Coaching Carousel (Football)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#401      
floorburn
altgeld88 said:
Brawl of the Wild is on my bucket list. My understanding is that rivalry is off the hook. Spent a lot of time in Montana in the late '90s and early '00s and heard the lore. Plus the Griz stadium in Missoula is one of the most beautiful settings in all of college ball, and seats a mere cozy 25k.
Click to expand...
I haven’t been to Missoula for the game but Bozeman, in my opinion, is just beautiful. And a pregame flyover, in the mountains, is equally awesome.
 
#402      
floorburn
ChiefGritty said:
I'll say the thing that will get everybody mad, what the heck, glad to be of service:

If it would have meant keeping our guys in the front seven for the most part, gun to my head, I would have continued with Henry over doing this.

Bret has forgotten more about football than I'll ever know, I hope I'm wrong, and I find the plan here clear and legible at least, which makes me feel better, but all in all this just doesn't particularly fill me with confidence as a stronger footing to move forward with.

Happy to be dunked on in a year.


I had absolutely known of Hauck's success at Montana before, but true confession, when I saw the name I knew I had heard of the guy but had to look it up, and I had no idea about his association with Rocky Long and the 3-3-5.

I was better at this when I was younger and less busy and Illinois was in need of firing its coach every five minutes.
Click to expand...
The last three Brawl of the Wild games I attended were all blowouts, in favor of Montana State (not including their meeting in the FCS semifinals, which was also a blowout in favor of the Bobcats).
 
#403      
altgeld88
floorburn said:
I haven’t been to Missoula for the game but Bozeman, in my opinion, is just beautiful. And a pregame flyover, in the mountains, is equally awesome.
Click to expand...
I visited the Montana State stadium in Bozeman for the first time in 1990. It looked like an overgrown high school stadium back then with see-through bleachers on the visitors' side IIRC. I watched Brawl of the Wild II in the FCS playoffs last December and it's unrecognizable from those days.

Many fond memories. Gorgeous state and breathtaking landscapes. Tough place to scrape together a living, however.

I'm optimistic about Hauck given his record with the Griz. In Bret We Trust.
 
#404      
Curbelo Fanboy
As I have posted in other threads, I'm gonna assume Bret knows what he is doing unless proven otherwise. He's been top shelf so far IMO. If you look at the offensive side now thru 5 years at the helm, he is doing a lot differently than the Wisconsin model. Some similar elements but our offense is much more spread out than what Wiscy ran during the bulk of the Alvarez & Bielema tenures. It was a lot of power football with a bruising back.

They were starting to morph away from that toward the end of Bret's tenure as the greater college game was becoming more spread/mobile QB oriented.

He's also had pro experience & has most likely evolved his thoughts on the best way to win the most games consistently at Illinois. Even in the NIL era we will never recruit at the level of an Ohio State, Michigan, etc. So if he thinks new scheme is a better mouse trap then I'm all in on it.
 
#405      
CDRUSN
If Hauck has our defenders swarm to the ball carrier to gang tackle on running plays, and has the DBs play tight coverage on pass plays instead of the large cushion we were giving receivers these last 2 seasons, I'll take it. Also, if he learns quickly from what doesn't work and adapts his defense to maximize our strengths, those would be welcome changes too. I trust Coach B to make a smart hire, as his success will depend to a large degree on how well Hauck succeeds. At least Hauck won't be bolting for the first HC job if he does work out.
 
#406      
AirTran
I listened to the Bobby Hauck retirement press conference, and agree that seems super genuine and a "good ball coach".

Here is a list of current B1G DC's and their salaries. We hired a guy whose comp ($265K as a HC) was 8.5% - 25% of our competition.

Look I love an underdog story, but we are in arms race not a Disney movie.

Penn State
Jim Knowles
~$3.1 M
Michigan
Wink Martindale
~$2.3 M
Ohio State
(formerly, before Knowles moved) Jim Knowles
~$2.2 M
Iowa
Phil Parker
~$1.9 M
Nebraska
Tony White
~$1.6 M
Michigan State
Joe Rossi
~$1.5 M
Rutgers
Joe Harasymiak
~$1.5 M
Maryland
Brian Williams (defense)
~$1.3 M
Wisconsin
(DC salary estimate)
~$1.25 M
Indiana
Bryant Haines
~$1.175 M
Minnesota
Corey Hetherman
~$1.0 M (potentially higher with bonuses)
Purdue
Mike Scherer
~$1.0 M (2025)
Click to expand...
Huh? How did Mike Scherer, Brian Williams, Joe Rossi, Joe Harasymiak do for what they were paid? The best defense in the conference was at Indiana. I get it. We judge coaches on their age and compensation. Not their experience and ability. Makes sense to me. On second thought.... no it doesn't.
 
