Pep Hamilton has been one of the most underrated coaches of the past decade in an NFL whose hiring practices aren’t favorite to men of his hue.
And even he doesn’t want to touch the Carolina Panthers right now.
The Houston Texans quarterbacks coach has reportedly turned down an interview for the Panthers’ offensive coordinator slot. He was thought to be one of the top candidates by Carolina coach Matt Rhule, but he has apparently decided Charlotte was not in his future.
Hamilton came into the 2021 football season with a reputation for helping get the most out of his quarterbacks, and he confirmed that again with his work with Davis Mills who showed signs of flourishing late in the year. He spent the previous year tutoring 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was also influential in the development of Andrew Luck during his early Indianapolis Colts Days.
Pep Hamilton is a Charlotte native who played at Howard University in between the Jay Walker and Ted White eras. Coming to serve as OC in his home town would seem like a win-win for him, but the fact that he didn’t even interview is pretty interesting. Rhule is thought to be starting 2022 on the hot seat. Hamilton, meanwhile, seems to still be in favor with Houston, who has fired head coach David Culley and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.
We’ll definitely have to keep an eye on the Howard grad moving forward.