Football Coaching Staff / Coaching Carousel Thread

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#201      
Lovie gets next year, well at least part of it, I could see him getting fired midseason if something similar happens compared to this year. Old Dog Lovie needs to learn some new tricks, and learn them fast. We will have experience and some playmaking talent next year. Combined with a weak schedule, we need to get to 6 wins. At this point 4/5 should mean Lovie gets canned.

If the football gods have any sympathy, they wont make us watch a triple option in Champaign. Whether or not it could or would be successful, its so painfully boring to watch (and theres reasons most P5 schools dont run it). Also takes a borderline genius at QB to run it well.



I'm not so sure, he seems washed up at this point. Sure he was deity level at Wisconsin, but his personality and hugely underperforming Arkansas tenure make me hesitant to hire him.



My personal vote. Troy is legit, and I would not be in any way upset to see Koenning back.
Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite of Lovie's style.
Doubt I'm telling you anything new, just observing
 
#202      

UofI08

Chicago
Just to set expectations, Brown *might* not take the job.

Is he Auburn or Florida State's next head coach? Both jobs will initially set their sights higher, but he might be.

I wouldn't get too locked in on any one candidate. What you want is someone who understands the Illinois job, wants the Illinois job, and has a well thought out plan to be successful in the Illinois job. If the guy we want doesn't want it, we don't actually want him as much as we think we do.

But Brown is a definite possibility.
True. If both/either of those jobs open up, you could honestly put Taggert and Malzahn on the Illinois radar. Maybe even someone like Butch Jones. And Bielema probably belongs in that group of “head coaches that had previous success but eventually failed.”
 
#205      
I assume resigning means we don't owe his contract, or maybe some mutual agreement was made?
 
#206      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
Gill Byrd to acting DC I would guess?

Any chance we could lure Mike Phair back as the full DC in the offseason?
 
#207      
due to "health-related circumstances"

leaves us with no DC/LB coach, a 1st year DL coach, and a 1st year CB coach. i am extremely interested to see what next week will look like
 
#208      
Nickerson mentioned health concerns. Possibly just a cover for being told to step down but you never know. Hopefully all is well with his situation.
 
#209      
The health concerns explanation is good enough for me. The world of football is rough.
 
#212      
All the best to Nickerson. I wonder if an interim coach (not DC) can be brought in to help out the rest of the year, assuming someone is available and willing.
 
#213      
All the best to Nickerson. I wonder if an interim coach (not DC) can be brought in to help out the rest of the year, assuming someone is available and willing.
Does it really matter at this point? Honestly, I'll be happy if Lovie calls the D the rest of the year. Win-win: we get to see if he can get anything else out of the D, and if not then we know (against everything he's said) it is indeed scheme and player related.
 
#214      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
All the best to Nickerson. I wonder if an interim coach (not DC) can be brought in to help out the rest of the year, assuming someone is available and willing.

I don't know if they would bring someone in from outside with four weeks left, but they'll probably need a body in there just from a gameday operations perspective. Maybe Joe Fotu as interim LB coach? He's been on the staff for a couple years.

But Lovie Smith is taking over as DC, that much is clear. He did this with the Bears at one point too in between Bob Babich and Rod Marinelli.
 
#216      
I don't know if they would bring someone in from outside with four weeks left, but they'll probably need a body in there just from a gameday operations perspective.

Just like athletic directors always have a short list of coaches for the unforeseeable future, so it is for head coaches to always have a short list of assistants to call upon. I don't really think Lovie needs to check the Illinoisloyalty board to see how many post-ers still want Dino Babers.
 
#218      

TownieMatt

CU Expat
Chicago
This was probably inevitable, although I assumed it would come after the season. In the short term, I don't think this helps our defense much. From watching this team (as much as I can bear), the issues seem much more technique (tackling, taking good angles, etc.), than they are scheme/playcalling. We just haven't developed in Nickerson's three years, which I think has been a combination of lacking talent (including players leaving the program) and not developing young guys.

I imagine there will be reshuffling of coordinators, but not a new DC until the offseason. My concern there is what we'll realistically be able to attract. We'll have a coach likely on the hot seat with a year to show progress or hit the road. That likely means we'll only be able to attract someone from a smaller program or a coach that hasn't been a coordinator at the P5 level. If that's the case, I wonder if Lovie may just continue as the playcaller on defense, and bring in another assistant who is more of a teacher than coordinator.