#407      
AirTran
aaeismacgychel said:
I don't know if we would have been able to keep our DL if Henry stayed. Seemed more of an asking price issue for the production they had issue than a moving on from Henry issue. And while I'm sure the thought of instability can be part of the reason they left, it doesn't have the feel that that's what happened. More that we might have misidentified the scarcity and cost for the DL position available in the portal this year.

I will say this though, I do think a 3-3-5 fits our personnel a lot better than Henry's defense this past year. Bringing back X and Clarke gives me a lot of confidence in our coverage when shortening up the field via pressure. Bailey also has been very effective in screaming down the box in run support. DT if it's a problem would be a problem regardless. I think LB would be the bigger question for us in the 3-3-5. Generally you want your MLB to have speed, athleticism, and range, which is a lot to ask. And then OLBs need to take the right angles and be sure tackles mopping up whatever gets filtered to them. I really need to see to believe our new MLB. If he’s good, I see the 3-3-5 really suiting us very well. Plays to the strengths (experienced players) on this team. If the MLB struggles though, we'll have issues.

All said, I like the change. And if we're changing over to a new system, having a coach who's an expert on teaching and implementing the system is likely far more important than recruiting or playcalling. And those Montana teams were pretty good. I think this is a good stop gap hire at worst
Click to expand...
Why in the world would we want to keep players with PFF scores below 60? With the exception of McCollum all of the players that left had low cielings. We were not good on defense for the past 3 years. We have no idea what true depth chart looks like and what scheme(s) we are going to run. But we are going to find out.

One thing is for certain. We are going to run the ball more often next year than we did the last 2 years. Which should imply the defense will be on the field fewer minutes than in the past 2 years.
 
#408      
LFOD
The next major hurdle is pronouncing Illinois correctly in his press conference.
 
#410      
RedGrangeHelmet
Oracle21 said:
Yeah let’s see if a new gimmick defense works. A 3-3-5 necessitates having at least one gigantic NT, and a lot of good DBs. We have neither at the moment but now that we know what we will be running let’s see what happens
Click to expand...
First of all the 3-3-5 is not gimmick defense. Iowa State Under Matt Campbell and John Heacock ran the 3-3-5 for years with great success. Iowa State never had gigantic NT as you put it. Define a gigantic NT. When Tony Elliot was defensive coordinator at Nebraska and ran 3-3-5 Nebraska never had Gigantic NTs We have plenty of Defensive linemen on the Roster that are big enough to play the NT. In The 3-3-5 the Nose Tackle is always going to be a 0 technique lined up across from the center . We have guys on the roster that are more than capable to play Nose tackle
 
#411      
RedGrangeHelmet
I listened to the Bobby Hauck retirement press conference, and agree that seems super genuine and a "good ball coach".

Here is a list of current B1G DC's and their salaries. We hired a guy whose comp ($265K as a HC) was 8.5% - 25% of our competition.

Look I love an underdog story, but we are in arms race not a Disney movie.

Penn State
Jim Knowles
~$3.1 M
Michigan
Wink Martindale
~$2.3 M
Ohio State
(formerly, before Knowles moved) Jim Knowles
~$2.2 M
Iowa
Phil Parker
~$1.9 M
Nebraska
Tony White
~$1.6 M
Michigan State
Joe Rossi
~$1.5 M
Rutgers
Joe Harasymiak
~$1.5 M
Maryland
Brian Williams (defense)
~$1.3 M
Wisconsin
(DC salary estimate)
~$1.25 M
Indiana
Bryant Haines
~$1.175 M
Minnesota
Corey Hetherman
~$1.0 M (potentially higher with bonuses)
Purdue
Mike Scherer
~$1.0 M (2025)
Click to expand...
Jim Knowles, Wink Martindale , Tony White and Mark Scherer are no longer coaching in the Big Ten .
 
