While it’s had the appearance of being simple, Michigan’s offense since Jim Harbaugh has arrived has always been complicated. With various formations, movements and multiple moving parts, it’s been difficult to defend.

But it didn’t always take advantages of mismatches the way some other offenses around college football have.

Well, expect that to change, now that Josh Gattis has been hired to lead the Wolverines offensive attack.

The former Alabama co-offensive coordinator has been a part of some of the nation’s most prolific offenses in recent years. The Crimson Tide went from having the nation’s 29th-rated offense to the No. 6 attack in 2018. Before that, Gattis was at Penn State, working under then-coordinator Joe Moorhead, who oversaw the 19th-best offense in 2017.

Now at Michigan, Gattis is excited about leading the charge and overhauling the way that the Wolverines play on the offensive side of the ball. Speaking with Jon Jansen on the IMG In the Trenches podcast, Gattis says that fans can look forward to something entirely different from what they’re accustomed — assuming the players buy into what the staff is selling.

“I’m pretty confident in the fingerprint we’re going to be able to leave,” Gattis said. “We’re going to do it together – this isn’t going to be about Josh Gattis’ offense. This is going to be about Michigan’s offense. The best teams that I’ve been around are all player-led teams. They’re player-driven. This is going to be a fun, exciting brand. Obviously, the fingerprint you saw at the University of Alabama and what we were able to do incorporating some of the RPOs and some of the spread system, you’re going to see a lot of that show up here at the University of Michigan.

“But it’s going to be about the buy-in of our guys. It’s going to be a total new offense. There’s going to be some carry-over as far as terminology, maybe, or concepts. Football is football. But it’s going to be our job as the offensive staff here at the University of Michigan and make sure to put our best skill players in the best position to be successful. We’re going to be great teachers, we’re going to be great developers, but we’re also going to put our players in the best position to be successful. And that’s something that we’re going to take tremendous pride on as an offensive staff.”

Just because it will be a somewhat new system doesn’t mean that it’s going to require a lot of time to install it.

Gattis doesn’t look at it from a stodgy perspective, wanting to run one system while waiting to recruit players who fit it. Actually, he looks at it from the opposite perspective: Michigan already has the players to be successful. So he and the staff can tailor-make an offense to fit the playmakers who are already in Ann Arbor.

“All the pieces are here,” Gattis said. “I’m excited about what we have, the depth we have at the O-line position, the depth we have at tight end. Obviously our quarterback position – our quarterback room is very talented. And also, we have good skill in our running backs and our receivers.

“I truly believe we have all the pieces we need to put this puzzle together. It’s going to be a group deal, it’s going to be a group effort. It’s gonna come with some hard work, some belief and some trust in this offensive coaching staff and the plan we’re going to put in place for them. But ultimately, we’re going to make sure we put these kids in the best position to be successful. If we can do that, we’re going to put Michigan in the best position to win. That’s our ultimate goal.”

So, what will it look like?

By now, you’ve already heard about Gattis’ put #SpeedInSpace philosophy. It will be about that, but that’s not all.

Depending on the players who are in the locker room, Gattis says they will make sure the offense fits the various strengths of the various players. That’s to say, it will be driven by the personnel that Michigan has on campus, and upon the talents of those they recruit to be Wolverines — whatever those talents may be.

But make no mistake: this offense will be balanced. However, the definition of ‘balance’ won’t quite be the same as it was just this past year, Gattis says.

“The way I’ll describe it is it’s going to be our offense – it’s going to be adaptable based on our personnel,” Gattis said. “That’s what we’re gonna be: we’re gonna be personnel driven. By the springtime, as we install the overall offense, we’re going to have the ability to be spread, we’re going to have the ability to line up and play big boy football.

“Obviously, we’re going to put answers on everything to allow our kids to be successful, but if we’ve got multiple wide receivers, we’re going to find a way – as most people have heard me – to get our speed in space. If we’ve got tight ends that step up, and those guys can create mismatches in the run game as far as also in the pass game, we’re going to be playing in 12 personnel. So we’re gonna have the ability to do everything. We’re not gonna just be single-minded and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna force our players to do one thing.’ The neat thing about our offense that I’m bringing is the flexibility among the offense. That’s one of the things that a lot of people saw this past year at the University of Alabama – how well we used our talent.

“And really, when you look at my track record over the past few years, it’s how well we spread the ball around. How much diversity we have on the offensive side. I think that’s what you mean when you say you’re balanced. It’s not so much, ‘Hey, we’re gonna be 50/50 run,’ but we’re going to be balanced and run when we need to run, we’re going to throw when we need to throw. We’re going to be balanced in the number of touches that we distribute among our playmakers. Because ultimately, if we can get our best playmakers the ball, we’re going to be in a position to be successful.”