JACKSONVILLE – Five things to know about new Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski:

1. He worked with a strong offense in 2024. Udinski, who spent this past season as the Minnesota Vikings' assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach, was a valued assistant on a unit that dealt with adversity to be one of the NFL's best offenses this past season. The Vikings, with veteran Sam Darnold starting after Round 1 rookie J.J. McCarthy sustained a season-ending injury meniscus injury in the preseason, ranked ninth in the NFL in 2024 in points scored (25.4 points per game) and 12th in total yards (346.9 per game). The Vikings, an NFC wild-card playoff team in 2024 with a 14-3 record, also ranked sixth in the NFL in passing offense last season at 237.8 yards per game.
2. He's considered a top, rising young coach. Udinski, 29, has advanced quickly in a short career – and was a candidate for the Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator positions this offseason. This past season with the Vikings marked his fifth NFL season. Udinski, who entered the NFL as a Carolina Panthers coaching assistant in 2019-2020 after a season at Baylor University as a graduate assistant, spent the past three seasons with the Vikings as an offensive assistant – and was promoted after each of his first two seasons. A defensive end at Towson from 2016-2018 who played one season at Davidson in 2015, Udinski was the Vikings' assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023 and director of special projects in 2022. "He's got such an unbelievable understanding, from his background on offense and defense, and his sheer football stamina is something I really admire," Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell told Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star-Tribune in November 2024. "I joke with him all the time, 'Nobody loves football like you, man.' His mind never really wanders from it." Of a work ethic that is oft-discussed around the Vikings, Udinski told Goessling, "I try to make sure there's no excuse for people to go, 'Well, you're only 28.' It's that urgency to constantly be prepared and go above and beyond."
3. There's something of a McVay connection. As was the case with new Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, there are branches of the Sean McVay coaching tree with the Udinski hire. Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen coached 2018-2020 and 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams, where McVay has been the head coach since 2017. O'Connell, considered one of the NFL's top young head coaches, served as the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2020-2021 – with Ubinski working under McConnell the past three seasons. Campanile worked as defensive run-game coordinator/linebackers coach this past season under Green Bay Packer Matt LeFleur, who served as the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2018.
4. He's well-respected with the Vikings. Udinski's reputation in Minnesota is as something of a coaching prodigy. Goessling in November called Udinski "one of the Vikings' most important coaches," detailing how in his third season under O'Connell Udinski had become a mentor to McCarthy and a key assistant to quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. McCarthy in the story lauded Udinski's "photographic memory," and the story detailed how Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillps often instructed McCarthy to "text Grant" when the rookie quarterback was contacting Phillips late at night with questions about the offense. "It would not surprise me if he's on a pretty skyrocketed timeline," O'Connell said, adding that he jokes with Udinski, "When I'm working for you years from now, please go easy on me, no matter how I treat you right now."
5. He's also an outdoors guy. Goessling's story also told of how the Vikings once lost track of Udinski, with "dozens" of texts and voicemails going unanswered one day early in his tenure with the team. Udinski, as it turned out, was hiking in the Rocky Mountains. "When I say he's all football, all the time, I mean it — if he's not hiking a mountain in Colorado," O'Connell said. "And he's not staying in the most luxurious accommodations. He's sleeping on the side of a mountain somewhere. I mean, if we could ever do a day in the life of him when he's not doing football, it would be much more exciting than when he is." Added O'Connell: "He's as unique of a guy as I've ever been around, and I care for him tremendously." Added McCarthy, "The guy's the most interesting man in the world. He should be on a Dos Equis commercial."