3/15/2024 football Edit

UConn Football promotes O-Line coach Gordon Sammis to Offensive Coordinator

Richard O'Leary • UConnReport

Publisher

UConn Football's search for their next Offensive Coordinator didn't last too long, as it was announced via multiple reports today that offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Gordon Sammis will be leading the offense this season.

Sammis who is a Flemington, New Jersey native, is now entering his third season with the program and has now moved up the ranks in each of those seasons. When he joined the staff in 2022, he was the offensive line coach then got a title bump prior to 2023 as the run-game coordinator and now entering the 2024 season, he is now the Offensive Coordinator.

Since joining the Huskies, Sammis played a major role in reshaping the offensive line room and helped soon to be NFL Draft pick Christian Haynes earn All-American status from both the Associated Press and Sporting News in 2023. However this past year the offense as a whole took a bit of a dip, so he will have his work cut out for him a bit as they try to rebuild a bit.

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Here’s his full bio via UConnHuskies.com

Gordon Sammis begins his second season on head coach Jim Mora’s staff in 2023. Sammis will continue as the Huskies offensive line coach and will add run game coordinator to his duties this season.

In his first season at UConn last fall, Sammis led a unit that helped the Huskies rank 33rd in the nation in rushing offense averaging 191.0 yards per game. In the passing game, the UConn offensive line was 29th in the NCAA in sacks allowed, allowing just 1.38 per game. Under his guidance, offensive guard Christian Haynes was named to the Associated Press and Sporting News All-American teams, becoming just the third Husky in the FBS era to garner All-American honors

Sammis came to UConn after spending the previous three seasons in the same role at William & Mary, where he was the team’s run game coordinator during the last two years. During the 2021 season William & Mary led the CAA in rushing yards with 203.7 yards per game, nearly 30 yards per game more than Stony Brook, which finished second in rushing yards per contest.

In 2020, Sammis’ unit posted a successful year and was responsible for much of the offensive production. Left tackle Andrew Trainer highlighted the group’s individual accolades and earned second-team all-conference honors.

“Gordie Sammis is a great fit for our football program,” head coach Jim Mora said. “He is hard-working, caring, and has a track record of helping student-athletes realize and reach their potential. I know he will make a positive impact on our team, and specifically our offensive line.”

Under Sammis’ direction, the Tribe’s offensive line was a catalyst for W&M’s tremendous improvement in 2019. In addition to nearly doubling its scoring output compared to 2018, W&M averaged nearly 100 more total yards per game than it did in the season prior to Sammis’ arrival. The offensive line’s play was especially effective in boosting the Tribe’s rushing attack, which increased its production on the ground by more than 130 yards per game and scored 21 more rushing touchdowns than the squad’s 2018 figures.

Additionally, the Tribe’s 26 rushing touchdowns was just one shy of breaking into the program’s single-season top-10 list, while its 462 rushing yards in the win against Rhode Island set a single-game school record.

“I am excited to join Coach Mora’s staff and can’t wait to become a part of the UConn community,” Sammis said. “The future of UConn football is bright and I’m looking forward to working with a great group of student-athletes and coaches.”

Sammis completed a successful two-year stint as the offensive line coach at Lafayette College prior to joining W&M’s staff. Under his direction, the Leopards ranked first in the Patriot League in fewest sacks allowed and fewest tackles for a loss allowed. Additionally, he mentored a pair of all-conference selections, including first-team honoree Jake Marotti.

Prior to his tenure at Lafayette, Sammis spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the offensive line coach at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) where he was responsible for the running game and pass protection plans for a tempo run-pass option offense. From year one to year two at VMI, the offensive line improved its number of sacks allowed by seven.

Sammis spent time as the tight ends coach and offensive line coach at Columbia University from 2012-14. He served as the program's recruiting coordinator all three seasons.

A 2007 University of Virginia graduate, Sammis earned a degree in government after a playing career as an offensive guard that spanned from 2003-07.

Sammis returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant coach from 2010-12, earning a master's degree in education in 2012. He worked as an offensive line assistant during his first season and with the tight ends the following year.

A native of Flemington, N.J., Sammis was a standout at Immaculata High School.