Colts Coaching Staff Continues to Take Shape With Gunnard Twyner Set to Join

Frank Reich continues to fill out his coaching staff with young talent. Gunnard Twyner appears to be the next member of his staff, though just what his coaching position will be has yet to be officially announced.

Twyner is a former receiver who spent time with both the Bengals and Saints as an undrafted free agent before moving to the Arena Football league for five years. He then coached at the high school level for several years before participating in the NFL’s Minority Coaching Internship, which gave him the opportunity to work with Frank Reich as an assistant quarterbacks coaching intern in 2009.

He later worked with John Garrett, brother of Cowboys coach Jason Garrett in a similar internship when Garrett was the wide receivers coach of the Buccaneers. Garrett is currently the head coach of the Lafayette College Leopards, and when he took that position in 2017, he brought on Twyner as his wide receivers coach. Just two weeks ago, Twyner was announced as the outside wide receivers coach for Arkansas State, but when the Colts came calling, it was too good to pass up.

Twyner is still a newcomer, with this being his first stop in a coaching position at the NFL level, but he has experience as a wide receiver as well as working under Reich. Undoubtedly his time spent during that internship left an impression on Reich, and through the Garrett family, he also has at least a distant connection with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

It would make sense that he could be tagged as the wide receivers coach given his experience and his stops along the way to this position. The only concern is that this is a guy who is a relative unknown on a staff that is filling up with individuals who will have a lot to prove. Having so many individuals on staff who are in a first-time role will make it even more important that Frank Reich be a great leader and help develop both the players that Chris Ballard provides him, but also his coaching staff.