The Illinois Coaching Staff Search

[Deleted member 747671]

I am going to stick up for Rod a little here. From an outside perspective, it appears as if he was handcuffed. Year 1 our offense was by far good enough to get to a bowl game. AJ was a bowling ball at the QB position and was vital to our total rushing numbers. The main problem was he could not pass the ball and the talent on the receiving end of his passes were not doing him any favors. Then he gets Brandon Peters who is not a running QB. Can he run, yes. But that is not his game. The offense took a major step back as far as productivity.
He inherited a insulting QB room by Power 5 football standards. Added
1. Emergency QB in Matt R, who wasn't going anywhere as big as IL
2. Outstanding athlete in IW who yes has more in common with AJ as far as throwing ability but still very young with room to grow in the category
3. Deuce Spann who appears to be a better thrower and bigger than IW. Not as athletic and not as big as AJ, possibly the middle ground that would really work
4. Samier Collier from Texas who put up some really big numbers at a really big Texas program

I would argue that Junior IW would have been the major turn around of this offense. Not saying Kahlil Tate type production but the floor would have been respectable. Would have had a handful of his type of QBs for the first time and 1 with some actual experience

I agree with most of what you wrote here. I didn't mean that post to be anti-Rod. I actually like the guy and agree with Gritty that he was clearly the best coach on the staff. I was more surprised with how high coaching salaries have skyrocketed. When I think of an OC making nearly 1 million, I think of elite offenses and high-demand coaches, not really Rod Smith. Rod was brought into a tough situation no doubt, midway through a disastrous HC tenure, with no stability or talent in the QB room. I guess in my mind, I just figured if you're going to spend 950k on Rod, could you not have found a more established OC for 1 mil?

 

[ChiefGritty]

Rod was brought into a tough situation no doubt, midway through a disastrous HC tenure, with no stability or talent in the QB room. I guess in my mind, I just figured if you're going to spend 950k on Rod, could you not have found a more established OC for 1 mil?

I think he was only making $500k to start, and then just kept growing from there as the staff collapsed around him. Which makes absolutely no sense, but a lot of things that went on in that building made absolutely no sense.

Lovie never wanted to play Rod's brand of football, but hired him and retained him and lavished him with money anyway.

 

[Deleted member 654622]

I think he was only making $500k to start, and then just kept growing from there as the staff collapsed around him. Which makes absolutely no sense, but a lot of things that went on in that building made absolutely no sense.

Lovie never wanted to play Rod's brand of football, but hired him and retained him and lavished him with money anyway.

I am going to need a fact check here but I thought he was bumped in pay after year 1 when the offense was running all over the place and it appeared as he could go elsewhere for more money

 

[Title]

I am going to stick up for Rod a little here. From an outside perspective, it appears as if he was handcuffed. Year 1 our offense was by far good enough to get to a bowl game. AJ was a bowling ball at the QB position and was vital to our total rushing numbers. The main problem was he could not pass the ball and the talent on the receiving end of his passes were not doing him any favors. Then he gets Brandon Peters who is not a running QB. Can he run, yes. But that is not his game. The offense took a major step back as far as productivity.
He inherited a insulting QB room by Power 5 football standards. Added
1. Emergency QB in Matt R, who wasn't going anywhere as big as IL
2. Outstanding athlete in IW who yes has more in common with AJ as far as throwing ability but still very young with room to grow in the category
3. Deuce Spann who appears to be a better thrower and bigger than IW. Not as athletic and not as big as AJ, possibly the middle ground that would really work
4. Samier Collier from Texas who put up some really big numbers at a really big Texas program

I would argue that Junior IW would have been the major turn around of this offense. Not saying Kahlil Tate type production but the floor would have been respectable. Would have had a handful of his type of QBs for the first time and 1 with some actual experience

Rod lost me in the Penn state game. Complete control and couldn't score at least a FG after the first quarter. It was obvious Penn State was prepared for Peters and was caught off guard with IW. Once they settled in the rest was history. The same Penn State that gave up 30 plus to everyone else including Nebraska. I am sure we will hear from Rod again but, he had an opportunity to have a better showing in the final game where he was the head coach.

 

[Mike55]

I agree. I was disappointed Lou wasn't retained. We really did not get to see the results of what he could have done this go around. His strategy of lift heavy weights would translate well with a power running Offense one would think

Lou wasn't respected by the team like he should have been. He spent the majority of the Penn State game in the locker room because he was cold. Players HEARD a lot from him but didn't SEE a lot from him.

 

[Deleted member 654622]

Rod lost me in the Penn state game. Complete control and couldn't score at least a FG after the first quarter. It was obvious Penn State was prepared for Peters and was caught off guard with IW. Once they settled in the rest was history. The same Penn State that gave up 30 plus to everyone else including Nebraska. I am sure we will hear from Rod again but, he had an opportunity to have a better showing in the final game where he was the head coach.

