29-Year-Old Grant Udinski, Jaguars Agree to OC Contract for HC Liam Coen's Staff

Youth and inexperience aren't hindrances to joining the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff this offseason.

The team announced Wednesday night they're hiring Grant Udinski as their next offensive coordinator. At 29, he's the second-youngest assistant in that role after the Chicago Bears tabbed 28-year-old Declan Doyle as their next OC.

"Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said. "He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization and we can't wait to have him lead our offense."

The Jaguars also agreed to bring on former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as their new pass-game coordinator, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The team will also hire John Van Dam as a pass-game specialist, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Udinski has had a quick rise up the coaching ranks.

ESPN's Michael DiRocco noted he was briefly living out of his car as a graduate assistant at Baylor in 2019. His first NFL gig came a year later as an assistant with the Carolina Panthers. He followed Matt Rhule from Waco, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Udinski had been on the Minnesota Vikings' coaching staff since 2022, moving his way up to become the assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach last season.

His hiring, along with that of Doyle, isn't unprecedented in the NFL.

Sean McVay was 28 in his first year as the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator in 2014, while Kyle Shanahan was a year older when he accepted the Houston Texans OC job in 2008.

Udinski's work with Sam Darnold likely played a big role in Coen's decision to bring him aboard. Darnold had a career year in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl.

The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling profiled Udinski in November and wrote how he also worked closely with rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire year due to a torn meniscus.

"Their communication this spring was so frequent that McCarthy said he sensed Udinski was 'a little disheartened when I didn't give him that 11:30 p.m. phone call,'" Goessling wrote. "They sit together in meetings, both furiously typing notes into Google spreadsheets. Now that McCarthy can attend practices again following knee surgery, Udinski drills him on reciting play calls like he's the starter."

As the Jaguars offensive coordinator, getting Trevor Lawrence's development back on track will be one of Udinski's top priorities.

Lawrence's production has pretty much plateaued after he made the Pro Bowl in 2022, and that's not what Jacksonville wants to see from a player it signed to a $275 million extension.

Perhaps Coen and Udinski will help the 25-year-old make his breakthrough. If that happens, the Jaguars' long-term outlook is drastically different.