Blaine Gautier is in his first season with the Cardinals as the Bill Bidwill Fellowship coach after joining Arizona's staff on 3/16/23.
Gautier is the sixth individual to participate in the Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellowship which was established prior to the 2015 season and designed to increase diversity and create additional opportunities for coaching experience at the highest level. The three most recent participants advanced from the fellowship to full-time assistant coach positions – two on the Cardinals coaching staff and one at the NCAA level.
He came to the Cardinals from Baylor University where he was the associate director of player personnel with the Bears last season. Gautier spent the 2022 offseason as an offensive analyst at Michigan State after coaching wide receivers at McNeese State for two years (2020-21).
Following the postponement of his first season at McNeese State until the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19, Gautier coached all-conference WR Josh Matthews who led the team and ranked 2nd in the Southland Conference in both receptions (32) and receiving yards (458) while also ranking 4th in the league with four TD receptions. Matthews had 36 receptions for 463 yards and three TDs in the fall of 2021 while WR Pierce Mason led the Cowboys with five TD receptions that season.
Prior to working at McNeese State, Gautier started his coaching career at LSU as an offensive analyst for five seasons (2015-19). He assisted the running backs while at LSU and was a part of the 2019 National Championship team that went 15-0.
Gautier played quarterback collegiately at the University of Louisiana (2009-12) and threw for 4,159 yards and 32 TDs while rushing for 883 yards and 12 TDs. After a record-setting junior season in 2011, he ranks second in the school's single-season record book for passing yards (2,958), passing TDs (23), passing efficiency (153.6), total offense (3,444 yards) and total touchdowns (26). Gautier set a single-game school record with 492 yards of total offense vs. San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl while his 470 passing yards in that game rank 2nd in program history. He earned second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2011 along with first-team All-Louisiana and Louisiana Offensive Player of the Year accolades from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
As a senior at Lutcher (LA) High School, Gautier earned first-team All-State honors after throwing for 2,743 yards and 30 TDs, becoming the first-ever recipient of the Warrick Dunn Player of the Year Award. He also earned All-State honors as a junior after throwing for 2,785 yards and 31 TDs while leading the school to a Class 3A state title.
Gautier (GO-chay) earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana in Sports Management in 2012.
