The Illinois Football Coaching Search

[B-ILL]

I have a pretty strong hunch the decision is already made and the details are just being finalized. I would expect an announcement in the next 24 hours (or after the selected coach's season is over). Only 1 de-commitment from the signing class, and Joriell Washington just signed with Illinois after de-committing this past week. That reads like JW has his guy.

 

[illini0440]

I have a pretty strong hunch the decision is already made and the details are just being finalized. I would expect an announcement in the next 24 hours (or after the selected coach's season is over). Only 1 de-commitment from the signing class, and Joriell Washington just signed with Illinois after de-committing this past week. That reads like JW has his guy.

or the class just wasn't very good and no one tried to flip them.

 

[TCTORNADO]

Yeah, Leipold is no good. He just wins, but doesn't check any other boxes. I can't figure out why he can't recruit 4 and 5 star talent to Buffalo, so he'd probably recruit like Ferentz. His Buffalo team did beat Rutgers, but he hasn't won any P5 conference championships so that's a major strike against him. Maybe let him test the waters in the SEC before giving him a chance here.

Must be good enough to get 15+ guys from Florida to come play in Buffalo, NY.

 

[Deleted member 747671]

1A. LL
1B. BB

Final 2?

 

[B-ILL]

or the class just wasn't very good and no one tried to flip them.

 

[FollowMeDontFollowMe]

Yeah, Leipold is no good. He just wins, but doesn't check any other boxes. I can't figure out why he can't recruit 4 and 5 star talent to Buffalo, so he'd probably recruit like Ferentz. His Buffalo team did beat Rutgers, but he hasn't won any P5 conference championships so that's a major strike against him. Maybe let him test the waters in the SEC before giving him a chance here.

I never said he's no good, just that he's less proven than Bielema. He also hasn't walked into a 4 or 5 stars living room since he was an assistant at Nebraska almost 20 years ago, if ever.

Personally, I'd be happy with his hire compared to some of the other options.

 

[illini0440]

Final 2?

Gun to me head RIGHT now yes.

 

[Deleted member 747671]

Gun to me head RIGHT now yes.

Probably the most logical 2

 

[B-ILL]

1A. LL
1B. BB

The fact that you have Bobby Boucher in the 1B slot instead of 1A makes me seriously question everything you've ever posted on here.

 

[ChiefGritty]

Gun to me head RIGHT now yes.

You wouldn't guess it from their backgrounds but Bielema is actually a decent bit younger than Leipold. 50 and 56, respectively.

 

[Illwinsagain]

Gun to me head RIGHT now yes.

So, no young, energetic, up and coming hot shot coordinator.

 

[Wizardofoz]

Just let me say, with Bielema, be careful what you wish for.

 

[Deleted member 747671]

I think LL will bring pretty much his staff from Buffalo with him. Not sure there’s a guy Buffalo would promote. Very loyal, primarily Midwest rooted guys. The intriguing option is who BB would bring. I’d say there’s possibility for a high level recruiting staff with him. For the record, I’m good with either option. I just wouldn’t be surprised if it’s BB based on the perceived higher ceiling, as I think JW wants to be a legit threat in the conference and not just a respectable/competitive team. (Not that LL couldn’t do that)

 

[Pennsy]

You blog posters have to remember that you are not the ones that Josh has to cater to. It is the boosters, those that support the program with their undying loyalty and big dollar donations. They don't type posts touting candidates we would have to settle for. They want someone without baggage to carry a clean program forward. They are the investors.

 

[trtl]

1A. LL
1B. BB

You put one of your Ls where an F is supposed to be.

 

[Deleted member 380722]

Don't believe everything you hear from Wisky, they are buttthurt he left for the SEC. Hell Alvarez recommended him to Josh even after they had a falling out(although I think they are back to being somewhat close again)

As a Wisconsin football fan this is false. A lot of people wanted him gone before he left for Arkansas, myself included.

 

[Noblesville Illini]

I wonder if the anti-Bielema crowd here was also pro Mike Leach?

Nope

 

[AirNeezy]

You blog posters have to remember that you are not the ones that Josh has to cater to. It is the boosters, those that support the program with their undying loyalty and big dollar donations. They don't type posts touting candidates we would have to settle for. They want someone without baggage to carry a clean program forward. They are the investors.

