After transforming Jacksonville into a top-ten scoring machine, 30-year-old phenom Grant Udinski is drawing major head coaching interest following high-profile interviews with the Browns and Bills.
The Jacksonville Jaguars boasted one of the top offenses in the NFL in 2025.
Under first-year head coach Liam Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, the Jaguars ranked 11th in the league in yards per game and a fantastic sixth in points per game.
Success, however, comes with a price in the NFL. Jacksonville is expected to be the next team who will have their coaching staff pillaged by other franchises looking to duplicate the Jags' success. At the top of that list is undoubtedly Udinski, who is expected to become a HC sooner rather than later.
Grant Udinski Is A Rising Star
Jacksonville had a terrific season in 2025. The team shattered all expectations and finished the 13-4. As a result, Udinski is a rising star among NFL coaches. At only 30 years old, the Jaguars' OC is one of the youngest coaches in the league, at any position. To say his future is bright would be the understatement of the year.
After his lone season as an OC, Udinski was interviewed for two head coaching positions, the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. The Bills came down to Palm Beach for the interview before promoting Joe Brady to the position.
Udinski came closer to getting the job in Cleveland, interviewing with the club once via Zoom and then in-person before removing himself from consideration. He announced he would be returning to the Jaguars. The organization (and its fans) breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Don't expect him to be around too much longer, though.
Gained Experience In The Interview Process
Although Udinski didn't get a HC job in this past cycle, he did gain valuable experience in the interview process. Now that he has a better feel for what these interviews demand, Udinski will be better prepared for them in the future.
Udinski was also able to see how different teams do different interviews. In a story by Ryan O'Halloran of the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, Udinski shed light on a couple of unexpected quirks in his interviews.
For instance, the Cleveland Browns gave him a personality test.
The Buffalo Bills had star QB Josh Allen sit in the room during Udinski's interview.
Now that he has seen the different techniques teams incorporate into their interview process, Udinski now knows that he must be prepared for anything.
Asked by O'Halloran to divulge one takeaway from his interviews, Udinski kept his thoughts pretty much to himself, although he did admit he would try to use what he learned to benefit the Jaguars.
“If I picked one thing, it would be unfair to the other 99,” he laughed. “Not only do you learn about yourself, you learn about other organizations and hopefully you can use that wisdom and implement that here, if it’s something small or big, to impact the Jags.”
Final Thoughts
Udinski is on a fast track toward becoming an NFL Head Coach, possibly as soon as the 2027 season. On the one hand, it will be tough for the Jaguars to lose their star OC, especially with QB Trevor Lawrence finally having stability and continuity within the coaching staff.
On the other hand, if Udinski is hired as a HC next season, it likely means Jacksonville will have had another successful season in 2026.
Everyone associated with the Jags, from players to coaches to the fans, should enjoy whatever time they have remaining with Udinski. He has played a huge role in the Jaguars becoming relevant again.
If Udinski does become a HC soon, he will have earned it.
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