I can understand that. I would just say keep in mind he had a very inexperienced QB with a make shift Oline that particular game. And Penn State finished their season giving up 17, 7, 24 and 21. So that last part is not a true statement

 

[Deleted member 654622]

Lou wasn't respected by the team like he should have been. He spent the majority of the Penn State game in the locker room because he was cold. Players HEARD a lot from him but didn't SEE a lot from him.

Thanks for the insight. That is disappointing to say the least. And if that is true, then he needed to go

 

[Subortus]

Totally agree about Lovie badly mishandling his assistant budget and generally maintaining a joke of a staff, and it is true that nobody was going to make some godfather offer for Rod that would necessitate us paying him that much.

Still, Rod making the most money on the staff by a country mile is an accurate reflection of his credibility relative to the others. He's a good football coach who did a non-terrible job here and will be heard from again in major conference football. I'm sorry if that doesn't suit people's narratives, but it's the truth.

I'm not convinced that Rod Smith is such a good coach. He has an outgoing personality and a folksy charm; the media and fans therefore warmed up to him early; and they conflated him with the past successes enjoyed by Rich Rodriguez; but he never consistently delivered the goods. He, like Lovie Smith, was given enough time to show what he could do. Good luck to him in his future jobs, but I'm looking forward to an improved offense at the U of I that can reliably string together first downs as they push a defensive team backwards down the field.

 

[Title]

I can understand that. I would just say keep in mind he had a very inexperienced QB with a make shift Oline that particular game. And Penn State finished their season giving up 17, 7, 24 and 21. So that last part is not a true statement

Michigan, Rutgers, MS and Illinois. Both MS and Illinois had chances and should have scored more correct?

 

[Deleted member 654622]

Michigan, Rutgers, MS and Illinois. Both MS and Illinois had chances and should have scored more correct?

Should have? Not being a arse here but we should have hired a legit linebacker coach. What we think should happen and what actually happens do not always meet up. The results are the results. We are on the same level of all those teams you listed outside of Michigan that had a really bad year.

If AJ Bush was our QB the last two years, do you think we have trouble moving the football? I ask that because AJ was not a rare talent. He was on the verge of getting that from the QB once again

 

[CogDog]

Lou wasn't respected by the team like he should have been. He spent the majority of the Penn State game in the locker room because he was cold. Players HEARD a lot from him but didn't SEE a lot from him.

Very interesting.

 

[Keisersose]

One interesting trend that ended with the Petersen hire: new Illinois coaches bringing in inexperienced playcallers with their initial staff. Zook had Locksley, Beckman had the 2 headed monster of recruiters, Lovie had McGee. None of those guys had ever actually been the playcallers at their previous stops. Locksley worked, but the other 2 had to be replaced within 2 years. If nothing else, BB brought in an OC that, you know, actually knows how to be an OC.

This is a great point.

 

[Bevoillini]

I agree. I was disappointed Lou wasn't retained. We really did not get to see the results of what he could have done this go around. His strategy of lift heavy weights would translate well with a power running Offense one would think

I’m not unhappy with Lou being let go. Our players never seemed to get quicker or faster

 

[Deleted member 747671]

Surprised we haven't had another announcement today. If the hope was to have the staff complete in early January, that gives us about a week to get it all official.

 

[TheDrinkinLincoln]

Surprised we haven't had another announcement today. If the hope was to have the staff complete in early January, that gives us about a week to get it all official.

I'm hoping things are in place for most of not all of the rest of the staff, but they are currently coaching in bowl games for their teams. That's just what I am hoping though. I could be totally wrong.

 

[Deleted member 747671]

I'm hoping things are in place for most of not all of the rest of the staff, but they are currently coaching in bowl games for their teams. That's just what I am hoping though. I could be totally wrong.

I'm with you. I guess I'm just bored, pretending to work from home today lol.

 

[O&BInsider]

I’m still sticking with Aaron Henry as DB coach and even Charlie Partridge as DL. Waiting to announce DC first. Also was told by someone who would know, Bellamy and Patterson will be retained

 

[Deleted member 747671]

I’m still sticking with Aaron Henry as DB coach and even Charlie Partridge as DL. Waiting to announce DC first. Also was told by someone who would know, Bellamy and Patterson will be retained

Really like Henry and Partridge in those spots.

Not trying to dunk on the guy, honest question. If Bellamy wasn't an alum, would people actually want him to be retained? What has he really provided on the recruiting and teaching front? Kinda similar feeling with Patterson, how much does he give us besides the handful of his former HS players?

 

[Deleted member 654622]

I’m not unhappy with Lou being let go. Our players never seemed to get quicker or faster

Lou lost a lot of his time to the COVID restrictions. I do not think you can make a fair assessment in such a short duration coupled with all the lack of actually training the boys in person

 

[Deleted member 654622]

Really like Henry and Partridge in those spots.

Not trying to dunk on the guy, honest question. If Bellamy wasn't an alum, would people actually want him to be retained? What has he really provided on the recruiting and teaching front? Kinda similar feeling with Patterson, how much does he give us besides the handful of his former HS players?