#413      
Mr. Tibbs
Jim Knowles, Wink Martindale , Tony White and Mark Scherer are no longer coaching in the Big Ten .
Click to expand...
dead wink martindale GIF

sorry
I just can’t let a Wink martindale reference go without posting this
 
  • Like
Reactions: dsg
#415      
Poe's Law
Reminds me of Brad Pitt in F1, where he says, "Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston, now McLaren, all have us beat on the straights. Our shot is battling in the turns,"

This is Bielema trying to close that gap to get us into the top 12. We’re close. Maybe this closes the margin even more.

Either way it won’t be boring.
 
#417      
NashvILLe05
A day later…after some reflection.

Trying not to be negative but we were talking about Partridge, Wilcox, and Stoops. This is not an exciting hire for potential recruits, the fan base, or our brand. I know…in Bret we trust and I do…but it feels like we were expecting Sydney Sweeney and got Rosie O’Donnell.
 
#418      
Hingle McCringleberry
Jim Knowles, Wink Martindale , Tony White and Mark Scherer are no longer coaching in the Big Ten .
Click to expand...
Oh you got me Red (you eagle-eyed fact checker) I used a quick ChatGPT search to generate that data.

My point (which stands) is that it seems like we are bringing a stick / knife to a gun fight.
 
#420      
RedGrangeHelmet
therealmiket86 said:
Heacock didn’t go with Campbell to Penn State

nittanysportsnow.com

Golik: D’Anton Lynn and the Modern Rex Ryan Defense

The first splash coaching hire in the Matt Campbell era was made on Monday when they were able to complete a deal with D’Anton Lynn
nittanysportsnow.com nittanysportsnow.com
Click to expand...
Heacock Retired. He didn’t want to go to Penn State with Matt Campbell. Illinois is the only team in the Big Ten running a true 3-3-5. Also People need to understand in a 3-3–5 the middle Linebacker and Nose Tackle work in tandem especially against the Run. It’s not just the Nose Tackle. Nose tackle will always be 0 Technique over the center . Middle linebacker almost always lined up behind the Nose Tackle. They work off each other on blitzes and run defense . Nose Tackle job is to Eat Blocks , Fill the A gaps and force double teams to free up linebackers and safeties. Nose tackle lines up head up on Center and slants to either the Right or left A gap when the ball is snapped. Most important position in 3-3-5 Middle and Weak side Linebackers Safety. Matt Bailey Beerman and whoever is playing weak side linebacker will be the most important players on defense next season
 
Last edited:
#422      
Grandpa
... and later that evening as we're basking in the afterglow of our meal we learn that the diners adjacent to us have succumbed to botulism.
Click to expand...
They had Salmon Mousse. It was the Mousse
 
#424      
OldIlliniFan
People questioning the hire have every reason to be concerned. Hauck hasn’t coached defense in 24 years and has never coordinated one. Bringing in his brother will be a huge help but everyone should consider his nickname…Big Game Bobby…and it’s not because he won them. His defensive scheme at Montana was know for being successful against teams with lesser talent but was not effective against the high level FCS teams. Just saying.
 
#425      
Oracle21
RedGrangeHelmet said:
First of all the 3-3-5 is not gimmick defense. Iowa State Under Matt Campbell and John Heacock ran the 3-3-5 for years with great success. Iowa State never had gigantic NT as you put it. Define a gigantic NT. When Tony Elliot was defensive coordinator at Nebraska and ran 3-3-5 Nebraska never had Gigantic NTs We have plenty of Defensive linemen on the Roster that are big enough to play the NT. In The 3-3-5 the Nose Tackle is always going to be a 0 technique lined up across from the center . We have guys on the roster that are more than capable to play Nose tackle
Click to expand...

Ughh…..

This guy was Iowa State’s NT this year.
6’4 325




https://www.desmoinesregister.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/02/PDEM/74650726007-isu-media-day-45.jpg?crop=4320,5759,x1296,y0

Domonique Orange (6'4", 325 lbs), known as "Big Citrus," is the primary starting nose tackle (zero technique) for the Iowa State Cyclones. A 2025 All-Big 12 Third Team selection, he is recognized as a disruptive, athletic run-stuffer who often commands double teams and was named Bednarik National Player of the Week.
Iowa State Athletics
Iowa State Athletics +4
Key Details About Domonique Orange (2025-2026 Season):
  • Role: Starting nose tackle (zero technique), often responsible for taking on double teams and stopping the run.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back