered, Northwestern is getting the best version of Chiles early on in his Wildcats tenure. His completion percentage is way up (70%), and his dual-threat ability to extend plays is showing through. Indiana found out the hard way in a hard-fought win where Chiles' escapability kept the Wildcats in the game until the end. He'll need to take fewer sacks moving forward, but he hasn't thrown an interception at all in three games, and that's progress for a player who has struggled with turnovers and inaccuracy throughout his career. Expecting Kelly to revive the days at Oregon is foolish, but can he keep a consistent offense with Chiles? Grade: B
TCU
Coordinator: Gordon Sammis | Quarterback: Jaden Craig
The former under-the-radar NFL Draft darling Craig has bounced back from a rough Week 0 against North Carolina. The tools are there, and the production is coming along, but the offense has been disjointed to say the least. Penalties must be cleaned up, and 13 points scored against UCF is not what Frogs fans signed up for. Too many long third-down situations are also working against an offense trying to stay on schedule. The offensive line needs more consistency (a Sammis calling card), but there is a cause for optimism.
Getting Jordan Dwyer back from injury at wide receiver against UCF improved the passing game, but turnovers and other miscues plagued the Horned Frogs in that loss. Grade: C
Oregon
Coordinator: Drew Mehringer | Quarterbacks: Dante Moore, Dylan Raiola
In the three drives before he got hurt, it's not really clear if Dante Moore had really gotten Oregon's offense back on the right track. They'd scored 10 points, and he was an efficient 8-of-10 passer. But after suffering the brutal head injury and making way for Dylan Raiola, the Ducks showcased the explosive gear UO fans have been waiting for. The questions are: can Raiola sustain it, and what happens if he does? Oregon could have a situation akin to last year's Ole Miss dynamic with Trinidad Chambliss and Austin Simmons. Raiola excelling would certainly help efforts to prevent rushing Moore back in any case. A bye week will be helpful to get Raiola more reps with the first team to figure out what he can do well. But it will be another test for Drew Mehringer, who has come under fire after former OC Will Stein left for Kentucky, and the Wildcats have looked good early in his tenure. Grade: Incomplete
South Carolina
Coordinator: Kendal Briles | Quarterback: LaNorris Sellers
Somewhat lost in the Dylan Stewart suspension-gate is the continued lack of development of LaNorris Sellers. Getting out of Mike Shula's system suggested that Sellers could turn the corner and make good on his predraft hype. But early in the season, the South Carolina passing game has yet to show any real improvement. Grade: F
Texas A&M
Coordinator: Holmon Wiggins | Quarterback: Marcel Reed
With Collin Klein at Kansas State and a bevy of new pieces along the offensive line, the question was always going to be whether Marcel Reed would progress enough to paper over the cracks. The early returns are not great. A preseason No. 9 team is already unranked after suffering two losses in which the passing game has been woeful despite fun pieces at receiver. Reed, like Sellers, is yet to turn the corner, and old inaccuracies remain early on in Wiggins' tenure. Grade: F
Michigan
Coordinator: Jason Beck | Quarterback: Bryce Underwood
Things have started off rocky from a wins-and-losses perspective for the Wolverines, and controversy will always surround the Western Michigan opener, but Underwood's play has ticked up as the season progresses. Michigan has found ways to use his natural running ability, which was a key to the Oklahoma game and as Andrew Marsh has come along to pair with JJ Buchanon, the passing game is trending in the right direction. Underwood's game against Iowa featured a career-high in passing yardage and some of the efficient passing on the run that had been the catalyst for excitement about him as a recruit. The question is whether the Wolverines can improve in the red zone to generate more scores, which doomed them against the Hawkeyes. Grade: B-
