T.C. McCartney, Bill McCartney's Grandson, Becomes Broncos QB Coach

(247 SPORTS) - The apple doesn't fall too far from the McCartney family tree.

On Tuesday evening, the Denver Broncos hired T.C. McCartney as their new quarterbacks coach, replacing Mike Sullivan. Not long after, his grandfather, legendary Colorado Buffaloes coach Bill McCartney, weighed in with a statement of encouragement and excitement.

"I am thrilled by the news. Ever since TC was young he expressed the desire that someday he wanted to be a coach. This is another step in his ultimate goal to one day become a head coach.

"TC started at the ground level and worked his way up. He earned this because of his work ethic and how he has become a total student of the game."

"I knew I wanted to be a coach by the time I was seven years old ... TC's career path has mirrored that. This opportunity is a testimony to his hard work and dedication to the profession."

The son of late CU quarterback Sal Aunese, T.C. McCartney reunites with new Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, having spent the last two seasons as an assistant on Kyle Shanahan's San Francisco 49ers staff. Scangarello was formerly the 49ers' QBs coach, and instead of doubling hats in Denver, he wisely chose to divvy up the duties.

Prior to his time in the Bay Area, McCartney served as an offensive assistant at LSU, his alma mater, where he played quarterback from 2007-2010. He then took a job with CU in 2012, working alongside OC/QBs coach Brian Lindgren for two seasons. He broke into the NFL in 2014 as a quality control assistant with the Cleveland Browns.

While extremely green — he turns 30 in April — McCartney is viewed as a rising teacher and product of a revered coaching lineage. He just returned from helping instruct the South team in the Senior Bowl, unbeknownst to him that he was secretly scouting signal-callers for Denver.

His promotion official, McCartney will immediately begin poring over Case Keenum's tape, evaluating whether the incumbent veteran should remain under center. Although the Broncos are hunting for an upgrade, Scangarello claimed he's "excited" for Keenum to run his offense.

"We were not in the market for a quarterback in San Francisco last year," he said. "But he was a free agent, and I did my due diligence on him. He really played outstanding in Minnesota. He was a big part of helping them get to where they got to that NFC Championship Game. He's gritty, he's a winner, he's competitive. You can see that on the film. I think in our system—and I think you can see that based with Kyle's history, that's what I believe as well—in San Francisco where I was directly coaching those guys, each guy is a little unique, and you have to adapt to them. I see traits that we can help Case be the best that he can be. That's our job as an offense, the players around him, and to really empower him to play confident like he was in Minnesota. Continue to keep that going, and no doubt, help him be the best that he can be."