Geep Chryst joins Jaguars as Pro Scout

Veteran coach with 25 years experience in the NFL joins the Jaguars scouting department

The Jaguars have added some serious football knowledge to their pro scouting department.

George Patrick “Geep” Chryst, who has 25 years of experience as an offensive coordinator or position coach in the NFL, has joined the franchise as a pro scout, per his LinkedIn account.

A Madison native, Chryst began his coaching career as a grad assistant at Wisconsin before heading to Wyoming in 1989, first as the offensive line coach and then quarterback coach.

His extensive experience at the pro level began back in 1991. He spent five years as Director of Research for the Chicago Bears before holding various coaching positions with the Cardinals, Chargers, Panthers, and Broncos.

Chryst is probably best known for his time in San Francisco, where he was quarterbacks coach under Jim Harbaugh. He helped develop quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick as the 49ers went to three straight NFC Championship games, including one Super Bowl appearance (XLVII). When Harbaugh left in 2015, Chryst was promoted to offensive coordinator under Jim Tomsula.

Geep Chryst may have an extensive coaching resume, but he also has significant experience in scouting and analytics – a passion borne from his early research role in Chicago. Chryst is one of the founders of Game Analytics Inc, a startup that helps coaches make “smart, data-driven decisions that help optimize your entire portfolio of games.” He also works with HUB Football, helping free agents find professional teams of all levels through a variety of training camps.

Interestingly enough, Chryst’s legacy in NFL history is already cemented. During his time with the Bears, he is credited with developing the original Draft Value Chart. Legendary Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson is considered the father of the idea of weighted draft pick values, although it was never formalized. When his defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt replaced Mike Ditka as head coach in Chicago in 1993, he asked someone to replicate it and publish it as a chart. That someone was Geep Chryst. The chart was subsequently sent back to Johnson, before eventually emanating throughout the rest of the league.

Chryst has connections with a number of the Jaguars’ coaching and front office staff. He worked with QB coach Mike McCoy both for three years in Carolina (2006-2008) and one year in Denver (2017). General Manager Trent Baalke and his assistant Ethan Waugh were also colleagues of Chryst during their respective tenures in San Francisco.

He heads to Duval County to offer his vast experience to current Director of Pro Scouting Regis Ellor, after spending the last two seasons back in the college game as tight ends coach with Cal.