LOL. Boosters want wins. That's it, fullstop.

9 times out of 10 when any program is caught doing shady/illegal things it is through their boosters. Sure they might want a coach who kisses their a** or returns their calls, but at the end of the day "no baggage" and "being clean" are nowhere near the top of their priorities. It is "will this coach make Illinois compete for B1G championships?" If so, they'll open their checkbooks.

 

[Keisersose]

Not much to dislike about LL.

 

[AirNeezy]

Just let me say, with Bielema, be careful what you wish for.

What's up with the all the innuendo surrounding this guy? Is this just a matter of BB having a bad personality and being an a** or is it something more? Or is BB some kind of made man in the mafia where if you spill the beans you get whacked?

 

[Deleted member 747671]

Not much to dislike about LL.

Age and level of competition is really it. Which are both kind of rare for Mac guys. Usually they’re young guys and/or former P5 assistants. He’s neither. Definitely one of the more unique resumes.

 

[socalini]

Lance Leipold coached at Wisconsin - Whitewater for 8 years and won the D3 National Championship 6 times. His conference record there was 53-3. (Reminds me of BU's SFA conference record of 32-1.) He was the fastest NCAA coach to 100 wins ever (in 106 games!) His conference record the last 3 years at Buffalo is 17-4. He's offensive minded and has Buffalo as the #1 rushing team in the country.

I can't even imagine why we're not all clamoring for him. Sure, he's done this at lower levels, but he clearly has great credentials. Also just seems like a good guy with no baggage that I'm aware of. Maybe not the sexy hire, but would be an easy choice for me.

 

[illinihawk16]

Lance Leipold coached at Wisconsin - Whitewater for 8 years and won the D3 National Championship 6 times. His conference record there was 53-3. (Reminds me of BU's SFA conference record of 32-1.) He was the fastest NCAA coach to 100 wins ever (in 106 games!) His conference record the last 3 years at Buffalo is 17-4. He's offensive minded and has Buffalo as the #1 rushing team in the country.

I can't even imagine why we're not all clamoring for him. Sure, he's done this at lower levels, but he clearly has great credentials. Also just seems like a good guy with no baggage that I'm aware of. Maybe not the sexy hire, but would be an easy choice for me.

Our last few WBB hires had amazing records at lower levels. It has not panned out. Although it's nice, I don't want to put too much stock into wins at a lower level.

 

[ChiefGritty]

Not much to dislike about LL.

To state the case against LL for the record: he's a 56 year old Wisconsin goober whose entire D1 resume is going 25-20 in the MAC over six years, at a program that's a historic backwater, but wasn't exactly a dumpster fire when he got there.

Can you just toss out anything that happened in D3 where there aren't any scholarships? Arguably.
Were his first three years at Buffalo less than you would expect from a future Big Ten coach? Arguably.
Are the two years after his 2018 breakthrough kinda less than you might have hoped? Arguably. (Not his fault they only played 5 games this year, but they only played 5 games this year)
Does the whole Buffalo resume in general feel a little Al Golden-y? Arguably.
Is he just kind of a ho-hum guy that's it's hard to see as a galvanizing figure? Arguably.


Could basically every word of the above have been said about Jerry Kill when Minnesota hired him? Arguably.

 

[coryfor3]

What's up with the all the innuendo surrounding this guy? Is this just a matter of BB having a bad personality and being an a** or is it something more? Or is BB some kind of made man in the mafia where if you spill the beans you get whacked?

I can't say for sure but I have heard enough stories to know that he isn't maybe Mr. Congeniality? I don't think he has a rep for treating everyone nicely, being a hothead and saying a lot of stupid things. Do a Google search for Bret Bielema comments and you can get the idea. From the time he was a player to recently, he seems to have a knack for saying the wrong things. I don't want to watch our coach say ridiculous things. I had enough of that with Beckman. Bielema just is not the kind of representative I'd like here. I just think there are better options. And let's face it- Bielema is always going to be an Iowa Hawkeye. That's a deal breaker. Hard pass. He seems to be doing well as an NFL assistant. Seems like a good spot for him.