Grant Udinski
| Jacksonville Jaguars | |
|---|---|
| Title | Offensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 12, 1996 Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Career information | |
| Position | Defensive end |
| High school | Central Bucks West (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Davidson (2015) Towson (2016–2018) |
| Career history | |
| |
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |
Grant Andrew Udinski (born January 12, 1996)[1][2][3] is an American professional football coach and former player who is the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Davidson Wildcats and Towson Tigers and has previously coached for the Baylor Bears, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings.
Early life
Grant Udinski was born in January 1996 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.[4] He attended Central Bucks High School West where he played football and lacrosse, being an all-conference football player and a two-time all-conference lacrosse player.[5] Udinski began his college football career for the Davidson Wildcats where he was a backup tight end as a freshman in 2015, recording one reception for 10 yards.[5][6]
After his lone season at Davidson, Udinski transferred to the Towson Tigers as a walk-on in 2016, eventually earning a scholarship.[7] He switched to defensive end at Towson and sat out the 2016 season due to transfer rules.[5] Udinski totaled 15 tackles in 2017 and then made 28 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a senior while playing all 12 games.[5] He was also a top student at Towson, being named CoSIDA Academic First-Team All-American, for posting an undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.94 with a master's level GPA of 4.0.[8]
Coaching career
Baylor and Carolina Panthers
After Udinski graduated from Towson, he decided to enter coaching.[7] He applied for grad school at Baylor University and was able to land a position as a graduate assistant for the Baylor Bears football team.[7] Udinski worked under head coach Matt Rhule and assisted defensive coordinator Phil Snow.[7] He moved in with Snow during the year, after initially having lived in his car in a Walmart parking lot.[7] Udinski helped the Bears compile an 11–3 record in the 2019 season, advancing to the Big 12 Championship Game.[7]
After one year at Baylor, Udinski followed Matt Rhule to the Carolina Panthers of the NFL in 2020.[9] He held the position of coaching assistant for two years.[10]
Minnesota Vikings
After receiving a suggestion from tight ends coach Brian Angelichio, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell hired Udinski in 2022.[9] He initially held the position of assistant to the head coach/special projects.[6] Udinski's initial duties including providing advanced scouting reports on opponents and helping with various tasks in practice.[9] O'Connell called his understanding of football "unbelievable", and in 2023, Udinski was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach.[9][11] The following season, he received another promotion to assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach, while the Star Tribune noted: "His unofficial roles include: mentor to [quarterback] J. J. McCarthy; post-practice pass rusher or receiver for Sam Darnold; advance scout and practice lieutenant for [offensive coordinator] Wes Phillips; complement to QB coach Josh McCown; 'Crazy Grant' to O'Connell's kids; confidant, protégé and occasional comedic target for O'Connell."[9]
Jacksonville Jaguars
On February 5, 2025, Udinski was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars to serve as the team's offensive coordinator under new head coach Liam Coen.[12]
On January 27, 2026, following interest from the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching position, Udinski agreed to a contract extension to remain with Jacksonville.[13]
References
- ^ Bell, Gregg (January 15, 2025). "The Seahawks' latest offensive-coordinator candidate: He's 28 years old". The News Tribune.
- ^ Harbaugh, Andrew (January 18, 2025). "Vikings assitant [sic] coach finalist for Seahawks OC vacancy". USA Today.
- ^ Fowler, Jeremy. "NFL head coach carousel, coordinator intel on all 32 teams". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ^ "Grant Udinski". ESPN.
- ^ a b c d "Grant Udinski". Towson Tigers.
- ^ a b Podell, Garrett (January 14, 2025). "Who is Grant Udinski? 28-year-old gets interview request for NFL offensive coordinator position, per report". CBS Sports.
- ^ a b c d e f "For CB West grad Grant Udinski, coaching grind pays off with the Carolina Panthers". The Morning Call. February 14, 2020 – via archive.ph.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Moore, Tom (September 18, 2022). "CB West graduates Mike Pettine Jr., Grant Udinski return to Philadelphia with Vikings". Bucks County Courier Times.
- ^ a b c d e Goessling, Ben (November 9, 2024). "Meet Grant Udinski, the most interesting man on the Vikings coaching staff". Star Tribune – via archive.ph.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Alper, Josh (January 14, 2025). "Seahawks request interview with Vikings assistant OC Grant Udinski". ProFootballTalk. NBC Sports.
- ^ Crabtree, Curtis (January 14, 2025). "Seattle Seahawks request interview with Grant Udinski, per report". KCPQ.
- ^ Oehser, John. "Jacksonville Jaguars Agree to Terms with Grant Udinski as Offensive Coordinator". Jaguars.com. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "Jaguars announce DC Anthony Campanile, OC Grant Udinski will return in 2026". nbcsports.com. Retrieved March 6, 2026.