Football
- Title:
- Wide Receivers
University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has promoted Garrick McGee to the position of full-time assistant coach, as announced on Jan. 17th. McGee, who will work with the Tiger wide receivers, served the 2018 season on Odom’s staff as a senior offensive analyst, and later took over coaching the Tiger tight end group on an interim basis for Mizzou’s appearance in the 2018 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Details of McGee’s contract with Mizzou will be released pending completion of the human resources process.
McGee joined the Mizzou staff prior to the 2018 season as senior offensive analyst. In that role, McGee aided Mizzou's potent offensive attack with advance scouting of opposing defenses, where he helped break down video and provided initial direction for the coaches to design game plans and strategies. His work helped the Tiger offense develop into one of the nation’s top units, as Mizzou finished the 2018 ranked 13th nationally (third in the SEC) in total offense (481.8 yards per game) and 18th nationally (third in the SEC) in scoring (36.6 points per game).
Prior to Mizzou’s bowl game, McGee was named interim position coach for the Tiger tight ends, and senior TE Kendall Blanton (Blue Springs, Mo.) had a productive day, catching a career-high four passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
“I’m really pleased and excited to be able to retain Garrick as part of our staff,” said Odom. “He is very deserving of this opportunity, as he’s proven himself all throughout his career to be an outstanding coach and mentor of young men. The work he did with our staff last season was clearly impactful, and I thought it was really impressive with how seamless his transition was back to coaching when we asked him to take over our tight ends for the bowl game. Garrick is going to be a great addition to our offensive staff, and I am pleased to keep him and his wife Tiffany and sons as part of our Mizzou family. Garrick had some other opportunities on the table, so keeping him here at Mizzou was important,” he said.
McGee said that his year spent with the Mizzou staff gave him an appreciation for the culture Odom and his staff are building.
“This past year as part of Coach Odom’s staff showed me that I fit with his culture here at Mizzou, and I’m very appreciative of having the opportunity to continue to be part of it,” said McGee. “I have great admiration for how Coach Odom runs his program, top to bottom, and the focus on the everyday development of the kids. That has always been one of the most important things to me about our roles as coaches – we are here to develop and mentor the kids, and in my opinion, Coach Odom does the best job I have ever seen with this aspect. I really enjoyed being part of Coach Dooley’s staff this year, and was impressed with the chemistry and culture within the building. Having the chance to continue to work with the entire offensive staff and these young men is very exciting to me,” he said.
McGee came to Mizzou with a wealth of experience at all levels of the game, as he previously had stops as a college head coach, as well as an offensive coordinator at four different Power Five schools. He joined Mizzou after spending the 2016-17 seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Illinois. He previously served as an offensive coordinator for Northwestern, Arkansas and Louisville, and was the head coach at UAB for two years (2012-13). He also spent two years in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was a quality control assistant under Tom Coughlin from 2000-01.
McGee’s Louisville offense averaged 28.7 points per game and 416.1 yards per game in 2015, a year after the Cardinals scored 30+ points eight times and passed for 3,276 yards with McGee as offensive coordinator. He joined Bobby Petrino’s staff at Louisville after spending two seasons at UAB and four at Arkansas, where he also worked under Petrino.
McGee helped Arkansas to final rankings of No. 12 in 2010 and No. 5 in 2011 during his two years as offensive coordinator for the Razorbacks. A year after leading Arkansas to a 10-3 record and the school’s first BCS appearance in program history in 2010, McGee turned the Razorbacks into one of the most efficient offenses in the country in 2011. Arkansas led the Southeastern Conference in total offense and ranked No. 29 nationally at 438.1 yards per game, while scoring 40+ points on six occasions. The Razorbacks finished the year with a 29-16 win over No. 11 Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, before having three offensive players selected in the NFL Draft.
McGee was influential in the development of quarterback Ryan Mallet at Arkansas. The former Michigan transfer broke 45 school records and was just the third SEC quarterback to surpass 3,500 yards passing in consecutive seasons.
Before departing Arkansas for the UAB head job, McGee was a finalist for the 2011 Broyles Award, presented to the nation’s top assistant coach.
Prior to his time at Arkansas, McGee spent four seasons (2004-07) at Northwestern, including the final two as offensive coordinator. Using the spread offense, McGee’s 2007 offense led the Big Ten and was No. 11 in the nation in passing (307.9 yards per game), while leading the Big Ten and ranking No. 31 in total offense (427.7 yards per game).
McGee attended Booker T. Washington High in Tulsa and played for his father, the late Larry McGee. He played at Arizona State in 1991 and 1992 and went to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in 1993 before transferring to Oklahoma.
McGee earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma in 1996, where he played two seasons and ended his career fourth on OU’s career passing yards list (2,449 yards). He was voted the Big Eight Newcomer of the Year by the league’s coaches in 1994.
McGee and his wife, Tiffany, have two sons, Cameron, and Grant.
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Garrick McGee File
Coaching History:
2018 – Mizzou – Tight Ends (Interim for Liberty Bowl)
2018 – Mizzou – Senior Offensive Analyst
2016-17 – Illinois – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2014-15 – Louisville – Associate Head coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2012-13 – UAB – Head Coach
2010-11 – Arkansas – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2008-09 – Arkansas – Quarterbacks
2006-07 – Northwestern – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2004-05 – Northwestern – Wide Receivers
2003 – UNLV – Wide Receivers
2002 – Toledo – Wide Receivers
2000-01 – Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) – Quality Control
1999 – Northern Iowa – Wide Receivers
1996-98 – Langston – Assistant Coach
Bowl Games:
Mizzou (1) – Liberty, 2018.
Louisville (2) – Music City, 2015; Belk, 2014.
Arkansas (3) – Cotton, 2012; Sugar, 2011; Liberty, 2010.
Northwestern (1) – Sun, 2005.
Toledo (1) – Motor City, 2002.
Playing Experience:
1994-95 – Oklahoma – Quarterback
1993 – Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – Quarterback
1991-92 – Arizona State – Quarterback
Education:
1996 – Oklahoma – Sociology
Family:
Wife - Tiffany; Sons – Cameron and Grant.
Birthdate:
April 6, 1973.
