Joe Dailey New Mexico Lobos New Offensive Coordinator Takes The Reins

Get to know the new Lobos coach

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What will be different about this offense?

Joe Dailey a former Nebraska option quarterback is set to take over the offense at New Mexico as the Lobos’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach, this coming after a long stint working for Turner Gill at Liberty.

At Liberty, he was on Turner Gill’s staff at Liberty since 2012, first serving as quarterbacks’ coach before becoming the offensive coordinator in 2014

He has an amazing story: how this young man from the East Coast who was born in New York, raised in New Jersey would eventually end up at New Mexico coaching the Lobos.

His mother and biological father were horsemen growing up and he was raised by his stepfather Rich Hansen.

His Stepfather was Rich Hansen, a football coach, and athletic director who came into Dailey’s life at the age of eight or nine.

“He took me in as one of his own even though my mom and him had no relationship. I was best friends with his son,” Dailey said. “He then adopted me into his family at the age of 12 or 13. He even had four kids already. I was privileged to raise as one of his five kids, I was adopted.”

Coach Bob Davie had a wide-ranging press conference on the start of Fall Camp on free (spoiler alert, fans are invited to come out and watch practice once again during camp!). We start at 10 am Friday! #GoLoboshttps://t.co/p5gzGK2Zyl — New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) July 30, 2019

Hansen is a New Jersey legendary coach to this day and the head football coach at St Peters Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey, an all-boys Catholic school.



“My offensive philosophy really started with my upbringing, being the step son of a high school football coach,” Dailey said of his experience.

Football has been a part of Dailey’s since he was very young man.

Coach Bob Davie must have seen something about Dailey’s offense at Liberty that got his attention when the Flames played the Lobos last year at DreamStyle Stadium in Albuquerque.

Dailey’s offense torched the Lobos for 568 yards and scored 52 points against the Lobos in September, to pull out the road win for the Flames.

When asked by a local Albuquerque radio show as to how he ended up with the Lobo program after a very successful year as the Flames offensive coordinator.

“Coach Davie reached out to me in regard to my philosophy with the game of football specifically in regard to offense and my thoughts on the future of college football on offense going forward,” Dailey said.

“I shared my thoughts and what I wanted to do and two or three days later I am here in Albuquerque and next thing you know I am hired as the Lobos new offensive coordinator”

He and “Team Dailey” were headed to Albuquerque. Team Dailey as he affectionately calls his wife Carrie and four children, Carrie, Noah, Myles and Tyson.

Dailey hopes to blend old school and new school offense

The New Mexico offense has been slowly moving away from the unique run-option attack that was successful, but now they are going to mix in more of the passing game.

“Moving forward we are going to be a hybrid spread offense and what I want to do is blend old school football with new school football,” Dailey said of his offensive philosophy. “(We want) to put together a system that is not being run in college football today.”

Don’t be fooled because Dailey and coach Davie know that the ground game is what has made the Lobos a successful team just a few short years ago when they shared the Mountain Division title.

“We are going to run some option, tempo plays, push the ball down the field,” Dailey said. “Odd personal groups and formations, really try to make it very difficult for defenses to prepare for us week in and week out.”

Dailey’s college experience led him to the famed-Nebraska football program where he played under their infamous option attack but then also played in a West Coast system, so he has seen a wide range of football as a quarterback.

“When I got to college, I got a chance to play at the University of Nebraska in an option system, and I had a coaching change every year after that. I played two seasons there,” Dailey said. “I grew up in a Nebraska option world, so I learned option football at a very early age.”

Our head coach was fired and I was privileged to be a team captain as a Sophomore. I played Quarterback in Jon Gruden’s West Coast offense. So, my two years at Nebraska we had an option offense and a West Coast, and Pro-Style offense.”

Nebraska brought in a new head football coach Bill Callahan from the NFL, a West Coach offensive guy. His offense came from John Gruden. Dailey was in that system for a year.



Then he transferred to North Carolina in Chapel Hill and played in a pro style spread.

“We had a coaching change and offensive coordinator come in and he installed West Coast Offense,” Dailey said. “We had three coaches and three offenses coordinators there.

“So bottom line in five years as a college athlete I had five different offenses, three West Coast offenses, a Spread offense and a true option.”

Being around and playing in so many systems gives Dailey a unique perspective on what he wants to run as an offensive coordinator.

Who will be the guy at QB?

UNM on offense returns seven starters from last year’s offense that scored just 26.6 points per game and ranked just 107th last fall.

Dailey will have a trio of quarterbacks to pick from in senior Sheriron Jones, sophomore Tevaka Tuioti, redshirt freshman Trae Hall, or JUCO transfer Brandt Hughes.

The offensive line anchored by junior Teton Saltes at one tackle job and Kyle Stapley at center.

Also, a speedy receiving corps Elijah Lilly and Anselem Umeh, should give this Lobo offense some spark that is badly needed!

Dailey has talent on this Lobo offense, and the key will get getting them to stay on the field to move the chains, to stay healthy, & score points should help the Lobos win games this year.