lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
DC Bobby Hauck out at Illinois
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Let’s be honest, the lack of talent on the defense has led to this problem. It’s like trying to pay 4 house bills with money for 3. Wait 1 year for bigger score board and get talent for the D and it would have been different! We are playing the hand we’ve have now so get somebody how is good with duct tape and get to a bowl game!
Zero doubt Hauck initiated this. He wanted retirement and went into retired. BB mistakenly tried to get him out of it. Fired and gets a nice fat retirement gift from BB and Illinois.
Terrible hire. BB with egg on his face. Hauck was done with football 6+ months ago
Terrible hire. BB with egg on his face. Hauck was done with football 6+ months ago
Besides some espoused Sommelier level olfactory capabilities, what do you have to support your opinion that is contrary to what was on this board from good sources that played out throughout the offseason of 25'-early 26'?
No-one is saying that he was committed to totally changing the defense, what is being said that he adopted the change in defensive scheme due to the coach he decided to hire out of lack of alternatives.
But maybe you have a hotline to Miss Cleo that is still active.
so one would then assume we owe him nothing more on his 2026 and/or 2027 contract
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
It seems obvious to me that Hauck was Bret's Plan C hire. Bret is the spinmaster, so he was never going to tell us that. I have no inside information. It's just my take and it could be wrong.
I do have to wonder if Hauck is too used to being the head coach and he wasn't comfortable with being told what to do rather than doing what he wanted to do.
I do have to wonder if Hauck is too used to being the head coach and he wasn't comfortable with being told what to do rather than doing what he wanted to do.
He wasn’t fired. He most likely is paid through the date he quit if he walked in and said “I’m done” which is what all parties are saying.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Owning it. I was wrong, but if you think he’s calling plays……
PizzaHutParkingLot
- Vodice, Croatia
Look at all the talent we had on the defense the last couple years. Ahen is a good guy but he’s not ready to be a DC right now.
Right. I mean one could of course argue that there is a major talent disparity on defense between us and Notre Dame and that Henry struggled hard here as DC while having significantly more talent than we have this season, but I'm sure it's just that we no longer have Henry.
Our biggest issue is that we had to bargin bin our DL and LB group. If Henry were still coaching here, we'd also be running 3 man fronts, dropping 8 in coverage, lining up 10yds off the LOS and our defense would be giving up easy 10-20yd chunks each down. How do I know that? Because that's what happened the past 2 seasons, and our talent has gotten much worse. Hauck was given an impossible task and failed at it. Henry wouldn't be doing much better.
It's certainly possible but I didn't think so before the presser.
BB may have told him he's demoted, he may have said, no I'm not, I'm gone.
Or
He told BB it's my defense, I'm doing what I want and BB said, bye.
At least the way BB lead into today talking about the prior in-season demotions, it may be the first scenario.
Do you think the plan was to roll with Henry another year and he just happened to be stolen by ND at an inopportune time?
Beckman. Lovie a close second. Hauck isn't even in the team picture compared to those 2Bigger joke, Hauck or Beckman?
Have to credit Bielema for being decisive.
Bring back Walters 
While I tend to agree with you regarding potential coaches viewing the situation, I see 3 possible issues that could creep up:
1. Coaches generally want stability and appropriate time and opportunity to institute their defense over multiple seasons. I'm fine with assuming they understand this is a 1 off and that Bret will give them assurances they'll be given appropriate time to turn it around
2. Coaches want to know that they will have the appropriate resources and players to field a competitive roster. You don't want to play a bunch of not even replacement level guys at the B10 level and look several overmatched as that does you no favors on the resume. This will take some convincing by Bret and a change in philosophy of how we attack the portal and build the defense
3. The longer a coaching spot remains open, the less sexy an option it becomes, and as the pressure to fill it keeps increasing it starts looking more and more like a poison pill. 2 months is a long lead team for an opening.
If we are able to hire one of the DCs of our choice in the early coaching cycle then no worries, but if we miss on an early candidate and other schools start filling their positions, I'll start getting extremely nervous. Hopefully it'll be alright, but I still have some PTSD in there from prior coaching searches. That said, in Josh and Bret I trust.
Feels like they both arrived at "Yeah, this isn't working." In a way, I find BB's decision to help AH land softly after the firing sort of admirable, but it totally screwed us in the coaching carousel in the offseason. Phil Parkers don't grow on trees and finding one is easier said than done, but BB has made some head-scratching personnel decisions.
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I’m curious too
Agree with this. I'm a couple years older than Hauck, so I get his mindset. He probably has FU money and has a great legacy from his days at Montana. Why screw that up and put yourself through this angst when hunting season is just getting started?
I also get why he took the job. He was burned out from working 80 hour weeks for the past 40 years, but thought a different challenge could reinvigorate him. It usually doesn't work that way.
no .pretty sure BB helped him get that gig
If he was such a great coordinator, then his defenses would have been better at Purdue. Plus, he burned bridges, he can stay away.Bring back Walters
He was. He was calling the plays to Cooper who would then relay it to the green dot
It has been stated what happened. Nothing you claim is close to what has been said what happened. In short, Bobby initiated the conversation and said I’m not feeling it and I might not be the best for the team. Coach B said ok we will move on.
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