New hire eager to retool Virginia’s offense

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Given an opportunity to extend football coach Al Groh’s contract, University of Virginia officials declined to do so late last month. The Cavaliers finished 5-7 for the second time in three years, and it’s no secret that another losing season could mean the end of Groh’s tenure at his alma mater.

That didn’t deter Gregg Brandon, who says he had no trepidation about signing on with Groh at U.Va. They’ve known each other since Groh’s days as an NFL assistant. Brandon, 52, recently was hired as the Cavaliers’ offensive coordinator, replacing Groh’s older son, Mike.

“In college football today, it’s really what have you done for me lately,“ Brandon said in a phone interview. “I’m not really concerned about Coach Groh’s security there. I’m concerned about what I can do for him to help Virginia win games. The opportunity to work with him outweighed his current situation.“

Brandon comes to U.Va. from Bowling Green, where he spent eight seasons: the first two as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator, the final six as head coach. He went 44-30 at the Mid-American Conference school before being fired last month.

“To say that I was a little bit surprised, yeah, especially with the things that we had accomplished there,“ Brandon said. “But it’s a crazy business, and life goes on.“

From the experience, he said, “I’ve got a lot better perspective now on what it takes to be a head coach as well as a good assistant. I think from sitting in the big chair, as you put it, I have a greater appreciation now as an assistant for what the head coach is going through, I’ll guarantee you that.“

Before working with Meyer at Bowling Green, Brandon had been an assistant at Weber State (under Mike Price), Wyoming, Utah State, Northwestern (under Gary Barnett) and Colorado (again under Barnett). Barnett was Brandon’s high school coach in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Brandon’s trademark is the spread offense, and that’s what Groh hired him to install at U.Va. But the Tucson, Ariz., native hasn’t always focused on that side of the ball. Brandon coached linebackers at Weber State in 1985 and at Utah State in 1991.

“It was eye-opening from the perspective of how defenses try to stop offenses,“ Brandon recalled. “It just gave me a better handle on that, and looking at stopping an offense from a defensive perspective, I think, helped me evolve as an offensive coach.“

His recent visit to Charlottesville wasn’t Brandon’s first. After the 2004 season, in which the Falcons averaged 506 yards and 44 points per game, Brandon and Tim Beckman, then his defensive coordinator, came to U.Va. to talk X’s and O’s with Groh and his assistants.

In his eight seasons at U.Va., Groh has made tight end a marquee position, showcasing the skills of such players as Heath Miller, Tom Santi, Jonathan Stupar and John Phillips. Will that change in the new system?

“We’re going to play the best players,“ Brandon said. “If the tight ends are some of our best players, then we’ll find a place for them. At Bowling Green, we used a tight end quite a bit when we had one that’s a pretty good player.

“It’s really a matter of if your tight end is as good as your fourth receiver, because we play with a lot of four-receiver sets. If the tight end is your second- or third-best receiver, or your best receiver, then we’re going to find a place to get him in there.“

Brandon is not averse to running the football, whether it’s a quarterback or a tailback picking up the yards. The Falcons ranked 21st nationally in rushing offense in 2003 and 18th in 2006.

“Again, it’s all based on players and what you can do,“ Brandon said. “The offense has the flexibility to run and throw, and that’s what you need. You can’t be one-dimensional.“

Brandon has yet to meet the players he’ll be coaching, but he has looked at game tapes of Marc Verica, Jameel Sewell and Vic Hall, among U.Va.‘s candidates at quarterback.

“I think all three of those kids can have a space in the system,“ Brandon said. “Again, film study’s one thing. I want to meet them, talk to them and see what they can do in spring football. There’s some basic elements of the offense that we’re going to run, but I think all those kids have abilities that potentially can fit our system.“

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or