The Illinois Football Coaching Search

[Deleted member 747671]

The “news” on liepold is really pushing me to the bielema train. Didn’t think I’d care that much but there’s a lot of risk here. If there’s a team that would connect with transfers, I’d imagine it’s the staff made up of experienced P5 coaches led by a 3-time rose bowl coach. At least compared to a D3 lifer with a few years at Buffalo. Hurry, talk me off the edge!

I just think having a decent first year is going to be crucial to build on and recruit to.

 

[Deleted member 747671]

Need to get Zebrowksi as well...

Absolutely. I’d say him, ianello, and the coordinators. Then pay for good P5 position coaches around them.

 

[arude8]

If LL is the guy I think we have to throw stupid money at the OC if that's what it takes to get him to come along.

That shouldn't be an issue. Both OC's and his DC have been with him since Whitewater

 

[illini0440]

Absolutely. I’d say him, ianello, and the coordinators. Then pay for good P5 position coaches around them.

Ianello should be a familiar name for Illinois fans

 

[altenberger22]

Wow, ~1400 posts since this started. Some really good discussion and debate. Honestly, I didn't know much of anything when I first heard the announcement --- but I did figure Bielema would be a potential candidate and I knew that I (personally) wanted Fickell to be a Top 3 candidate. Lots of great pluses/minuses for all 15-20 of these guys, including those added by Robert earlier today. Here's where I'm settling as of right now (irrespective of whether or not any of these coaches would seriously consider Illinois as a destination). I have to figure that Whitman at least picked up the phone to see if they would answer.

1. Fickell/Campbell (tie)
2. Malzahn
3. Napier
4. Bielema
5. All others (and I trust that JW will have very good rationale for his choice, so I'm fine with anyone he chooses. His career might depend on it.)

Urban Meyer would have been #1, but someone told me he probably wouldn't come here.

 

[OrangeSoda]

What kind of offense and defense does LL typically run? And would it mesh well with the current roster? Too lazy to look it up.

 

[illini0440]

What kind of offense and defense does LL typically run? And would it mesh well with the current roster? Too lazy to look it up.

He’s a spread guy. Think the defense would depend on the DC

 

[Deleted member 747784]

If Leipold is the guy, you let him bring his current OC with him, big name or not.

EXACTLY

you let him do and hire who he wants . you give him a budget for staff and you let him know how immensely important recruiting is and he needs to get one or two really good ones with some of that money .

but you never tell your HC who is OC or DC has to be

 

[OrangeSoda]

He’s a spread guy. Think the defense would depend on the DC

I know he is a former QB. Does he like a Pro-Style pocket passer? Curious how Williams would fit.

 

[illini0440]

I know he is a former QB. Does he like a Pro-Style pocket passer? Curious how Williams would fit.

He adapts to his personnel pretty well. One of his better qualities

 

[Illwinsagain]

If Leipold is the guy, you let him bring his current OC with him, big name or not.

I don't think that Josh would stop him, folks think that the OC will get promoted, a la Campbell.

 

[TCTORNADO]

Ianello should be a familiar name for Illinois fans

Isn't he the guy that made Rival's top 25 recruiter's list, 5 times, when Ianello was at ND?? Recruited at Alabama, Wisconsin, and Kansas. He knows Florida pretty well in that the 2019 Buffalo roster had 15+ guys from Florida on it.

 

[arude8]

The “news” on liepold is really pushing me to the bielema train. Didn’t think I’d care that much but there’s a lot of risk here. If there’s a team that would connect with transfers, I’d imagine it’s the staff made up of experienced P5 coaches led by a 3-time rose bowl coach. At least compared to a D3 lifer with a few years at Buffalo. Hurry, talk me off the edge!

I just think having a decent first year is going to be crucial to build on and recruit to.

Some comparisons, first in favor of LL: Brad Underwood, the coach who probably is the school's best hire since Self had one season of power five coaching experience before making the jump. What he and LL lack in "power 5 experience", they make up for in track records of winning. Prior to BU, Stephen F Austin went from only having one tourney appearance in their history to 3 straight under BU. Buffalo under LL? Two Bowl games in school history prior to LL, and they're about to head to their 3rd straight bowl this year.

As far as Bielema, those rose bowls were a decade ago at this point, if what you did a decade prior to getting hired at Illinois mattered at all, we wouldn't be in the position of looking for a new coach right now.

Plain and simple LL is a winner and brings with him his staff that knows how to do it too.

