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Jaguars' latest win? Keeping coordinators, avoiding staff brain drain
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- Jaguars' latest win? Keeping coordinators, avoiding staff brain drain
The Jacksonville Jaguars will face the usual hurdles in trying to repeat as AFC South champions in 2026, things like a first-place schedule and injuries. But coach Liam Coenwon't be able to cite at least one excuse.
Brain drain.
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Coen's first month of the offseason became a success Jan. 27 when offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile agreed to contract extensions to remain with the Jaguars.
Udinski interviewed twice with the Cleveland Browns and once with the Buffalo Bills for their head-coaching posts and Campanile met twice with the Arizona Cardinals and once apiece with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins .
More success will lead to more head-coaching opportunities for Udinski and Campanile, likely next January. But don't underestimate the value of their return to the Jaguars.
Coen won't have to spend early February finding a new coordinator (or two). He won't have to spend mid-to-late February in orientation meetings with the new hire (or hires). And the players won't have to spend time figuring out what the new coordinator (or coordinators) wants from them.
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A source said the Jaguars began internal discussions about an extension for Udinski as soon as the Browns asked for an interview that took place on Jan. 17. Talks between the Jaguars and Udinski's camp picked up after the Browns invited him to fly to Cleveland for an in-person interview on Jan. 23. He met with the Bills on Jan. 25.
Udinski agreed to the extension (unknown terms) on the morning of Jan. 26 and pulled out of the Browns' derby (they hired Todd Monken, once a Jaguars assistant) and his return to the Jaguars was official on Jan. 27 when the Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
A canvas of the league, mostly because of 10 head-coaching openings, shows a remarkable amount of turnover in the offensive-defensive coordinator ranks so far (officially announced or expected):
Both coordinators:Arizona, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Las Vegas , the Los Angeles Chargers , Miami, the New York Giants , Tennessee and Washington .
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Offensive coordinator only:Arizona, Atlanta , Denver , Detroit , Kansas City, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay .
Defensive coordinator only: Dallas , Green Bay and San Francisco .
That leaves the Jaguars currently as one of only 10 teams returning both their offensive and defensive coordinators.
Talent has always been and will always be the No. 1 component, but continuity in who is coaching that talent is also critical.
About the NFL
1. New OL award half right:The NFL has created The Protector of the Year award for the league's best offensive lineman. The nominees are Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer , Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey , Detroit Lions left tackle Penei Sewell , Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney and Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles and right guard Quinn Meinerz.
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This should be a team award, like the Joe Moore Award in college football. No group has to work together more efficiently than the offensive line. I would change it next year and name it The Larry Allen Award.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen runs off the field before an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
2. Jets a mess:Overmatched Jets coach Aaron Glennkeeps changing his vision. He fired his first defensive coordinator ( Steve Wilks) before the season was over. He told coordinator candidates mid-process he was going to call the plays, which eliminated a veteran like Wink Martindale. And he hemmed and hawed with his offensive staff before firing multiple assistants and coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
Coaches who clean out a majority of their staff after the first season rarely turn things around. The bad optic for Glenn is we have to always guess what his next move will be.
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3. Extra Points:If I'm Coen, I would invite former Bills coach Sean McDermott, retired Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromerand retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive assistant Tom Moore, just to name three, to attend an organized team activity workout this spring. Coen worked with Kromer with the Los Angeles Rams and with Moore in Tampa Bay. The purpose? Allow Coen's staff to gain knowledge from three veteran coaches. … Good to see old friend Nathaniel Hackett(the Jaguars' offensive coordinator for all or parts of four years (2016-19) join the Miami Dolphins as their quarterbacks coach. Hackett spent the 2025 season as a consultant for the Green Bay Packers , whose defensive coordinator is new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley. An easy dot-connect is free agent Packers quarterback Malik Willis to the Dolphins.
Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) drives past South Carolina Gamecocks guard Kobe Knox (4) in the second half.
About UF basketball
How often do you watch a 47-point win in its entirety? That was me on Jan. 28 when No. 19 Florida dismantled South Carolina, 95-48.
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The Gators matched the largest margin of victory in program history (94-47 over Ole Miss in 1993) and their 28 assists were their most in SEC play in at least 30 years.
It was a great rebound for the Gators after their home loss to Auburn.
"Just kind of got our butts kicked at home and this was an opportunity for our guys to prove that we can respond the right way," UF coach Todd Goldentold reporters.
Golden said he put the Gators through a "really hard," practice on Jan. 27, two days after the loss to Auburn and two days before facing South Carolina.
"Our guys were clearly ready to play," he said.
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We know the Gators are going to pound teams on the glass (plus-19 against South Carolina), but if they can shoot the 3-pointer, look out. UF was 9 of 21 against the Gamecocks (season-best 42.9%).
About college football
1. No second portal to help:In previous years of the transfer portal, the second window after spring practice would allow staffs in general and new staffs in particular to augment their roster. Not anymore.
"When I was at Tulane my first year (2024), we through the spring and realized, 'Hey, we need to go get a couple more corners,'" new Florida coach Jon Sumrallsaid.
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The Green Wave added Indiana State's Johnathan Edwardsand Furman's Micah Robinson . In 2025, Edwards played 14 games (five starts) for the Indianapolis Colts and Robinson was a seventh-round pick by the Green Bay Packers and played in seven games (one start).
"We don't have the luxury of that second window so that's a little more daunting because I'm not going to have an opportunity to watch this team practice and (then) go correct in the second portal," Sumrall said. "We just (have to) watch them practice and make somebody better or maybe move guys around."
Sumrall joked: "I would be OK if they gave us an emergency second portal window."
2. FSU's schedule:A look at the Florida State schedule, and it is difficult to see bowl eligibility.
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The Seminoles play home games against SMU, Virginia, Clemson and Florida, and road games against Alabama, Louisville, Miami and Pittsburgh . Woof. Will they open as the favorite in any of those games? Not right now. The first glance was 4-8.
The ACC is all in on Friday night games, which gives them one game out of the SEC's shadow on Saturdays.
The Friday games include Miami at Stanford (Sept. 4), Miami at Wake Forest (Sept. 18), Florida State at Louisville (Oct. 9), Florida State at Pittsburgh (Nov. 13), Virginia Tech at Miami (Nov. 20) and Florida at Florida State (Nov. 27).
Contact O'Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars coach Liam Coen's latest win: Avoiding staff brain drain
