The Rundown Take
By the Numbers: James Freeman Breaks Down Why Josh Gattis Is a Home Run Hire for Miami
Fan favorite James Freeman ("The Italian Stallion") brought a week's worth of research into the studio, breaking down new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele stat by stat. The verdict from all three: Miami didn't just fill vacancies, it upgraded at both coordinator spots — receipts included.
Key Takeaways
- James Freeman compares Gattis's 2021 Michigan numbers (6,203 total yards, 35.8 points per game) favorably against predecessor Dan Enos's 2019 Miami offense (3,674 yards, 25.7 points per game) — a clear statistical upgrade.
- Kevin Steele's résumé gets the same treatment: his in-season scheme change at LSU held Joe Burrow's Auburn offense to a season-low 23 points, and his West Virginia units led the Big 12 in pass defense.
- Frank Ponce arrives as QB coach/passing-game coordinator after learning under Scott Satterfield at Louisville and running a top-30 total offense at Appalachian State.
- Freeman predicts tight end recruit Connor Lee, previously pursued by Gattis at Michigan, will commit to Miami in March.
- The panel floats Ed Reed — already on staff as chief of staff — taking a hands-on role coaching the safeties, given the room's James Williams, Avantae Williams and Cam Kitchens talent.
Gattis and Steele by the Numbers
Larry Frank opened by pointing out that Gattis's Michigan offense put up 40-plus points in five games last season despite not having a passer at Tyler Van Dyke's level, and that a similar jump should be even more dramatic paired with Miami's skill talent. James Freeman backed it up with hard numbers: Gattis's 2021 Michigan offense averaged 443 rushing yards more balance than Enos's 2019 unit, which was hamstrung by a shaky offensive line and finished with only 25.7 points a game. On defense, Freeman argued Kevin Steele's record at Georgia, LSU and West Virginia — fundamentals, disciplined tackling — is the exact antidote to a defense that finished dead last in tackling last season.
Building a Staff That Recruits AND Develops
Both hosts and Freeman kept returning to one theme: Miami's new staff isn't just recruiters, they're developers — pointing to defensive backs who left previous Miami staffs undercooked and blossomed once they reached the NFL. Freeman highlighted that nearly every assistant has Power Five pedigree from the SEC, Big Ten or Pac-12, unlike some previous regimes' smaller-conference hires. He singled out Ponce's arrival from Appalachian State as a plus given his QB-development background under Satterfield.
A Parting Shot at the Old Regime
The mood turned pointed when Devin relayed that former head coach Manny Diaz, now a Penn State assistant, had called himself part of "the university of linebackers." Freeman fired back by rattling off Miami's linebacker lineage and arguing Diaz's own record at Miami didn't earn him the claim. The dig became a springboard for the panel to reiterate why the coaching change was necessary, crediting the previous staff's recruiting classes to assistants no longer with the program rather than to Diaz himself.
Safety Room Depth
Closing the show, the panel debated whether Miami needs a dedicated safety coach given the room's NFL-caliber talent. Freeman argued that even informally, having Ed Reed give hands-on coaching to James Williams, Avantae Williams and Kitchens would be a difference-maker against a schedule full of pass-heavy offenses. The show wrapped with thanks to Melvin Bratton for flying in for a video shoot that day and a note that the show's schedule would normalize within two weeks.