George McDonald (American football) facts for kids

George McDonald, born on May 10, 1976, is an American football coach. He is also known as George McDonald-Ashford. He currently works as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for Ole Miss.

Before joining Ole Miss, McDonald was an assistant coach at many universities. These include Syracuse, Arkansas, and Miami. He also coached at Minnesota, Western Michigan, and Stanford. Other teams he coached for were Northern Illinois, Ball State, and the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL).

McDonald is known for being good at finding new players for college teams. He is especially skilled at recruiting from South Florida and his home state of California.

Family Life

George McDonald is married to Heather. They have two sons. Their first son, Roman, was born in April 2015. Their second son, Maverick, was born in February 2020.

George's parents are Juanita McDonald and George Ashford. When he was a player, he used the name McDonald-Ashford. His brother, Brian McDonald-Ashford, also played football. Brian was a running back for BYU for two seasons. His playing career ended early due to a knee injury.

Playing Football in High School and College

George McDonald went to Buena Park High School in Buena Park, California. In high school, he played both quarterback and running back. He also ran sprints on the track team. In 1993, during his senior year, he was named the best player in the Freeway League.

After high school, McDonald played football at the University of Illinois. He was a wide receiver and kickoff returner for four years. He played under coaches Lou Tepper and Ron Turner. During his time at Illinois, he caught 57 passes for 589 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. He also returned 57 kickoffs for a total of 1,276 yards.

McDonald also ran track during his first and last years at college. In his senior year, he earned All-Big Ten honors. He set a record at Illinois by running the 60 metres in 6.75 seconds. In 1999, McDonald earned his college degree from Illinois. He studied Health Administration and Planning.

Coaching Career Journey

George McDonald started his coaching career in 1999. He was an assistant coach at several universities until 2004. These included Bucknell University, Ball State University, Northern Illinois University, and Stanford University.

Coaching at Western Michigan

In 2005, Bill Cubit, who was Stanford's offensive coordinator, became the head coach at Western Michigan University. He brought McDonald with him. McDonald worked as Western Michigan's offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2005 to 2006. He helped improve the team's offense, which was not doing well before he arrived. McDonald also helped recruit talented players like Louis Delmas and E.J. Biggers. Both of these players came from North Miami Beach, Florida.

Moving to Minnesota

In 2007, McDonald left Western Michigan to coach wide receivers at the University of Minnesota. He felt it was a good step for his career to work at a larger university. He coached under head coach Tim Brewster for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Brewster also went to the University of Illinois, like McDonald.

Time with the Cleveland Browns

On February 11, 2009, the Cleveland Browns hired McDonald. He started as an offensive quality control coach under new head coach Eric Mangini. A few months later, on May 8, 2009, the Browns promoted McDonald. He became the wide receivers coach for the team.

Coaching at Miami and Syracuse

On January 11, 2011, the University of Miami hired McDonald. He became the wide receivers coach under head coach Al Golden. The next season, he also became the passing game coordinator.

On December 19, 2012, McDonald was named the receivers coach at Arkansas. This was under new head coach Bret Bielema. However, McDonald left Arkansas soon after. He resigned when the offensive coordinator position became open at Syracuse. On January 15, 2013, McDonald was officially named offensive coordinator at Syracuse. He worked under new head coach Scott Shafer. Shafer and McDonald had worked together before at Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. On October 6, 2014, McDonald's role changed. He was demoted from offensive coordinator and assistant head coach to just wide receivers coach. Tim Lester, the quarterbacks coach, took over as offensive coordinator.

Later Coaching Roles

On January 6, 2015, McDonald became the wide receivers coach at NC State. He worked under head coach Dave Doeren.

On January 21, 2020, McDonald returned to his alma mater, the University of Illinois. He was named the wide receivers coach under head coach Bret Bielema.

Most recently, on January 27, 2024, McDonald was named the wide receivers coach at Ole Miss. He works under head coach Lane Kiffin.

McDonald has also worked as an NFL coaching intern. He spent time during training camps with the New York Jets in 2004 and 2006. He also interned with the Chicago Bears in 2005 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007.