So to sum it up...

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#219      
Too soon for me to mention the coordinator that I REALLY REALLY want? Eh. Who cares.

Dream pick: Glenn Schumann-Georgia LB Coach

Dude is only like 30 and is a remarkable recruiter plus worked under Saban for a few years as a GA.

Chance he comes? 0%
 
#220      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
My concern there is what we'll realistically be able to attract. We'll have a coach likely on the hot seat with a year to show progress or hit the road. That likely means we'll only be able to attract someone from a smaller program or a coach that hasn't been a coordinator at the P5 level.

I am consistently surprised by the quality of coordinators doomed head coaches are able to attract, both at Illinois and elsewhere.

I think the reason is that multi-year security is not the norm for assistants. A nice salary for a year and putting some major conference play-calling on your resume beats the lower pay and recruiting grind of being a position coach at a more stable program.

Nick Saban has outsmarted that system by having unlimited staff money and putting guys in non-recruiting roles, but he can only soak up so many.
 
#221      
This is not going to help. Bet no one wants to come and work for Lovie on D.

Another thought, Lovie absolutely needs to recruit.
 
#222      

NJILLINI

Castle Pines, Colorado
I am sick about this year and would like to see JW admit a mistake and clean house at the end of the year. This experiment, while having some initial potential due to Lovie's success with the Rams and Bears in our primary recruiting areas, has been abysmal.

My thoughts on a replacement are not specific to any one person. What I do believe is that when you are in as deep of a hole as we are, you have to go hire one helluva salesman/recruiter over a great tactical X and O guy and you must surround him with outstanding recruiters. X and O geniuses are great but, at the end of the day, if you don't have talent you are not going to win many games. A brilliant X and O guy might steal one here and there but can't sustain that unless recruiting kids other P5 teams covet.

On the other hand, if you hire a top-flight recruiter they can turn things around in a short period of time to at least perform at mid-conference level. However, once the recruits stop coming it is only a matter of time before the wins do, too. To me, this was the final mistake Ron Guenther made in a final decade of mistakes. If Guenther had fired Zook after 2009 instead of after 2011, with the roster Illinois had he could have likely found a strong recruiter AND X/O guy. Instead, he waited until after most of the talent left the building to make a move and what a dumpster fire Illinois football has been since then. With that in mind, I hope JW lets Lovie go, brings in the next ace recruiter and watches very carefully to make sure that talent pipeline continues to stay full with each successive recruiting class. Show progress and win and it likely will. However, when classes start to wane for whatever reason and the record slips even slightly, it is time to make a move and try to salvage what is already on the roster.

I have always loved Illinois football and hope JW can turn this thing around but am not convinced he can. If not, I may be destined to become like my best alumni friend who said to me on Sunday, "Why do you care anymore?" Sure hope that's not me in the coming years.
 
#223      

Neale Stoner Fan Club

Tailgreat
Chiraq
On the other hand, if you hire a top-flight recruiter they can turn things around in a short period of time to at least perform at mid-conference level. However, once the recruits stop coming it is only a matter of time before the wins do, too. To me, this was the final mistake Ron Guenther made in a final decade of mistakes. If Guenther had fired Zook after 2009 instead of after 2011, with the roster Illinois had he could have likely found a strong recruiter AND X/O guy. Instead, he waited until after most of the talent left the building to make a move and what a dumpster fire Illinois football has been since then.
I miss the Fire Ron Guenther blog.
 
#224      

UofI08

Chicago
One thing the Lovie experiment (and really the Beckman and Zook years too) has showed me is how important assistant coaching hires are, especially for a program of Illinois' stature. The next hire needs a very strong staff to have a chance. If it's a young coordinator, he better find a great coordinator for the other side of the ball. If it's a young HC, he better be able to bring his staff, or have enough quality connections to put together a strong, cohesive staff. If it's a former HC, he better still have a coaching tree with talent. This staff has too many guys that are both below average recruiters AND coaches. That can't happen again.
 
#225      
Do you give Lovie another year just to make sure Beason and Williams get on campus? I went back and watched the Isaiah Williams interview after he committed and he talked at length about this coaching staff and the impact it had on his decision. I think Beason is completely sold on Illinois as a whole, but I fear Isaiah would look elsewhere.
 
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