The Gattis hire is obviously a big boy move and I'm VERY excited to see how it unfolds.
There's a lot of discussion aiming to understand what does Gattis' offense look like. I don't think we'll have a clear answer on that front (aside from general characterizations such as "Power Spread") because Gattis seems like someone who is adaptable and has worked within frameworks established by the HC and OCs he's worked with, while refining them and ultimately executing them through playcalling on gameday.
So, I think the real question is "What will the offense that Gattis designs for Miami look like when structured for the the unique context of the Miami program and Cristobal's mandates."
I believe the best way to assess this is to look at Mario's time at Alabama (2013-2016) and Gattis' time at Alabama (2018).
Mario was at Alabama when Nick Saban brought in Lane Kiffin to modernize the offense from a plodding ground and pound pro style to one that incorporates modern spread and tempo concepts. So he was there to witness, install, and help coach up this transformation. Gattis was Co-OC and WR Coach at Alabama in 2018 (under Locksley as OC) when the transformational work that was started by Kiffin/Saban at Alabama basically went nuclear.
I enjoyed reading the following article to get a little more background/understanding as to this transformative period for Alabama's offense which both our HC and OC were a part of (and surely took A LOT from):
Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin and the year that changed Alabama football forever
The following are some tidbits from the article of particular note:
I believe the bolded is a core element of Mario's approach at Miami. He wants to emulate Alabama at a programmatic level, which includes approach to offensive scheming. I like to think (hope) that it doesn't mean he will simply try to run Alabama's offense without having all of the monsters Bama has to make it work, but moreso run a tailored offense that will always prioritize having a run game that you can turn to while still seeking to ultimately be as explosive as possible using modern spread concepts.
This excerpt about Saban's annual coaching clinic and his sit down sessions with all the coaches that come through makes me think of Mario's extensive hiring process. I want to hope that he has prioritized doing a capable job of learning from the concepts and philosophies of each of the coaches he sat down with. I also want to hope that Gattis will seek to bring the best of the offensive philosophies and schemes he has worked with throughout his career.
With that being said, one of the key concerns with bringing an offense that is less systemic in nature is it being prone to get too complex and too multiple to the point that it lacks identity, and even worse, becomes too complicated for college kids operating within NCAA restrictions on practice/prep time to master in year 1. If it's a system that takes 2-3 years for the offense to hum than that is a real concern. I think this concern aligns with many who wanted an Air Raid based offense for us--with Air Raid there's a more easily adoptable system that works at the college level.
This is something that I HOPE Gattis, Cristobal, and the offensive staff prioritize--make sure the playbook and system does not become overly burdensome, and as a result, ineffective. From my vantage point, what pro style really means to me is endless complexity and options for what an offense runs.
Enter Gattis. Mario was present and involved in the process for the evolution of the offense and Gattis was present and involved in the process of the offense taking a peak form. This was after Gattis worked as Passing Game Coordinator at Penn State where Joe Moorhead (OC) led the PSU offense to be one of the best in the country in 2017.
Of course, after Alabama Gattis has most recently been in Michigan where he was the OC but working under a HC with an offensive focus. Michigan had their best season under Gattis this past year of course. Some have made a lot of the fact that Harbaugh brought in a QB coach from the Baltimore Ravens system to help further develop their run concepts. I think it's a great thing that Gattis was able to oversee and implement an increasingly sophisticated running attack.
My hope is that Gattis can build off of each of his experiences, and in partnership with Cristobal, Mirabal (legitimately one of the best OL coaches in the nation IMO), and the rest of the staff (would be bad *** if Gattis can bring Sherrone Moore as TE coach/run game coordinator) develop the blue prints for what Miami's offense under Cristobal will look like. With that hope is also a hope that it will be ever evolving and refined by all the coaches that come through while remaining true to core principles and identity.
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