Jeff Grimes is leaving BYU for a spot in the Big 12.
Multiple outlets reported Monday morning that the Cougars’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons has accepted the same position at Baylor, and the school announced it a few hours later.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel was first to report the news on Monday morning.
Hired by BYU to replace Ty Detmer as offensive coordinator after the 2017 season after being the offensive line coach at LSU, Grimes has been a popular name over the past few weeks as a potential head coach or offensive coordinator at a bigger school after he guided one of the best offenses in the country in 2020 and was a finalist for the Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach (former BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian, named over the weekend as Texas’ new head coach, won it).
The Cougars are fourth in the country in points per game, seventh in total yards per game and eighth in passing yards per game. Those numbers are the continuation of steady improvement BYU has had under Grimes after its offense struggled rather mightily under Detmer.
Grimes will be reunited with Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, as the two were together at LSU for the 2016 season, with Aranda as defensive coordinator.
“I am absolutely fired up about joining Coach Aranda’s staff and leading the Baylor offense,” Grimes said in Baylor’s announcement. “I’ve known Dave for years and have always admired him as both a coach and person. There’s tremendous alignment between what Baylor University stands for and who I am at my core. I can’t wait to get back home to the great state of Texas and begin working with the tremendous student-athletes and coaches in the Baylor program. Sic ‘Em!”
Internally for the Cougars, numerous offensive coaches have experience as offensive coordinator elsewhere, including Aaron Roderick, Fesi Sitake and Steve Clark.