Duke football head coach Manny Diaz has made the first step in filling out his staff.
Jonathan Brewer, the previous co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at SMU, was named as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Blue Devils Tuesday, just under two weeks after an initial report by ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Brewer’s direct connection with Diaz comes from Miami, where he was an offensive analyst in 2020 and 2021 when Diaz was the head coach. The Hurricanes improved dramatically in many categories, including total offense, passing offense and red-zone offense.
Brewer was an offensive analyst at SMU and coached various positions before following offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee — the current Mustang head coach — to Miami. Brewer returned to SMU after two years at Miami, serving as quarterbacks coach in 2022 and offensive coordinator for the 2023 season.
The Mustangs’ offenses have been prolific under Brewer, particularly in his first season as quarterbacks coach, when SMU had the seventh-ranked passing offense in the country. He coached current Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who set numerous program records and threw for 33 touchdowns in 2021.
This year, the Mustangs had the 14th-ranked total offense in the country, averaging 465.5 yards per game. Prior to his stints in Dallas, Brewer had been on Lashlee’s staff at UConn and Auburn as well.
Brewer replaces Kevin Johns, who has been the offensive coordinator at Duke for the last two years.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity sophomore and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.