Josh McDaniels — a Canton McKinley High School graduate — and Mike Vrabel grew up on intersecting football paths.
They have reached a fascinating crossroads, with Vrabel on the cusp of his second NFL head coaching job, and McDaniels a logical candidate to join him.
Widespread reports project Vrabel as a top choice to fill openings with the Patriots, the Jets, or someone else who believes his six years as head coach of the Titans were evidence he can take off in his next job.
Rob Gronkowski, who played seven of his Patriots seasons with McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, weighed in on the topic Sunday in his TV role as a Fox analyst:
Obviously Mr. Kraft has a plan as well going forward. Probably hoping to get Mike Vrabel. There’s some rumbling out there that Josh McDaniels may come back as well as offensive coordinator.”
Vrabel is something of a “people’s choice” to be the next head coach at his alma mater, Ohio State.
He was an All-America linebacker on the 1996 Buckeyes team that might have won a national championship if not for a 13-9 home loss to heavy underdog Michigan. As head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he made the playoffs three times. He spent 2024 in a role with the Browns, popularly viewed as head coaching material if Kevin Stefanski didn’t keep the job.
Vrabel’s name caught fire as a desirable replacement for Ryan Day after Day’s Buckeyes lost 13-10 at home to Michigan on Nov. 30.
