Mike Bajakian was promoted on Monday to be Utah’s interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Bajakian, who was an offensive analyst, will take over for Andy Ludwig, who resigned on Sunday, according to Utah coach Kyle Whittingham during his weekly press conference.
The Utes have lost three consecutive games and scored only 36 points in those matches.
Whittingham mentioned that Bajakian will have “complete autonomy” in calling plays.
“It will be his show,” Whittingham said.
Bajakian joined Utah this year as an analyst after spending four years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northwestern.
He has also worked as an offensive coordinator at Boston College, Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Central Michigan. Additionally, he was the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2015 to 2018.
Ludwig resigned after Utah’s offense struggled in a 13-7 loss to TCU on Saturday night. The Utes (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) are ranked 14th in scoring offense (24.0 points per game) and 15th in total offense (385.9 yards per game) among Big 12 teams after seven games.
Whittingham said Ludwig, who had two terms as Utah’s offensive coordinator, was not pushed out after spending 10 seasons with the Utes.
“Andy just felt it was time for the offense to hear a new voice,” Whittingham said. “He was at a loss for why we’re in the situation we’re in.”
Bajakian was let go from Northwestern last December and later filed a lawsuit against the university in July, claiming defamation and false information related to a hazing scandal that led to the firing of longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald in July 2023.
During Bajakian’s four years at Northwestern, the Wildcats never ranked higher than ninth in total offense or 10th in scoring offense in the Big Ten.
