Utah names Mike Bajakian as interim offensive coordinator

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Mike Bajakian was named Utah's interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Monday.

Bajakian, an offensive analyst, will replace Andy Ludwig, who resigned Sunday, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in his weekly news conference.

The Utes have lost three straight games while scoring a total of 36 points.

READ MORE: Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resigns after three-game losing streak

Whittingham said Bajakian will have “complete autonomy” in game selection.

“It will be his show,” Whittingham said.

Bajakian came to Utah this year as an analyst after spending four seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northwestern.

Bajakian also served as offensive coordinator at Boston College, Tennessee, Cincinnati and Central Michigan. He also served as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2015 to 2018.

Ludwig resigned after Utah's offense bottomed out in a 13-7 loss to TCU on Saturday night. The Utes (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) rank 14th in total offense (24.0 ppg) and 15th in total offense (385.9 ppg) among Big 12 teams through seven games .

Whittingham said Ludwig, who was serving his second term as Utah's offensive coordinator, was not forced to leave after 10 seasons with the Utes.

“Andy just felt like it was time for the offense to hear a new voice,” Whittingham said. “He didn’t know why we were in the situation we were in.”

Bajakian was fired by Northwestern last December and then filed a lawsuit against the university in July, alleging defamation and spreading false information in connection with a hazing scandal in the Wildcats' football program that led to the firing of longtime head coach Pat in July 2023 Fitzgerald led.

In Bajakian's four seasons at Northwestern, the Wildcats never ranked higher than ninth in total offense or 10th in total offense in the Big Ten.

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