Antonio Fenelus named Illinois Defensive Backs Coach

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#53      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
Badly needed a recruiter by trade for this fist hire. I'm also assuming the RBs coach will have strong potential as a recruiter.
 
#55      

Epsilon

M tipping over
Pdx
Do people really not know that "press the flesh" means "shake hands"?

;)
monty python wink GIF
 
#56      
Badly needed a recruiter by trade for this fist hire. I'm also assuming the RBs coach will have strong potential as a recruiter.
Given the choice between a lineup studded with Sunday talent who sometimes frustratingly don't play up to their abilities, or a lineup of overachieving MAC-ish guys who play with heart and discipline but are often just outmatched, I'd take the former over the latter 200 times out of 100. Bring on the recruiters.
 
#57      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
Given the choice between a lineup studded with Sunday talent who sometimes frustratingly don't play up to their abilities, or a lineup of overachieving MAC-ish guys who play with heart and discipline but are often just outmatched, I'd take the former over the latter 200 times out of 100. Bring on the recruiters.
And there's less to choose there than people think. There's more coaching in recruiting and more recruiting in coaching every year, if that makes sense.

When you connect with the kids, good things happen. That's Barry Lunney in the film room or Fletch in the weight room, it's all about a culture.
 
#58      
Given the choice between a lineup studded with Sunday talent who sometimes frustratingly don't play up to their abilities, or a lineup of overachieving MAC-ish guys who play with heart and discipline but are often just outmatched, I'd take the former over the latter 200 times out of 100. Bring on the recruiters.
Girl Why Dont We Have Both GIF
 
#59      
By the way, the story with the D2 defensive coordinator thing is that Al Johnson, former Badger star who was a GA alongside Fenelus at UW in 2016-17 got hired as the head coach at D2 East Central University in Oklahoma and brought Fenelus along as DC/DB coach. So it was a Badger adventure down there he got coaxed into.

It went okay, that was a down-on-its-luck school that Johnson rebuilt to some degree of success, and wound up becoming interim athletic director (you go down the divisions and it gets real fly-by-night real fast), but Johnson left this past season to go back to Wisconsin as RB coach (not sure if Fickell has retained him).

I would imagine both guys would say the experience taught them that Power Five football with its resources and structure is where they belong, but I'm sure they both learned a ton.
I love how you casually discuss East Central University like it's a common topic of discussion. Where did you get this information?
 
#60      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
I love how you casually discuss East Central University like it's a common topic of discussion. Where did you get this information?
Google!

First Fenelus himself then to figure out who East Central's head coach was, and it all went from there.

Usually this is all nicely clickable on Wikipedia, but not in D2 apparently.

It's a smaller world than people think.
 
#64      
the magic of photoshop
they have guys in Illini helmets and jerseys , in game like poses , before they even commit.

I can remember when Topps had the baseball players in the wrong caps & jerseys sometimes the entire season following a mid-late winter trade
Or Topps had the "new" hat painted on and it looked awful. As well as having the bubble gum dust that would get on your clothes. Good memories 👍.
 
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#68      

Mr. Tibbs

southeast DuPage
Fenelus named as "rising star" in this article.
Oklahoma senior offensive analyst Matt Holecek
+ Joined the Oklahoma staff after Jeff Lebby was hired as the Sooners’ OC.
+ Assists with Oklahoma’s quarterbacks.
+ Worked under Lebby at Ole Miss the past two seasons. Served as an analyst and assistant QB coach.

maybe we can get this Holecek to satisfy some people /s
 
#69      
This is who Henry and Bret wanted. Did a lot of the on campus recruiting for LSU. Great connections in FL can take over Henry’s role down there. Well spoken young coach who is comfortable with Henry and Bret and knows how they want the secondary to play.
My brother, a Wisconsin alum, has met AF a few times and says he’s a very dynamic personality. I like the hire.
 
#70      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

By Anderson Kimball Decatur (Ill.) Herald & Review

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois has its new defensive backs coach in Antonio Fenelus, a defensive analyst at LSU who played and was recruited to Wisconsin while Bret Bielema was the head coach. The program announced the hire Friday.

Fenelus was a two-time All-Big Ten defensive back with the Badgers from 2008-11. He played on the 2010 and 2011 Big Ten championship teams under Bielema with current Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.
 
#73      
And it should be mentioned, Brian Kelly, love him or hate him, is also an elite staff hirer, and he kept Fenelus on.

This is obviously a high-caliber person who is going to be familiar and comfortable with what he's being asked to do by his former teammate and coach.

The downside risk in all of this is very simple and obvious: we don't have Ryan Walters anymore. It is what it is, next man up. It's crystal clear that continuity is being emphasized over change on that side of the ball.
Hate him.
 
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