Monken was born in Peoria and went to Millikin so there's that.
2019-20 Coaching Discussion/Carousel
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Monken was born in Peoria and went to Millikin so there's that.
Herm Edwards is your checked-out CEO with little input, and ASU wanted it that way. It seems successful so far, but it will be interesting to see in the future.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Herm Edwards is making half of Lovie's salary, and is 100% bought in to the structure ASU wants to set up.
If we want to find some fun guy old pro coach on the cheap to recruit and fire up the kids while managing a well-resourced college staff, I'm sure we could do that. Brian Billick is a character in the booth and has a Super Bowl ring, I bet he'd do it.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
FWIW in his Army bio he lists his hometown as Joliet.
Regardless of people's opinions of option football, the list of candidates for me starts and ends with Jeff Monken. Outside of that they need to take a risk, possibly looking st successful FCS programs.
1. Monken has turned around not 1 but 2 programs.
2. He's from Illinois.
3. He will(hopefully) bring a discipline this team has never shown.
1. Monken has turned around not 1 but 2 programs.
2. He's from Illinois.
3. He will(hopefully) bring a discipline this team has never shown.
Deleted member 29907
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So we're going to get/spend Bentley type numbers on a football performance center, yet only want to spend Yugo type numbers on a coach to lead that team. Makes sense.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
So we're going to get/spend Bentley type numbers on a football performance center, yet only want to spend Yugo type numbers on a coach to lead that team. Makes sense.
Eh, $79 million is Toyota Corolla type numbers. But that's okay! It's a nice car!
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
We're a below average Power 5 team, so...
Happy to see you didn’t bail on us
The Board has spoken and it has said that Illinois will fire Lovie and Hire Jeff Monken. The better question is the board ready for some Military Option on Saturdays?
Without a doubt.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
$79 million for a football-only center is not Corolla money. Factoring in inflation, the facility cost more than Oregon's brand new facility in 2013 that set the bar. Clemson spent $55 million two years ago. LSU spent less than $30 million for a massive renovation.
Deleted member 29907
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no kidding - some like to really focus on the "anal" in analogy.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Let's just say there is room for some real spicy political takes as to why there is such a deviation in price compared to other states. But our facility is darned near identical to Clemson's. Also darned near identical to Iowa's which was also $55 million.
It's right in line with what everyone is doing, and done thoughtfully and in high quality. That's a Corolla. Great car, reliable, holds its value.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
Yah true, I'd rather have the coach nobody else wants.
I had originally wished that Lovie was brought in as a CEO. Hire an O & D coordinator, be the name to help recruiting and, clean up the Beckman stain.
I’d rather not waste time chasing a coach we can’t actually hire. I contain my exercises to treadmills, not futilities,
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Probably the hardest part of being an AD is entering the fog of war of a revenue sport coaching search and being able to discern who is actually interested and who is playing you to get more money elsewhere. Mike Thomas was bad at that. So far, so good on that front with Whitman.
Illinifan533
- Normal, Illinois
The only FCS program I'd even consider looking into is North Dakota State, and they have a 1st year coach who may or may not be able to continue the unstoppable machine they have there (he probably will). Kansas State's hire of Klieman seems to be working so far, but he was hired only after showing he could sustain the success built by Bohl.
And I don't want to hear anything else about going after Brock Spack. I know his mediocrity of late has been mentioned already, but his best teams were ones carried by high-end FBS transfers. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if his days here in BloNo are numbered.
Thanks, I honestly don't know much at all about the FCS level. Just don't get excited at FBS or NFL retreads.
Agreed, the waters are not easy to navigate. The concern here for me, as much as cost, is time. The days of screening multiple candidates, whitting that list down to a couple finalists, interviewing and vetting them thoroughly before you make a decision and present an offer are dead. These deals are getting finalized in record speed now. Going down the rabbit hole with a candidate you don't have a realistic chance of catching by the tail is not appealing to me. You can call that aiming low if you like, I call it managing expectations. And with the latter, we can still hire a a very good coach/staff.
Illinifan533
- Normal, Illinois
I believe the general rule of thumb is to let FCS coaches first prove their worth at G5 schools, like Baber and Bohl did/is doing. And I agree with you on the retreads. Someone like Butch Jones just screams Zook 2.0 to me. The only retread I would really get excited about would be if Illinois was somehow able to get Jim Harbaugh after he's likely dismissed from Michigan this year.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
A lot of the coaches who have dominated at that level have been soaked up by FBS in recent years.
Bohl to Wyoming then Klieman to KSU from NDSU. Beau Baldwin from Eastern Washington to Cal as OC. Mike Houston from James Madison to East Carolina. Willie Fritz from Sam Houston State to Georgia Southern then Tulane. Matt Viator from McNeese State to Louisiana-Monroe.
A lot of what's left are older guys like Mark Farley at Northern Iowa and John Stiegelmeier from SDSU who have been there for a million years.
Fritz and maybe Bohl could be viable candidates for us, potentially. Both very good coaches.
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