Inside Oregon’s football facilities, in the weeks following the 2004 regular season, a 40-year-old Andy Ludwig and Mike Bellotti were deep in conversation.
The Ducks were coming off a 5-6 season that year, and Bellotti, who was in his 10th year as Oregon’s head coach, wanted to revamp his offense to a spread formation, a far cry from Ludwig’s under center style.
“We’re going to switch our offense,” Bellotti remembers telling Ludwig in his office that December. “I hope you’re comfortable with that.”
“I don’t think that I am,” Ludwig replied.
The offensive coordinator’s decision to step down after that did two things, really:
One, it opened the door for Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to bring Ludwig to Salt Lake City for his first stint with the Utes.
Two, it made clear that Ludwig does things his way.
“When you are not successful, you either find ways to reinvent yourself, which sometimes he may not want to do,” Belloti said. “He might believe in what he does and the way he does it, and you then turn to younger players or other players. But yet, sometimes there are seasons where you just know you’re hamstrung because of the lack of personnel at a certain position.”
It’s been weeks since Ludwig, now 60, found himself in a similar situation, leading a struggling offense and ultimately deciding to resign his post.
“Andy is the ultimate team player,” Whittingham told The Tribune. “He’s just a guy that cares far more about the program than he does himself. He just felt that it was in the program’s best interest.
“It was tough. It’s tough, me and Andy have been very close since, gosh, 1987. … It’s the nature of this profession. This profession can be very brutal and it can be very heartless, and it’s just how it is. You have to know that coming in. If you don’t have the stomach for it, you better do something else.”
There’s no question that he will go down as the most successful offensive coordinator of the Whittingham era, having won the 2008 Sugar Bowl, two Pac-12 titles and taken the Utes to back-to-back Rose Bowls.
But as Utah looks at what went wrong and where to turn next, it will have to question whether Ludwig’s style works in this era of college football.
‘Talk about a dude that loves ball’
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig at University of Utah football practice in Salt Lake City on Tuesday March 26, 2019.
Bryson Barnes still has vivid memories of Ludwig strolling into Utah’s quarterback film sessions with a cheesy grin and notes in one hand. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ludwig’s favorite part of the job was studying film, drawing up plays and setting up a game plan.
But, when college football and the world shut down in 2020, he discovered a new love in his profession.
His weekly meetings with Utah’s quarterbacks.
“Talk about a dude that loves the ball,” Barnes told The Tribune. “He’d always come in, and say, ’My favorite part of every day is meeting with you guys.’”
Those small moments defined what Ludwig was like behind the scenes. Barnes recounts times when he, or other quarterbacks in the room, would ask Ludwig about a certain play.
He would then close his eyes, project it in his head, and then would break it down with perfect accuracy.
Ludwig’s dedication to his craft and love for the game fostered the development of his quarterbacks, as they learned the complexities of his playbook.
“It really trickled down into the quarterback room,” Barnes said. “We would watch film and film on end, because that’s what our coach did. We developed that relationship we had because of all the films we all watched.”
Things have since changed drastically since Ludwig was hired by Whittingham for a second time in 2019. Before then, quarterbacks would develop in Ludwig’s system, much like Cam Rising did when transferred from Texas to Utah in 2019 and later became one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
And, when Rising was injured, the Utes had a slew of veterans to fall back on.
But that world is now over.
Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes waves to fans after Utah defeated Southern California 34-32 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Barnes, who was with the Utes since 2021, transferred to Utah State this offseason. Nate Johnson also left for Vanderbilt.
With the transfer portal and NIL, it’s now a plug-and-play environment. Players, especially quarterbacks, can transfer whenever.
With Ludwig’s complex system, the Utes struggled to find consistent success with transfers and an inexperienced backup. Drew Lisk, a former backup Utah quarterback from 2016-2020, can attest to that.
“When you go from expecting to have a seventh-year senior quarterback who’s been in the system for four years leading the team to a walk-on last season or a true freshman this season, that’s a difficult situation,” Lisk told The Tribune. “This year, you kind of get hit with the same thing. But, instead of having a third-year former walk-on with very little experience, it’s a true freshman.”
