The Professor - The Coaching Career of James Xavier

[djp73]

xmen football coach is going to hut that realism score

[Captain Canada]

Head Coach Don Brown looks to revamp his offense overnight with the hiring of Florida-based offensive coordinator James Xavier

UMass taps offensive virtuoso James Xavier as new offensive coordinator

AMHERST, MA -- After finishing this past high school season as one of the biggest names available to leap from the high school ranks to college, Venice High School (FL) head coach James Xavier has been tapped as the new UMass offensive coordinator.

According to insiders, Xavier will sign a one-year contract, a sort of “prove it” deal to see how his offensive talents do in the FBS.

Xavier had been the head coach of the Venice Indians for the past 3 years, most recently leading one of the most explosive high school offenses in the country while leading them to being the third best team in Florida and 18th ranked nationally. One of the hottest coaching prospects, Xavier had been rumored to make the jump for at least the last three coaching cycles.

The 35-year-old Hollywood, Florida native joins Don Brown’s staff in his third season in FBS as head coach of the UMass Minutemen, finishing with a 3-9 record. Brown has been the head coach of UMass since 2022 after a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at Arizona.

Brown was the defensive coordinator for former Michigan and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach John Harbaugh for five seasons where he first encountered Xavier as one of the fastest-growing offensive assistants in the country. Brown coached a top-ten Michigan defense until a fall-off led to his firing. He made his way to a season as Arizona’s defensive coordinator before returning to UMass as head coach.

“Joining Coach Brown here at UMass means a lot to me,” Coach Xavier commented to reporters amidst the news breaking. “Being in Florida was a point of comfort for me and I’m proud of all the work myself and the gentlemen at Venice were able to achieve. But, for my own personal development and the development of my family, it was time to move on to the next challenge.”

Xavier was a four-star dual threat quarterback coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas before committing to the University of Michigan. A devastating knee injury suffered in an unfortunate car accident his freshman season kept him off the field, but a close relationship with former head coach Jim Harbaugh. An impressive pedigree as one of the graduate assistants landed him the surprise job as head coach of one of the powerhouse institutions in the state of Florida.

“Coach Harbaugh put me on when he didn’t have to. That’s the sort of faith and demeanor I have been trying to and will continue to instill into my own coaching philosophy. It is so much more than football when you become a coach and I will make my players at this rank realize that too.”

Xavier is expected to also be one of the leading recruiters for Brown’s staff, extending his pipeline reach to the southeast.

“Getting into those homes and seeing these guys be just people and not just statistics and highlights is important to me. I want them to be able to trust me with their future.”


Coach Xavier’s Coaching History
University of Michigan (2018-2021)
Offensive Assistant
Quarterbacks Coach (2021)

Venice High School (FL) (2021-2023)
Head Coach

[Captain Canada]

xmen football coach is going to hut that realism score

That's Charles Xavier. Let's do better as a community, shall we?

[Soapy]

let's get to Boston College with Billy O

[djp73]

Taisun Phommachanh Is pretty fun to play with in the game. He’s faster and a better runner in the game than he actually is.

[Captain Canada]

let's get to Boston College with Billy O

We can't be switching sides like that

Taisun Phommachanh Is pretty fun to play with in the game. He’s faster and a better runner in the game than he actually is.

He seems fun from the limited time I've played with him. I'm looking forward to seeing how the season goes.

[Captain Canada]

After a few seasons looking for his forever home, quarterback Taisun Phommachanh lands at UMass as Coach Xavier's newest weapon.

UMass’ offense will go as far as James Xavier and Taisun Phommachanh will take it

AMHERST, MA -- If there is one thing that newly acquired offensive coordinator James Xavier has proven since he first stepped foot on campus at the University of Massachusetts, it's that he knows how to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

“Coach [Xavier] knows how to speak our language,” commented senior wide receiver Jakobie Keeley-James. “There isn’t this seemingly invisible gap between us as players and him as a coach like you sometimes get. He’s so youthful and energized and he talks to you like more than just a piece on a chess board. It’s refreshing more than anything.”

It’s not unusual to see Coach Xavier pick up the pigskin in practice and physically show his quarterbacks the mannerisms he wants them to adopt to best utilize the offense he’s installing. He’s understanding that what he’s putting in may be complex and hard to pick up. He doesn’t care much.

The Pro-Style offense being installed revolves around a lot of movement at the line of scrimmage and exploiting poor matchups. Coach Xavier is relying on an offensive line that isn’t as battle-tested as he would like to stand tall and give his quarterback time to read the plays. He isn’t drawing it out to make it easy for the quarterback and that is just the way he wants it to be.

“I’m a big believer in what I’m doing and I have put the hours of blood, sweat, and tears into this proven science,” said Coach Xavier at one of his first on-field press conferences after the conclusion of training camp. “The guys that get it and buy into the system and trust the madness will be seeing the field. It’s more than brawn and athleticism here. You need to be able to think.”

The incumbent and widely expected starter under center is fifth-year senior Taisun Phommachanh and he is excited to get under way.

“He comes into the room excited to talk about football and how we can get better as a group. He talks to you like an actual person and his energy is infectious. He makes you want to make it work and he motivates you better than anyone.”

Quarterback
Current Roster: #3 Taisun Phommachanh (Rs/Sr, 6'4", 220lbs), #5 Ahmad Haston (Rs/Fr, 6'0", 200lbs), #8 A.J. Hairston (Fr, 6'3", 215lbs), #9 Ryan Jankowski (Rs/Jr, 6'3", 210lbs), #13 Will Perry (Fr, 6’2”, 195 lbs)
Analysis: Phommachanh is in the midst of his third stop after stints with Clemson and Georgia Tech. He, along with the rest of the offense, struggled last season and hopes that Coach Xavier can get the most out of the quarterback in his final collegiate season. His ability to extend plays with his legs and throw off platform is something the offense will look to explore. Haston is the QB in waiting with a similar skillset to Phommachanh.

