By Ernie Gonzalez (@superego1012):
After one season as offensive coordinator with San Jose State football, Andrew Sowder has decided to leave for Kent State, originally broken by Sports Illustrated.
Sowder cemented the rumors with a Twitter post Friday morning, writing the following:
“I want to thank Coach Brennan, his family, and the staff for the opportunity to coach at San Jose State University. It was an incredible experience and Coach [Brent] Brennan was amazing to work for! I also want to thank the players for their hard work and fighting to the end. I love you guys!”
After showing gratitude to SJSU, Sowder continued by showing his thrill for his future.
“I have accepted the offensive coordinator position at Kent State University and can’t wait to get things going with Sean Lewis and the amazing staff he is putting together!”
The youngest Division I offensive coordinator will once again merge with head coach Sean Lewis, after working with him at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green from 2012 to 2015, which included a Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship with the BGSU Falcons in 2015.
Lewis was named head coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes Wednesday, and it didn’t take long for Lewis to contact Sowder. Sports Illustrated first reported that Sowder was “expected” to join Lewis Thursday morning.
Lewis is now the youngest FBS head coach in the nation at age 31, but will still be older than Sowder, who was the youngest coordinator in college football last season.
The 29-year old former SJSU offensive coordinator was responsible for a bottom-10 ranked offense, which averaged 318.1 ypg and scored just 21 touchdowns in its 13-game season.
WHO WILL TAKE OVER?
As for who will fill Sowder’s shoes for the Spartans in 2018, it’s too early to tell. It isn’t too early to take an educated guess, however.
Ryan Otten, a former SJSU tight end who bounced around a few NFL teams practice squads seems like a perfect fit, at least from the outside looking in.
Otten, San Jose State’s all-time leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns for a tight end played under Brennan in 2009 and 2010.
A big plus with Otten is that he brings experience at the college level tight end position, something Sowder never had since he was also in charge of tight ends.
Junior tight end Josh Oliver caught 35 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown, which was subpar to what his expectations were entering last season, especially considering his built.
Putting emphasis on a position that lacked in 2017, but helped lead the Spartans to a bowl game in 2015 should be the goal.
Former tight end Billy Freeman had 48 receptions for 586 yards and six touchdowns as a junior three seasons ago, something the Spartans should base themselves off of.
If Brennan and the coaching staff can buckle down to find someone who will immediate impact at the tight end position, as well as having a complete understanding of Brennan’s offensive game plan (something Otten already has), the OC job-search should be short.
Another thing Otten brings: Youth, something Brennan and his staff seem to like. He’s only 27.