Last weekend, the college football world learned that Josh Gattis was leaving Michigan for Miami. It was a move that sparked a ton of questions about his time in Ann Arbor.
During his introductory press conference this week, Gattis admit that it was hard to leave Michigan behind.
“Obviously, it was a very emotional week — as far as leaving,” Gattis told reporters. “Any time you go through change, it’s always hard because I felt like I didn’t leave players behind — I feel like I left friends behind. I’m a person that’s built on relationships. And coaches that have worked for me, they’re always going to tell you, ‘It’s about relationships.’ I left a tremendous amount of friends.”
That being said, there’s a reason why Gattis jumped at the opportunity to coach at Miami. He was eager to work with Mario Cristobal, who apparently shares the same vision as him.
“And being here with coach Cristobal and the staff he’s putting together, the energy, the excitement — I walk past coach every day and just say, ‘Thank you,'” Gattis said, via 247Sports. “And he pops in, checks on me. And when you’ve got a guy like that leading your program and you believe in his vision, he sets the tone and energy and excitement throughout the program. And so, I’ve just been so blessed to be here. Each day has been eye-opening to me, but I’m still running on fumes. I mean, it’s been — I’ve exhausted everything I have into this program, and I won’t stop until we get the job done.”
ESPN college football insider Tom VanHaaren recently reported that Gattis texted some Wolverines players about his decision.
“Unfortunately the past few weeks has told a different story to me about the very little appreciation I have here from administration. In life I would never advise anyone to be where they are not wanted…” the text reportedly reads.
Time will tell if Gattis made the right decision.