Syracuse Football: George McDonald Expected To Be Named Offensive Coordinator, Per Reports

The search for the next Syracuse offensive coordinator may have come to an end Tuesday, as multiple reports are saying former Miami Hurricane and Arkansas Razorback wide receiver coach George McDonald is set to take the job.

The news was first reported by SportsLifeArkansas.com's Jim Harris, who said McDonald would need to pay a prorated $50,000 to AU if he wanted to accept a position with another program.

From this information we can assume that SU pony up a decent amount of cash - for them - to possibly lure McDonald northward.

If McDonald is the offensive coordinator choice it will mark the third Western Michigan connection with new head coach Scott Shafer.

In 2005, McDonald coached the Broncos' wide receivers, including former All-Pro wide receiver Greg Jennings, while Shafer was the defensive coordinator under head coach Bill Cubit.

Earlier Tuesday morning, reports indicated Tim Lester, WMU's quarterback coach from 2005-06, was also joining the Syracuse coaching staff as the quarterbacks coach.

A first look at McDonald, who was hired by Arkansas on Dec. 12 after coaching the wide outs at the University of Miami the past two season, and there's a lot to like about this hire.

First, he was tabbed as one of the top 25 recruiters in the country by Rivals.com in 2012. The '12 Miami class was ranked No. 8 in the country by ESPN.com and No. 9 in the nation by Scout.com, 247Sports.com and Rivals.

In just his short time on the recruiting trail for Arkansas, McDonald helped shore up the commitment of three-star wide receiver Drew Morgan. According to WholeHogsSports.com, Morgan thought McDonald was impressive "as a coach and as a person."

McDonald also helped the Minnesota Golden Gophers land a nationally ranked recruiting class (No. 17) in 2008.

Secondly, it seems McDonald has the tendency to be involved in up-tempo passing offenses. The Hurricanes were ranked 28th in the NCAA in passing offensive (295.4 yards per game) this season when he also served as passing game coordinator.

Finally, and this could be the most important, McDonald will have extensive knowledge of Syracuse's new ACC opponents.

If there was a way to help ease the new offense's transition to the ACC, this will certainly help.