Gino Guidugli Promoted to Cincinnati Offensive Coordinator

Cincinnati quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli has been promoted to the Bearcats offensive coordinator position, per reports.

Guidugli, the university’s previous record-setter in career passing touchdowns (78), will replace former Bearcats OC Mike Denbrock, who joined Brian Kelly at LSU in the same position. Current Bearcat receivers coach Mike Brown will fill in for Guidugli’s other previous role of passing game coordinator.

Receiving a spot on the Bearcats staff in 2017, Guidugli made his coaching debut at UC as the program’s running backs coach. One season later, he was tasked with educating the quarterbacks, and in 2020 he earned the role as the team’s passing game coordinator. His span encapsulated the full career of Desmond Ridder, with the Kentucky native finishing third on the all time wins list in the FBS while throwing 810 completions on 1,304 attempts for 10,239 yards and 87 scores.

“It’s a tribute to him. He’s had a great career here, just his development from a freshman to what you’re seeing out there today,” Guidugli said of Ridder’s rampant success. “He’s the leader of this football team. He’s going to leave this place being one of the greatest football players to ever play at our university. Just the satisfaction to know that I had a little something to do with it makes it that much more special. I’m extremely happy for him.”

As the Cincinnati Bearcats four-year starting quarterback from 2001-04, Guidugli founded a name for himself in Southwestern Ohio with 880 completions on 1556 attempts for 11,453 yards and 78 touchdowns. Under his reign the team earned three bowl berths, sniffing victory in one of them — the Fort Worth Bowl in 2004.