Running Back
Current Roster: #21 Jalen John (Rs/Jr, 5’11”, 220 lbs), #33 C.J. Hester (SO, 5’11”, 195 lbs), #32 Jackson Paradis (Rs/So, 6’0”, 225 lbs), #30 Cookie Desiderio (Rs/Fr, 6’1”, 225 lbs), #22 Da’Marion Alberic (Fr, 5’10”, 180 lbs), #25 Donta Whack (Rs/So, 6’0”, 205 lbs), #24 Trace Pullen (So, 5’9”, 183 lbs)
Analysis:John is a bowling ball when it comes to how he loves to drop the shoulder and run through defenders. The team will be looking to him to pace the offense and convert on short distance situations. C.J. Hester is a pretty good compliment catching out of the backfield. Jackson Paradis, in his second season with the team, will see a few carries this season.

Wide Receiver
Current Roster: #11 Jakobie Keeney-James (Rs/Sr, 6’1”, 195 lbs), #10 T.Y. Harding (Rs/So, 5’9”, 180 lbs), #4 Sterling Galban (Rs/Sr, 5’10”, 170 lbs), #7 Frank Ladson Jr. (Rs/Sr, 6’3”, 200 lbs), #2 Jacquon Gibson (Rs/So, 5’11”, 195 lbs), #6 Keshawn Brown (Rs/Jr, 5’8”, 160 lbs), #23 Jimmie Bartow (Fr, 6’4”, 208 lbs), #82 Kenyon Massey (Fr, 5’10”, 180 lbs), #17 Dallas Elliott (Rs/So, 6’2”, 180 lbs), #12 Sam Staruch (Rs/Jr, 6’1”, 180 lbs), #14 Kezion Dia-Johnson (Fr, 6’0”, 185 lbs)
Analysis: Keeney-James is playing to prove that he’ll be just as good at playing on Sundays as he is playing on Saturdays and no doubt playing in Xavier’s Pro Style offense will help him get the ball in advantageous spots. Harding will play on the other side as the resident speedster and the great route-running Galban will see time in the slot. The downside is there isn’t any remarkable size on the outside, so the receivers will have to rely on being schemed open rather than making contested catches.

Tight End
Current Roster: #81 Dominick Mazotti (Rs/Sr, 6’4”, 250 lbs), #80 Matt Smith (Rs/Sr, 6’5”, 245 lbs), #0 Jaelyn Lay (Rs/Sr, 6’6”, 265 lbs), #16 Noah Staples (Rs/Jr, 6’3”, 230 lbs), #85 Magnus Von Saldern (Rs/So, 6’4”, 285 lbs), #87 Owen Anderson (So, 6’4”, 255 lbs)
Analysis: A trio of receiving tight ends helps improve the offensive outlook, led by Mazotti and his incredible ability to create separation in man coverage situations. The downside is that all three of the starters are in their last season and the team will have to quickly refill the cabinet through recruiting. In this new offense, the expectation is that some of these guys will slide into a lead blocker sort of role.

Offensive Tackle
Current Roster: #63 Brayden Rohme (Rs/Sr, 6’6”, 300 lbs), #79 Ryan Mosesso (Rs/Sr, 6’5”, 305 lbs), #75 Tanner Burlingame (Fr, 6’5”, 305 lbs), #65 Luke Painton (Rs/Sr, 6’7”, 320 lbs), #77 Jaxon King (Jr, 6’7”, 310 lbs)
Analysis: Rohme and Painton are expected to man the starting spots in a rotation that isn’t too deep. The benefit is that most of these guys have experience playing the opposite spot, so injuries shouldn’t be an issue considering they can cover each other. King expects to slot into the left tackle spot next season and garner some NFL attention. This will be a position of need next season.

Offensive Guard
Current Roster: #72 Ethan Mottinger (Sr, 6’5”, 315 lbs), #57 Paul Tchio (Rs/Jr, 6’5”, 305 lbs), #54 Mao Glynn II (Jr, 6’3”, 305 lbs), #55 Benjamin Roy Jr. (Jr, 6’2”, 295 lbs), #66 Wyatt Terlaak (Rs/Jr, 6’4”, 335 lbs), #73 Brock Taylor (Fr, 6’3”, 315 lbs)
Analysis: Depth is hard to manage here with Mottinger already playing on his off side to cover a weak left guard spot. Roy Jr. will start on the right side and the trenches will certainly need to be built up through recruitment. Not a place of strength for UMass, which will have to change sooner rather than later.

Center
Current Roster: #60 Josh Atwood (Sr, 6’2”, 325 lbs), #64 Peyton Miller (Rs/Fr, 6’3”, 310 lbs)
Analysis: Limited depth and talent at this position as well. Atwood is in his last season with the Minutemen and Coach Xavier will certainly need to go over this position during the off-season. Miller doesn’t have the most talent or technique compared to Atwood but does have the size and physicality to replace him if need be.

[djp73]

What are your goals for this dynasty with CFB26 on the horizon?

[Captain Canada]

What are your goals for this dynasty with CFB26 on the horizon?

Don't really foresee CFB26 affecting the longevity of this franchise since it doesn't really change issue to issue like a Madden or a 2k changes the landscape of things year-by-year. I'll play this until I want to move on from it. We'll see how many seasons I can grind out until summer hits.

[The JZA]

Don't really foresee CFB26 affecting the longevity of this franchise since it doesn't really change issue to issue like a Madden or a 2k changes the landscape of things year-by-year. I'll play this until I want to move on from it. We'll see how many seasons I can grind out until summer hits.

#TheLongGame