Back in December, Mike Bajakian was scheming Northwestern’s offense to a 14-7 Las Vegas Bowl victory over Utah.
Now, Bajakian will be joining those same Utes as they head into Big 12 battle.
Utah has reportedly hired Bajakian to its staff as an analyst, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Bajakian spent the past four seasons as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped the Wildcats to an 8-5 finish in 2023 following a horrific 1-11 prior campaign.
In 2020, Bajakian’s unit finished No. 10 in the AP Top 25.
In addition to his work at Northwestern, Bajakian has held offensive coordinating duties at Boston College, Tennessee, Cincinnati and Central Michigan.
He also spent time on a pair of NFL staffs — most recently as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2015-18, but most successfully as a quality control staffer for the Chicago Bears from 2004-06, culminating in an NFC title and Super Bowl appearance in 2006.
Bajakian has been coaching since 1996, and his nearly three decades of experience with quarterbacks will be especially valuable for Utah star Cam Rising along with incoming freshman prospect Isaac Wilson.