 

[altenberger22]

If Leipold, RB Jaret Patterson (RB) is just a Junior with at least two years of eligibility remaining. And he's from St. Louis.

 

[illini0440]

Isn't he the guy that made Rival's top 25 recruiter's list, 5 times, when Ianello was at ND?? Recruited at Alabama, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

Also the guy who accused us of not so clean recruiting when we got Benn and Martez over ND.

 

[Cook]

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.

Counter those with Jim Tressel and Bo Ryan examples

 

[mhuml32]

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.

A couple of comments from your breakdown:

Buffalo had one winning season since 2008 when he took over in 2015. Going further, they've only had two winning seasons since they restarted the program. Going further, SRS (football reference's rating system based on strength of schedule, scoring differential, etc.) is saying they played way over their heads in their heads in that successful 2013 season. This isn't meaning to discredit that season's success but speaking to the lack of talent within that roster.

The 6-6 season in year 3 was only their third .500 or better season since the program restarted in 1999. 6-6 at Buffalo is really saying something, historically.

In the two years after his 2018 breakout (10-4), his teams have gone 13-5. That's a better winning percentage than his breakout year.

Diving back into the analytics, best Buffalo seasons since the program originally started since 1962 (using SRS):
#1 - 2020 Season (by a million miles)
#2 - 2018 Season
#3 - 2019 Season
#4 - 2008 Season (Turner Gill's magical season)

Kill is a factor for why, beyond his really strong background of success at an established program (Whitewater) and a crap program (Buffalo), I have Leipold as my #1. It was a big miss for the program, as Kill got Minny back on the tracks after the Brewster disaster and likely would still be giving us fits if it wasn't for health issues.

 

[Love the Illini]

Liepold is a good coach how he will do at a Power 5 school would be interesting. Unfortunately Illinois is thought of as a poor job right now and it is going to be hard to convince someone like Fickell or a successful Power 5 Coach to come here. Not sure where Bielema sits right now some people think he is happy in the pros others think he wants back into college. Certainly with Illinois ties he is an interesting candidate but he is considred somewhat a hard person to get along with at times but cant argue with his success at Wisconsin. This is a huge hire if Whitman gets the wrong guy we waste another 4 or 5 years and drop futher into irrerelevence as a program. New coach is going to have to bring in some transfers to compete early the talent level is not as good as some people make it out to be and the program does not have a QB which is a huge issue.

 

[Ubermensch]

If he's the reincarnation of ThaKid, he knows his stuff.

 

[mhuml32]

Brett Bielema has been married since 2012. He's 50 years old. He has a young daughter. Those are facts. Not innuendo. That tells me he's a family man at this point in is life.

I am absolutely not saying Bielema is Petrino but when the motorcycle incident happened: Petrino was 51, had been married for 27 years, and had two sons + two daughters. Simply being a married man and father does not mean you are a "family man". If you don't like that comparison, you can easily search and find a number of others. Bielema could be in a better place, but being married and a parent doesn't guarantee anything.

 

[mhuml32]

I believe JW still has a trick up his sleeve regarding an OC. He will have a lot of cash to throw at someone and I suspect it will be a big-time P5 guy. LL is going to need help getting through the 4 star doors.

I get they have one of the best running backs right now but Buffao is averaging 50+ per game right now (#1 in the country) and we would want to find a better OC if we hire Leipold?

 

[trtl]

Frank Leahy?

Nailed it!

 

[mhuml32]

Also the guy who accused us of not so clean recruiting when we got Benn and Martez over ND.

Oh man, now there are some memories. I remember there being serious animosity between the programs across Chicago recruiting (Martez, Filer) and I thought there was interest from Zook in hiring Tenuta on the defensive coaching staff before he became ND's DC.

 

[ILL2010MJ]

If Leipold, RB Jaret Patterson (RB) is just a Junior with at least two years of eligibility remaining. And he's from St. Louis.

While maybe LL could talk him into transferring, I'd be surprised if Patterson doesnt enter the NFL Draft. He'll likely be one of the top RBs, especially if he runs well at the combine.

I do think though that if we go LL, Fickell, or some other current coach, we'll get multiple transfers to here from that school

 

[TCTORNADO]

Oh man, now there are some memories. I remember there being serious animosity between the programs across Chicago recruiting (Martez, Filer) and I thought there was interest from Zook in hiring Tenuta on the defensive coaching staff before he became ND's DC.

Agreed, add in Robert Hughes, Josh Brent, and Melvin Alaeze....those were the times. Didn't RG hire a law firm to go after the people he thought were trying to"deface" us??