Barnes saw the complexities of Ludwig’s offense firsthand the summer before he joined the Utes in 2021. Ludwig sent Barnes a 50-page general information packet on the Utes’ offense. He said it took him about a year and a half to become confident with the system before he was ready to play.
“It’s definitely a learning curve because everything is so precise in that offense,” Barnes said. “There’s so many little intricate details that other colleges just don’t really care about and don’t worry about. But, when it comes to Lud’s offense, every little detail matters.”
This season, the burden of understanding Ludwig’s playbook fell on true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson once Rising went down with a season-ending injury. Since then, the freshman has certainly had his fair share of struggles. In six starts this season he’s thrown more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10) this season. He’s also been sacked 18 times in those games.
Those factors, and more, forced Ludwig to resign.
Now Utah’s head coach is searching for an antidote for the times.
“You can’t have a scheme that’s so complicated and so in-depth that it takes a guy two or three years to learn it because you don’t have that time anymore,” Whittingham said. “So, that’s another conversation we’re having, another facet of what we’re doing that needs to be streamlined.”
‘A lot of trust with Andy’
(Eli Rehmer | Utah Athletics) Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, left, and head coach Kyle Whittingham, center, observe Utah football practice Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Outside of the media room at the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center in July, Ludwig pondered on a question posed by a reporter.
“Why stay in Utah for so long?” the reporter asked.
He squinted his eyes for a moment, raised his eyebrows and thought about his answer before replying.
“Why not?” Ludwig said. “I’ve been around the country, and there’s not a better place. There’s some things that are just as good, sure, but I don’t know a better place. I don’t see it.”
A big reason for his answer was Kyle Whittingham. Both Ludwig and Whittingham joined the coaching ranks as graduate assistants at Idaho State in the 1980s, a college located in Pocatello, Idaho.
(Photo courtesy of Idaho State University) Idaho State's 1990 football coaching staff, including Andy Ludwig (front row, left) and Kyle Whittingham, back row).
Then, two decades later, as Whittingham began his legend at Utah, Ludwig joined on to lead his offense from 2004-08 and then again from 2019-24. In his 20-year career, Whittingham has hired 11 different offensive coordinators. But, Ludwig was the most tenured and most successful OC of his career. Together, they won the 2008 Sugar Bowl and a pair of conference championships.
When Ludwig was hired back by his old friend in 2019, he used to joke about being Whittingham’s first offensive coordinator and, hopefully, his last.
“He would kind of joke about it, but I think he was definitely serious,” Lisk said. “I think in a perfect world, he would have gone out whenever Coach Whitt decided to go out. But things happen that are out of your control. That’s not how it worked out.”
Despite criticisms of Whittingham’s handling of the OC position with the Utes, those who worked closest with Ludwig and Whittingham say that there was an ingrained trust between the pair of coaches.
Whittingham would step into meetings, ask what the game plan for the week was and watch film with Ludwig. But, even with his demanding coaching style, there was never an overreach.
“I think there was a lot of trust with Andy because he’s been so successful,” former Utah running backs coach Kiel McDonald told The Tribune. “The coach knows exactly what Andy’s going to do, how he’s going to prepare, how he’s going to hold all the coaches accountable to that standard of what Coach Whitt was looking for.
“He let Andy go ahead and do his deal.”
Former Utah wide receivers coach Guy Holliday was hired in 2016, and was a part of Ludwig’s staff for two seasons. He stepped down from the program in 2021 due to health issues.
He imagines that Ludwig’s decision to resign from the program was, likely, hard for both coaches much like it was with his decision several years ago.
“It was probably one of the hardest things he did,” Holliday said about Whittingham. “He takes no satisfaction in letting someone go, I can tell you that personally, and it weighs on him. He is a good man. But, I can tell you that in that world of football, you don’t have time to think about those types of decisions.”
Holliday says that, while Whittingham is demanding — as he is with all of his coaches and players — he never took over Ludwig’s control of the offense.
“I think the biggest misnomer is that Whitt controls the offense,” Holliday said. “He really doesn’t. He gives the coordinator full autonomy, like any good head coach, he realizes the importance that the offense must marry up to the defense and special teams.”
