Football Coaching Staff / Coaching Carousel Thread
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I heard an outstanding former defensive coordinator from Michigan became available yesterday.
Tough to maintain roster depth when you're killing kids
God, i wish Brian Urlacher would magically appear on the sidelines as a fill-in LB coach for the rest of the year... would be a great trial run...
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
We've had the right coach at least twice since then, I'd argue three times (Blackman).
It always had a way of leaving a disappointing taste in the mouth, but people realize that from Blackman's arrival to Ron Guenther failing to fire Lou Tepper after the '95 debacle, Illinois football was really good, right?
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
It seemed pretty decent when I was there starting in 1989, but it didn't last. As for Tepper, I wonder how things might have gone had he not run off Greg Landry.
I want to divert the Lovie talk to more DC talk because that is our guaranteed coaching search.
I really think it will be Mike Phair but I'm going to throw in another name..
Bo Pelini.
He is a great defensive mind and is only making like $200,00 at Youngstown.
Also knows Lovie indirectly from when he was an LB coach for the Packers.
Switched Neb to a single gap defense midseason in 2013 (check me on this one) and has coached a VARIETY of defensive schemes. He could easily walk in and run Lovie's scheme with some of his own adjustments. I really think he would be a great fit.
I really think it will be Mike Phair but I'm going to throw in another name..
Bo Pelini.
He is a great defensive mind and is only making like $200,00 at Youngstown.
Also knows Lovie indirectly from when he was an LB coach for the Packers.
Switched Neb to a single gap defense midseason in 2013 (check me on this one) and has coached a VARIETY of defensive schemes. He could easily walk in and run Lovie's scheme with some of his own adjustments. I really think he would be a great fit.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I disagree with this wholeheartedly. If Lovie quit at the end of the year because he had no interest in recruiting or the job was harder than he thought it would be as a fan I would be outraged. Why take the job in the first place it you don't like recruiting? Yeah, turning around a power five program that has basically sucked for ten years is going to be a difficult thing. Now I guess if he has come to the self-knowledge that he doesn't have the expertise to get the job done, that would be a different thing.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The thing that troubles me in retrospect is that in that when Whitman and Lovie were talking about the Illinois job in early 2016 and obviously forming a very strong bond and getting on the same page about the future of the program, Lovie was not the only part of that conversation operating with no firsthand knowledge of what it was going to take to run a Power Five football program in 2018.
Those were two "football guys" who hadn't actually had their hands in the dough of major college football since the 90's. I think those brainstorming sessions weren't as tied down to reality as the participants thought they were.
Luckily, Whitman has a lot more experience now and seems like the type to learn from his mistakes. As does Lovie in fairness, though his stubbornness is obviously legendary.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
I would say Mike White sans the NCAA issues was the perfect coach for recruiting and coaching. He would have been our Hayden Fry/Barry Alvarez. For those who say it can't be done at Illinois - look at Iowa pre Hayden Fry and Wisconsin pre-Alvarez. They had very long droughts as well. It took the right guy to get it started.
Yeah Wisconsin is a prime example. In both basketball and football. You tell someone in 1990 that Wisconsin was a powerhouse in both basketball and football for almost 25 years and they would probably put you in a mental asylum.
Mike White resuscitated Illinois football. We were 0-0 tie with Northwestern Gary Moeller 2 yards and a cloud of dust exciting, and Mike White came in and threw an 80 yard pass on his very first play. Pass was incomplete however gave a glimpse of what was to come
Deleted member 631370
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Dave Aranda -- DC at LSU
Manny Diaz -- DC at Miami
Seth Littrell -- HC at North Texas (though he's mentioned with the K-State job, assuming Snyder is gone)
Jason Candle -- HC at Toledo (but would we hire another Toledo guy?)
Neal Brown -- HC at Troy
Those are a few names to begin with.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
A couple of pretty darned good young coaches going at it on ESPN right now, Geoff Collins of Temple and Josh Heupel of UCF.
The AAC is a pretty good proving ground for coaching talent.
The AAC is a pretty good proving ground for coaching talent.
Deleted member 4333
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Remember when the MAC used to be the cradle of coaches? Now it's the skillet for lasagna.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
To put some meat on that bone:
Big Ten Record 1971-1995
Illinois: 105-90-9
Iowa: 100-98-6
Purdue: 87-112-5
Wisconsin: 77-122-7
Minnesota: 74-129-3
Northwestern: 48-168-2
Big Ten Record 1996-Present
Wisconsin: 121-62
Iowa: 101-82
Northwestern: 87-96
Purdue: 78-105
Minnesota: 64-119
Illinois: 48-134
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
23 years being the University of Irrelevance in football . . . :hurl:
And to think that includes Moeller's 6-24-3
SampsonRelpenk
- Edwardsville, IL
Says it all. You have to practically TRY to be that bad.
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That 0-0 tie with Northwestern - which I attended - was one of the most awful games I've ever witnessed. I had begun to believe that with Blackman, we were recovering from the slush fund scandal, and the Valek era, only to have Moeller trash the entire program and university. The only thing that saved Illinois football was M.White was hired....
I was also at that fiasco. Was undergrad during Moeller's years at the helm, many a Saturday we would be walking around campus, hear a cheer and suddenly realize that there was a football game going on. Many don't understand how low things sank under Moeller.
Deleted member 649710
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Wisconsin was irrelevant for 30 years from the mid 60s until shortly after the arrival of Barry Alvarez. From 1963-1992 they only had five winning seasons in conference. Northwestern was even worse; I think they had only two winning seasons over the same period, including a stretch of 34 consecutive losses/one win in four seasons. Now look at both of them.
Illinois can similarly rise from the ashes with the right coaching staff and unwavering support from Whitman's bosses. I am absolutely convinced of that. Which makes the current situation all the more frustrating.
Illinois can similarly rise from the ashes with the right coaching staff and unwavering support from Whitman's bosses. I am absolutely convinced of that. Which makes the current situation all the more frustrating.
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This exactly. NW was terrible for 40 years. Wisky was bad for 30. K State and Duke were jointly the worst power conference programs ever. All of them are winning now because they hired the right coach. Alabama spent nearly 25 years as a not bad but not all that good second tier SEC program because they kept hiring the wrong coach. Nebraska has repeated that mistake (jury still out on Scott Frost).
I can't believe I missed this post earlier. Tempted to sig.
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