James Madison University Football has named Mike O’Cain as its new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, head coach Mickey Matthews announced today.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Mike O’Cain join us as our Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach,” Matthews said. “He has a proven track record as an offensive game planner and play caller. He is really excited about becoming a member of the JMU Nation and working with the offensive student-athletes.”
O’Cain spent the last eight seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Virginia Tech under Frank Beamer and brings over 35 years of D-I coaching experience to the Dukes.
A veteran of the Atlantic Coast Conference, O’Cain has been the head coach at NC State and an offensive coordinator at both North Carolina and Clemson. He also has coached in 19 Bowl Games during the course of his time with these teams.
O’Cain began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Clemson in 1977. He then coached the offensive backfield at The Citadel between 1978-80 before moving to Murray State where he was an assistant under current Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer from 1981-84.
After a one year stint as the Assistant head coach at East Carolina, he joined the N.C. State Wolfpack as a quarterbacks coach. O’Cain was the top assistant under Dick Sheridan from 1986-92 and helped lead the ‘Pack to six bowl game appearances. In 1993, after Sheridan retired, O’Cain was named head coach and became the second coach ever in N.C. State history to lead his team to a bowl game in his first two seasons.
After notable wins verses #1 Florida State and Texas in 1998 and 1999, O’Cain became North Carolina’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for one year. He then moved to Clemson to take the quarterbacks coach role until 2004.
Over the past two years at Virginia Tech, O’Cain has turned Logan Thomas into a competitive college quarterback. In his first year working with the new quarterback, Thomas broke the school’s single-season record for total offense and became just the second 3,000-yard passer in school history.
He nurtured Tyrod Taylor over the preceding four years, helping him become a versatile dual-threat quarterback who eventually was drafted by the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
Prior to Virginia Tech, O’Cain coached at Clemson serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was instrumental in the guidance of another future NFL quarterback, Charlie Whitehurst, who established 33 school records, including passing yardage and completions for a season.
A native of Orangeburg, S.C., O’Cain was a three-year letterwinner at Clemson, where he was the most valuable player and a captain of Clemson’s 1976 team, working as both the punter and quarterback. He is still ranked in Clemson’s history for passing efficiency. He received his bachelor’s degree in recreation parks administration from Clemson in 1977.
O’Cain and his wife, Nancy, have two daughters, Jenny (27) and Lizzi (25).
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Chris Graham