I do not know him personally. However, he played in the NFL, maintains a very passionate persona on twitter, and has coaching experience and is from the Chicago area I believe?
Like Patterson, I do not think we got to see exactly what he can do as a recruiter under Lovie. I absolutely want to see him retained. Would be better for the program if he got to coach the WRs but better for his career that he grew into a different role

 

[Deleted member 747671]

I do not know him personally. However, he played in the NFL, maintains a very passionate persona on twitter, and has coaching experience and is from the Chicago area I believe?
Like Patterson, I do not think we got to see exactly what he can do as a recruiter under Lovie. I absolutely want to see him retained. Would be better for the program if he got to coach the WRs but better for his career that he grew into a different role

They just both have such thin resumes, basically nothing besides their time here. Bellamy has 2 short stints at Illinois, 1 year as QC at Miss State and 2 years at Toledo. I agree it's very hard to judge them based on the perceived lack of support from Lovie on the recruiting front, but it's hard to describe Bellamy's recruiting as anything too positive. Also, what is Patterson's track record outside of the Trinity kids? There's still a lot of unanswered questions with both those guys. Both guys do seem to be very positive and likeable, and definitely seem like they enjoy being here.

 

[ChiefGritty]

I’m still sticking with Aaron Henry as DB coach and even Charlie Partridge as DL. Waiting to announce DC first. Also was told by someone who would know, Bellamy and Patterson will be retained

Partridge is interesting because he's never really been a DC despite being a very prominent assistant and even a head coach at Florida Atlantic. Terrific recruiter in the state of Florida. A guy in high demand, though thanks to the state of Pennsylvania's absurd public records laws, we don't know what he makes despite Pitt being a public school. Well over $500k would not surprise me.

Interestingly, when Bielema initially hired him at Wisconsin, he was titled as the Special Teams Coach, after serving in the same role at Pitt in his first go-round there. Bielema did eventually change his title to AHC/co-DC/DL, and he hasn't been titled ST coach since, but still, hmm.

By the way, Partridge and Chris Ash were college teammates at Drake, along with Dave Doeren.

Would I cheap out on the OC hire to fit Ash and Partridge into the budget? Absolutely not. Would it make a certain amount of cognizable sense of the otherwise utterly inexplicable Petersen hire? Yeah, it kinda would.

And in Ash, Partridge, and Bart Miller you'd have assembled the DB coach, DL coach, and OL coach from Bielema's last Wisconsin team, and Aaron Henry was team captain the year before.

I do not believe Ash would leave Texas for all the money in the world. Still,

 

[O&B4Ever]

You would have to offer about a million due to the fact that Illinois has a state income tax and Texas does not. But Ash could get away from the dumbest coach in football in Tom Herman. It would be a nice get if we Could land him.

And he might want to return to the Big 10.

 

[TheDrinkinLincoln]

They just both have such thin resumes, basically nothing besides their time here. Bellamy has 2 short stints at Illinois, 1 year as QC at Miss State and 2 years at Toledo. I agree it's very hard to judge them based on the perceived lack of support from Lovie on the recruiting front, but it's hard to describe Bellamy's recruiting as anything too positive. Also, what is Patterson's track record outside of the Trinity kids? There's still a lot of unanswered questions with both those guys. Both guys do seem to be very positive and likeable, and definitely seem like they enjoy being here.

Honestly neither are superstars at anything, but Bellamy has that pro experience and has gotten a bunch (relative to the rest of the staff) players from kind of all over with 3*s coming from FL, IL, OH, and TX. I don't mind Bellamy as either WR or RB coach because our RBs have clearly been our best group on O while he has been here and has the chops at WR but for now he tops out as that while being an okay recruiter.

Corey honestly has only gotten commits from the STL area, but those are higher quality kids comparatively. I wouldn't say he has come into his own yet, but he was more of GA that we have a positional coach title to so we could bring in talent. I like him and think he is passionate which can go an extremely long way in recruiting, but probably needs some more mentoring as a coach before he can climb the ranks as more. As he doesn't have a specialty as of yet and the rumors he is moving to the defensive side of the ball I would not be surprised if he was given the ILB or OLB coach title with the expectation that BB will be most involved in those groups so Corey can learn and coach while bringing his passion to different areas in recruiting.

 

[O&B4Ever]

They just both have such thin resumes, basically nothing besides their time here. Bellamy has 2 short stints at Illinois, 1 year as QC at Miss State and 2 years at Toledo. I agree it's very hard to judge them based on the perceived lack of support from Lovie on the recruiting front, but it's hard to describe Bellamy's recruiting as anything too positive. Also, what is Patterson's track record outside of the Trinity kids? There's still a lot of unanswered questions with both those guys. Both guys do seem to be very positive and likeable, and definitely seem like they enjoy being here.

I think he was instrumental in landing Randolph and/or Okpolo. A few others, too.