Top Offensive Coordinators in the Pac-12 for 2021

Joe Moorhead and the Ducks look to field a dangerous offense this Fall

Photo: Oregon Athletics

Article by WestCoastCFB

1. Joe Moorhead (Oregon)

Joe Moorhead came to Eugene in 2020 as one of the most respected and innovative play callers in the nation. Moorhead began making a name for himself as the Head Coach at Fordham from 2012-2015 and during his final 3 years at Fordham, he won 32 games before making the jump to become the Offensive Coordinator at Penn State under James Franklin. The Penn State offense was coming off of a 2015 season where they had averaged just 23.2 points and Moorhead instantly elevated the offense to an elite level as the Nittany Lions averaged 37.6 points and won 11 games. In 2017, Moorhead's offense dominated the Big 10 again on their way to scoring over 41 points per game. In Moorhead's first season in Eugene, he was tasked with replacing star QB Justin Herbert and fared nicely while the Ducks averaged 31.3 points.

2. Zak Hill (ASU)

Hill came to Arizona State after posting back to back Top 20 offenses at Boise State. The Sun Devils had struggled offensively in 2019 while averaging just 24.8 points and Hill quickly righted the ship while leading ASU to 40.2 PPG (12th Nationally) and 458.5 YPG (#1 in the Pac-12). The Sun Devils bring back nearly all of their offensive weapons from 2020 and should be even more dangerous offensively in 2021.

3. Graham Harrell (USC)

At just 35 years old, Harrell is a rising star in the coaching business. Concepts from the Air Raid offense have become trendy in both College Football and the NFL and few know the offense better than Harrell who played under Mike Leach at Texas Tech and then coached with Leach at WSU. After coordinating North Texas for 3 years and having a top 30 offense in 2017 and 2018, Harrell moved to Los Angeles to take over the play calling duties for USC. In his first season, Harrell increased the Trojans offensive output from 26.1 PPG to 32.5 PPG and then took the Trojans to 33.3 PPG in 2020.

4. Andy Ludwig (Utah)

Andy Ludwig returned to Utah in 2019 after a stint at Vanderbilt and found instant success as he elevated the Utah offense from 76th nationally in points per game to 38th. The offensive explosion helped lead the Utes to a Pac-12 South Title and an 11 win season. In 2020, the offense regressed slightly as the Utes scored 30.2 PPG but that was to be expected with new faces at QB and RB.

5. Darrin Chiaverini (Colorado)

Chiaverini has future head coach written all over him with a dynamic personality and an ability to relate to recruits and players. In just his first season as the Colorado play caller, Chiaverini propelled the Buffs to 458.3 yards per game in conference contests. Chiaverini flashed his recruiting chops in being named to the Rivals Top 25 Recruiters in 2018, 2019 and 2020.