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It’s akin to a dance with each move choreographed to perfection in its unique rhythm. This season, Josh Gattis has introduced his defined approach to route-running to Alabama’s receiving corps. With steps such as “quick-feet fire,” “come to balance” and “The Jackson Toe Tap,” Crimson Tide receives are waltzing past defenders at an unprecedented rate.
Alabama boasts five of the SEC’s top eight receivers in terms of yards per catch in Jerry Jeudy (22.56), Jaylen Waddle (20.04), DeVonta Smith (19.48), Henry Ruggs III (17.82) and Irv Smith Jr. (17.23). That production is due in large part to Gattis, who has been able to translate his acute attention to detail during his first season as Alabama’s receiving coach.
“He taught me a lot more about technique,” Jeudy said earlier this season. “Wide receiver is all about (being a) technician and little things. It’s not what you do after the ball; it’s how you get open.”
Before joining Alabama, Gattis served as the receivers coach at Penn State (2014-17) as well as Vanderbilt (2012-13) and Western Michigan (2011). He’s played a part in producing several NFL talents, including Jordan Matthews, Chris Godwin and DaeSean Hamilton, all of whom benefited from his fine-tuned approach to the art of receiving.
“He has terminology for every single release, second-level release, top of the route, speed cut. Whatever it is, he has a term for it,” said Matthews, a receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles who played under Gattis at Vanderbilt. “When he’s breaking down a route, he’s going to be able to talk about what the guy did every step of the route. He’s able to communicate that to guys.
“For example, when he talks to a guy — let's say it’s one-on-one — he’s not just saying, ‘It’s a dig route, go in.’ He’s able to be like ‘If this guy is inside man-press I want you to do a come-to-balance, blade release outside. I want you to give him a nod to the fade, and then square cut underneath.’ When he tells you that it’s like ‘OK, I got it; I know exactly what the assignment is and exactly what I’m supposed to do. He tells you exactly how to win on a route.”
Matthews still maintains a close relationship with his former coach and catches up with him whenever the two are able to cross paths outside of the season. However, those meetings are a bit different now than they were during their time at Vanderbilt.
These days Gattis is quick to praise his former receiver, but Matthews jokes that he can't remember receiving a single compliment from his position coach during his college years. While some coaches aim to serve as a father figure to their players, Gattis wants to be viewed as an older brother, an approach that often comes with a heavy dose of tough love.
Gattis joined Vanderbilt following Matthews’ breakout sophomore season in which he hauled in 41 receptions for 778 yards and five touchdowns. Matthews expected to be showered with praise but experienced a far different response as Gattis took every opportunity he could to bring him back down to earth. The harsh approach yielded spectacular results as Matthews led the SEC in receptions during his junior and senior seasons, finishing his college career as the conference’s all-time leader with 262 catches.
“There was a day where I literally wanted to fight this dude,” Matthews said with a laugh. “Me and Jonathan Krause were back punt returning, and I don’t know what we were doing to make him think we were being casual that day. But he was telling two younger guys, ‘Look, I can get a couple of guys here tomorrow that can take your spots.’ Me and Jon were kind of laughing, and (Gattis) looked at me with a serious face and said, ‘Jordan, what are you laughing at? I’ll get someone to come and take your spot, too.
“Me and him were just staring at each other. He knew how to get under my skin and motivate me. It ended up being the best practice I’ve ever had just because I was so mad. It was a good anger. He just knew how to get that out of us. That type of push, by the time I got to the NFL, it was nothing.”
Matthews, a native of Madison, Ala., has been able to watch a few of Alabama’s games this season and said he sees the patented Gattis form in each of the Crimson Tide’s receivers. He was also able to catch ESPN’s “Rolling with the Tide” series during the preseason where he was blown away by how Gattis has honed his coaching techniques — a sentiment shared by Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
“He has a good understanding of the big picture, offensively,” Saban said. "He's very technical in terms of how he coaches and teaches his players, and they have a good understanding. He has a really good personality, but he's also demanding. He can confront and demand guys when they're not doing things the way they're supposed to do them, and I think that's created a lot of consistency in our receivers and it's also improved their toughness and their mental toughness to sustain."
Another admirer of Gattis is Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead, who will face off against his former colleague this week after spending the past two seasons with him while serving as the offensive coordinator at Penn State. Moorhead called Gattis a “football junkie” and, like Saban, praised him for dedication to the fundamentals and ability to get the best out of his players.
“I think Josh is a rising star in this profession,” Moorhead said during the SEC coaches teleconference last week. “I think he will be a head coach in a very short amount of time.”
Gattis is already making strides towards taking that next step up the coaching ladder. Along with his duties as a receiving coach, he’s also taken on the role of co-offensive coordinator. Assisting offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, he’s played a significant role in an Alabama attack that ranks No. 1 in both scoring offense (51.3 points per game) and total offense (565.6 yards per game). Gattis has also been an asset on the recruiting front, serving as the lead recruiter for 2019 commits Antonio Alfano, John Metchie and Justin Eboigbe.
“This is a guy who gets people,” Matthews said. “He knows how to push you to the limit, but he also knows how to stay in that place where you understand he’s doing it for your best interest. I’m excited to see where he goes as a coach.”
