By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
As exciting as it is for new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital to get acclimated, there’s no time to waste.
Spavital — who was named Baylor football’s offensive coordinator on Thursday — was formally introduced in a press conference with head coach Dave Aranda on Monday at McLane Stadium. Spavital said these last couple of days have been like drinking out of a fire hose.
“It’s hard to actually put faces with names right now, but eventually that’s going to slow down and I’m going to get that,” Spavital said.
.@BUFootball coach Dave Aranda introducing his new OC Jake Spavital. pic.twitter.com/rfJGYwgoRg
— Matt Mosley (@mattmosley) December 4, 2023
The former Texas State head coach (2019-22) spent last year as the offensive coordinator at Cal before making his way to Waco. Spavital’s hiring came after former offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes was fired on Nov. 26.
Aranda said he’s looking for “excitement, creativity and explosiveness” on the offensive end under Spavital. The fourth-year head coach added that he wants the offense to become balanced and be a fun, high-scoring attack.
“I think all that is there; it’s present in Jake’s system,” Aranda said. “The day that it broke and prior to the announcement, [I was] going around [and] checking in on just the office, kind of doing the walk around, and there [were] guys hidden away in all of our meeting rooms watching his film.
“There’s an excitement there that you can see the variation and the freedom within the scheme, and they’re excited to kind of throw themselves into it, so I’m excited for them.”
Baylor’s offense will shift from Grimes’ wide zone scheme to a spread up-tempo attack. Spavital has run the spread since his early coordinator days at Texas A&M (2013-15), and he coached under Dana Holgorsen — one of the originators of the air raid attack.
The wide zone is more a pro-style attack that’s based on a horizontal motion by the offensive lineman, which opens running lanes and sets up play-action passes. Spavital’s spread is different, as it’s something Baylor fans are used to from the Art Briles era.
It features a lot of downhill running, vertical shots down the field and a “quick game” that can utilize perimeter screen passing plays. Spavital said it’s fast-paced and that his players can play freely and find success without having to be next-level athletes.
“I always try to take around 10 shots vertically down the field a game,” Spavital said. “That’s like the goal that I’m always trying to hit.”
That, paired with the downhill running and quick passing game, makes it “very tough to defend,” according to Spavital.
Spavital has coordinated offenses that ranked among the nation’s top 30 in FEI in five of six years between West Virginia, Cal and Texas A&M, including a No. 10 mark in 2018 at WVU. The Aggies ranked No. 2 in FEI under Spavital in 2013.
This past season, Spavital gave a spark to the Golden Bears’ offense, as it ranked in the top four in rushing offense (181.1 yards per game) in 2023 and averaged 31.6 points per game. With Spavital’s help, Cal became bowl eligible for the first time in four seasons.
After a 3-9 season in which the Bears finished tied for 95th in the country in scoring offense (23.1 points per game), Spavital has had to step in and get to work right away. Despite Baylor’s struggles on the offensive end in 2023, Spavital said he doesn’t have to turn the offense around and that there’s enough in place to succeed right away.
“I just think I’m here to help with this offensive side of the football,” Spavital said. “There will be a lot of moving and shaking, as I’ve said, over the next month. But once it solidifies down, we’ll have a pretty good direction on where we’re going to go from a personnel standpoint.”
Spavital, who’s recruited and worked with several elite college and future NFL quarterbacks, added that the quarterback position is the “key to success.” Redshirt junior quarterback Blake Shapen — Baylor’s starter for the last two seasons — officially entered the transfer portal on Monday, so Spavital said that will be a position to fill in the transfer portal if the staff can’t convince Shapen to stay.
#Baylor QB Blake Shapen is officially in the portal now, according to 247Sports. https://t.co/Hz8MOHuGgS
— Michael Haag (@MichaelHaag_) December 4, 2023
Redshirt sophomore backup quarterback Sawyer Robertson would be in line to fill Shapen’s shoes if the 2022-23 starter does join another program. Junior quarterback RJ Martinez is the only other slinger on the roster who saw action in 2023.
With the transfer portal window officially open for all athletes as of Monday, Spavital said the process of retooling the offense is well underway. He and Aranda are also bracing for the early signing period, which begins for high school recruits on Dec. 20.
And while Spavital is set to take the reins of the offense, Aranda will take over play-calling duties on the defensive end. Matt Powledge will still hold the title of defensive coordinator after his first season in Waco, but Aranda will add to his responsibilities by being more hands-on with that group.
Aranda said hiring Spavital will help in that regard, as Spavital’s head coaching background can aid in day-to-day responsibilities.
“His just appreciation for all the entanglements, all of the things that aren’t necessarily at issue but can be affected down the line,” Aranda said. “Things that, there [are] rabbit holes that we always have to go into and which rabbit holes are important right now, which ones we can punt for later.
“I think when there is a broader vision at one point that stays with you when you’re focused on detail and focused on the immediate, and so he has that. And so when I’m away, he can come with that type of vision for that offensive room and kind of what comes out of it.”
