Kingsbury is back in the professional ranks, this time as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, having served as a senior offensive analyst for USC during the previous campaign. He recently completed the laborious, thorough process of adding coaches with a variety of backgrounds to his staff in support of head coach Dan Quinn, in an attempt to revitalize an offense that has been mediocre at best for the better part of a decade.
But Kingsbury’s quarterback choice will be a major factor in his success.
There will be strong incentives to select one of the best quarterbacks available, but the Commanders are certainly staying quiet about their plans for the No. 2 overall pick in April. Many draft watchers think Washington will look for their next signal-caller for the foreseeable future, whether it’s Jayden Daniels of LSU, Drake Maye of North Carolina, or any player in what is thought to be a good class.
Should Washington choose that course, it will put the quarterback in the hands of coach Kingsbury, who has a wealth of experience developing players at the position.
“You need talented athletes to work with, first and foremost. Without a doubt,” remarked Kingsbury. “I just try to figure out what makes the really outstanding players and nice people that I’ve had the good fortune to be around. Each person is unique.
In terms of locating skilled quarterbacks to collaborate with, Kingsbury has that prerequisite covered. He has coached quarterbacks including Case Keenum, Johnny Manziel, Patrick Mahomes, and Kyler Murray over his 16-year NFL and collegiate tenure. Manziel was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, and Keenum, Mahomes, and Murray were among the best quarterbacks in college football. Under Kingsbury, Keenum and Mahomes broke numerous program and national records, and Murray was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year after completing 64.4% of his passes for 3,722 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Understanding a quarterback’s personality and game processing style is one of the first things Kingsbury does with any of them since he believes that “everyone learns differently.”
For instance, when Mahomes is on the field, his competitive spirit is evident. He is a three-time Super Bowl MVP. When Kingsbury was trying to sign Mahomes fresh out of high school, that much was evident. Kingsbury described it as “like he knew he was going to find a way to win, and it didn’t look traditional, as he would kind of just shuffle back and make plays.” He was the best player, though.
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