Arkansas officially hires Dan Enos as new offensive coordinator
Arkansas' newest offensive coordinator is a familiar name for Hog fans, as Dan Enos was officially announced as the new play caller for the Razorbacks on Thursday.
Enos will team up with Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman for the second time in Fayetteville, as the pair coached together for the Hogs during the 2015 season under then-head coach Bret Bielema with Pittman as the offensive line coach and Enos as the offensive coordinator.
The announcement comes a day after former Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles reportedly accepted the same position at TCU, but that news is not official yet. After Briles' saga with potentially leaving for Mississippi State earlier in the month, it seems as if Pittman had another option in Enos ready to go.
Enos served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Arkansas from 2015-17 and he did the same at Maryland for the past two seasons. Since his time at Arkansas, Enos has made stops at Alabama (Assistant HC/QB, 2018), Miami (OC/QB, 2019), Cincinnati (Associate HC/RB, 2020) and Maryland (2021-present).
In 2022, the Maryland offense ranked 55th nationally in total offense, 67th in scoring offense, 40th in passing offense and 82nd in rushing offense. One key stat is that Maryland's red zone offense ranked No. 21 in the nation, as the Terrapins scored on 89.6% of their red zone possessions.
Enos helped develop Taulia Tagovailoa during his time at Maryland, and Tagovailoa set seven single-season Maryland records in 2021, including program-high marks for passing yards (3,860), completions (328), completion percentage (69.2) and passing touchdowns (26 – ties school record). Maryland's 2021 offense also set a number of school records, including total yards (5,740), passing yards (3,960), completions (339) and completion percentage (69.3%).
In the 2020 season, Enos served as the Cincinnati Bearcats’ associate head coach and running backs coach. They went 9-1 during the pandemic-shortened season, winning the American Athletic Conference. Cincinnati's offense ranked top 25 nationally in nearly every offensive category, including rushing offense (212.4 yards/game) and points per game (37.5).
In 2018, Enos coached current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, brother of Taulia, at Alabama. Tua completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,966 yards and 43 TDs, while setting an all-time FBS single-season passer rating mark (199.44) in 2018.
During his time at Arkansas, the Hogs were one of two FBS programs with a 3,000-yard passer and 1,300-yard rusher in both 2015 and 2016, featuring a different quarterback and different running back carrying the load in each season.
Enos' 2015 offense ranks 3rd in program history in total yards in a season (6,051), and his 2016 offense ranks 8th (5,569). The 2015 group — the year in which Enos and Pittman overlapped — ranked No. 1 in the nation with an 88.4 efficiency rating, according to ESPN's College Football Power Index.
Enos and Pittman overlapped in Fayetteville during the 2015 season before Pittman moved to be the offensive line coach at Georgia in 2016. That season, Arkansas' offense ranked No. 1 in the nation with an 88.4 efficiency rating, according to ESPN's College Football Power Index. That offense also set the school record for touchdowns with 62, averaging 35.9 points per game (6th all-time at Arkansas) while rushing for 2,565 yards and passing for 3,486 yards.
During the 2015 season, Brandon Allen was first in the SEC in passing yards per attempt (9.3) and passing efficiency. Allen set three school records, including the career mark for touchdown passes with 64 and the single-game record for touchdown passes in a game with seven against Mississippi State.
Before coming to Arkansas in 2015, Enos was the head coach at Central Michigan for five seasons. In each of his final two seasons at CMU, Enos helped the Chippewas rank in the top half of the MAC in passing efficiency, third down conversion percentage and time of possession.
Enos, who is 54-years-old, will be Arkansas' fourth new assistant coach, joining co-defensive coordinators Travis Williams and Marcus Woodson and new tight ends coach Morgan Turner. Arkansas also still has a defensive assistant coach position to fill in the wake of former cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman moving on.
Dan Enos coaching career
1991-93: Michigan State - Graduate Assistant
1994-95: Lakeland College - OC/QB/WR
1996: Northern Michigan - OC/RB
1997-98: Southern Illinois - QB/WR
1999: Missouri State - OC/QB
2000-02: Western Michigan - Quarterbacks
2003: North Dakota State - OC/QB
2004-05: Cincinnati - Quarterbacks
2006: Michigan State - Quarterbacks
2007-09: Michigan State - Running Backs
2010-14: Central Michigan - Head Coach
2015-17: Arkansas - OC/QB
2018: Alabama - Assistant HC/QB
2019: Miami (FL) - OC/QB
2020: Cincinnati - Associate HC/RB
2021-: Maryland - OC/QB