Whittingham’s trust with Ludwig first-hand against Florida in 2023. As Barnes prepared for Utah’s opening drive, the Ute offensive coordinator made a proposal to the then-junior quarterback.
“Hey, Coach Whitt, wants to take a shot first play,” Ludwig told Barnes before Utah’s drive,” How do you feel about it?”
Barnes responded: “OK, let’s do it.”
The play ended with a 70-yard touchdown on Utah’s first drive.
Communication like that defined Whittingham’s close relationship with Ludwig behind the scenes. He’d make suggestions, and Ludwig would respond. But, not all good things last.
Utah’s head coach provided no comment when asked if he’s spoken with Ludwig since he stepped down.
“Ask him, I don’t want to bring our private lives into it,” Whittingham said. “That’s a no comment on that. You would have to ask him personally and directly.”
Ludwig declined to be interviewed for this story.
(Utah Athletics) Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig observes Utah football practice Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
‘Getting close to being done’
Days before the 2022 Pac-12 Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ludwig could be found meandering in Utah’s hotel lobby.
Bellotti was staying at the same hotel with his former colleague, and just so happened to run into him as he made his way out of the elevator with his wife.
As they talked, Bellotti congratulated Ludwig on his season.
But, it became clear the Utah OC was inching closer to the end of his career than previously imagined.
“He goes ‘Coach, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to do this,’” Bellotti recounted. “He looked like he was worn and stressed. I was surprised, I said, ‘You’re too young for that,’ and he goes, ‘No, no, football is not what it used to be, and it’s, it’s a tough job.’”
That was two years ago, just before Ludwig embarked on the final two seasons of his Utah career.
What followed was back to back seasons of being in the cellar of the Pac-12 and now the Big 12’s offensive statistical categories. A slew of quarterback injuries. Transfers to some of Utah’s key veteran quarterbacks. And, ultimately, a resignation from Whittingham’s longest-tenured offensive coordinator.
“It did surprise me that Andy stepped down mid-season,” Bellotti said. “Maybe it was just the best thing or the easiest thing to do.”
Ludwig has not publicly announced a decision to retire at this moment. He very well could step back into coaching. But, the signs of his career winding down were there all along, especially this season.
“I think this year, it was probably definitely really hard on him,” Utah senior quarterback Luke Bottari told The Tribune. “He’s getting to the later part of his career. I’m sure that was in his head, but I know Lud, he’s a football guy, and that’s all he does. So I’m sure walking away from the game was hard. I’m sure he misses it.”
Barnes added: “He was kind of getting close to being done. But, I mean, there was nothing that would give that away, other than just talk.”
But, even that might be hard for Ludwig to do.
Even in his last moments at Utah, the 60-year-old offensive coordinator was thinking about watching film. After the Utes’ 17-14 loss to TCU, he approached Wilson and the other quarterbacks to plan out the week ahead.
“He talked to the quarterbacks for a second,” Wilson said of Ludwig’s final night as Utah’s offensive coordinator. “He just really wanted to get in there, watch the film, see what we could have done better, really improve with us.”
That never happened, and Ludwig stepped down the very next day.
But, it was only two years ago that the former Utah OC was in consideration for the same job at Notre Dame.
When he declined the job and returned to the Utes, Ludwig made his allegiance known.
“I’m going to finish my football career at Utah,” he said.
According to Bellotti, the veteran offensive coordinator is officially done with coaching. Even if he ended his season early, it was the plan for him to retire after this season was done all along.
“I heard from another mutual friend that he had pretty much decided this would be his last year,” Bellotti said. “It doesn’t surprise me. I think that Andy’s 60 years old, and the game of football has changed.”
Maybe, just maybe, another program knocks on his door once again. Then again, he always used to chat with Barnes about his house in San Diego, spending time with his wife and grandchildren.
That very well could be what he’s doing with his time now.
“I can imagine he is just kind of moving on, opening up a new chapter of life,” Barnes said. “But if anybody knows Andy Ludwig, I don’t think that dude’s gonna get away from the ball. That’s for sure.
“He’s gonna find a way. He’s probably gonna be breaking down film for somebody because that’s just who he is.”
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