The Illinois Coaching Staff Search

Status
Not open for further replies.
#351      
In an interview on WCIA, Bielema said that the four most important people he's going to hire will be the OC, DC, Special Teams Coach, and Strength coach.

The Michigan guy obviously isn't going to happen because it would have happened already. But I have every confidence there is a coaching tree of Wisconsin strength coaches we can pull from.

The special teams thing is interesting. You would think that would be a position where you could leverage a big time recruiter onto your staff with a dressed up salary and title (there are not many Ligs-types in CFB), but I don't really know where to look or what to expect for that one.
 
#352      
In an interview on WCIA, Bielema said that the four most important people he's going to hire will be the OC, DC, Special Teams Coach, and Strength coach.

The Michigan guy obviously isn't going to happen because it would have happened already. But I have every confidence there is a coaching tree of Wisconsin strength coaches we can pull from.

The special teams thing is interesting. You would think that would be a position where you could leverage a big time recruiter onto your staff with a dressed up salary and title (there are not many Ligs-types in CFB), but I don't really know where to look or what to expect for that one.
Wisconsin has always been known for big linemen. Outside of focusing on the weight room, having the players drink raw milk was also the approach. It'll be interesting if BB's new S&C coach brings the "unpasteurized" beverage to Illinois.
 
#353      
In an interview on WCIA, Bielema said that the four most important people he's going to hire will be the OC, DC, Special Teams Coach, and Strength coach.

The Michigan guy obviously isn't going to happen because it would have happened already. But I have every confidence there is a coaching tree of Wisconsin strength coaches we can pull from.

The special teams thing is interesting. You would think that would be a position where you could leverage a big time recruiter onto your staff with a dressed up salary and title (there are not many Ligs-types in CFB), but I don't really know where to look or what to expect for that one.
Yeah I keep thinking of that interview as well. If he puts the S&C and STC in that same category, would it be that unheard of to pay a S&C coach near 1 million? That's what it would take to get the Michigan guy.

I don't know enough about really any coordinators, let alone STCs. I know the LSU STC is an Illinois native and worked here under Turner. I doubt there's any connection directly with Bielema, but if he's considered a top STC, maybe he makes sense as I assume he can recruit the state and has been around long enough to recruit nationally.
 
#354      
Unfortunately this is reminding me of the Beckman hire where we had all these high profile potential assistants bantied about including Matt Campbell as OC and we ended up with a very pedestrian staff

I hope that is not the case (BB is certainly better than Beckman in every way) and the Holidays are impacting announcements but I don’t take this delay in announcing coaches as a positive at all - particularly when JW has opened up the checkbook- money won’t be the issue
 
#355      
Unfortunately this is reminding me of the Beckman hire where we had all these high profile potential assistants bantied about including Matt Campbell as OC and we ended up with a very pedestrian staff

I hope that is not the case (BB is certainly better than Beckman in every way) and the Holidays are impacting announcements but I don’t take this delay in announcing coaches as a positive at all - particularly when JW has opened up the checkbook- money won’t be the issue
BB said he’d like the whole staff together by end of January. It’s been a week around the holiday and teams are still playing. Not much here at all to remind you of Beckman at this point.
 
#356      
Keep in mind, BB's introduction was literally one week ago today. Bowl games have just started, Christmas and Christmas Eve took up 2 days last week. If we hear nothing by Wednesday, I'll start to get a little anxious. I won't get nervous until the hires are actually made, and they seem underwhelming. After the garbage staff Lovie had around, it would take a lot for me to go completely negative on BB.
 
#357      
Unfortunately this is reminding me of the Beckman hire where we had all these high profile potential assistants bantied about including Matt Campbell as OC and we ended up with a very pedestrian staff

I hope that is not the case (BB is certainly better than Beckman in every way) and the Holidays are impacting announcements but I don’t take this delay in announcing coaches as a positive at all - particularly when JW has opened up the checkbook- money won’t be the issue
If I remember correctly, it wasn't so much that he brought in bad assistants, as much as it was him having to bring in guys he had never worked with and guys that weren't experienced at actually calling plays as co-OCs. His staff wasn't terrible, just kinda patchwork and weirdly set up. Most of his staff had pretty good experience and were well regarded.
 
#358      
Unfortunately this is reminding me of the Beckman hire where we had all these high profile potential assistants bantied about including Matt Campbell as OC and we ended up with a very pedestrian staff
Completely false revisionist history.

You look back at 2012 and look what has happened in the coaches careers since and that initial Beckman staff was an absolute grand slam.

Billy Gonzales is the Passing Game Coordinator at Florida
Chris Beatty is the WR coach at Pitt after being the AHC/Co-OC at Maryland
Tim Banks is the Co-DC at Penn State
Alex Golesh is the Co-OC at UCF after being the RC at Iowa State that built that whole team
Aaron Hillmann is Campbell's head Strength Coach at Iowa State

And that's not just hindsight, these guys were big gets at the time, especially Gonzales.

As a collective it is definitely true that you had a lot more recruiting ability than coaching ability in that group, a totally fair criticism, and none of them being outright playcallers despite their high market values reflects that. But the problem was Beckman, who in 2012 was completely unprepared and in over his head as the CEO of a Big Ten football program. That's a deficiency even Campbell would have had a hard time masking, having a boss and manager who didn't know what he was doing.

If I remember correctly, it wasn't so much that he brought in bad assistants, as much as it was him having to bring in guys he had never worked with and guys that weren't experienced at actually calling plays as co-OCs. His staff wasn't terrible, just kinda patchwork and weirdly set up. Most of his staff had pretty good experience and were well regarded.
Ha, you were nicer about it than I was.

You see in this false narrative the way the Guentherite Myth works. It cannot be that Beckman and Illinois had the resources and the clout to hire a solid staff in 2012, because the central fact has to always be that NO ONE, ANYWHERE, EVER would work for Mike Thomas or have anything to do with a Mike Thomas athletic department, and it has to be that Matt Campbell laughed his butt off at the mere suggestion of ever being involved with Mike Thomas' Illinois.

Thankfully we now have an AD that synthesizes the virtues of Guenther (credibility with and control over the elite coterie of donors) and Thomas (actually attempting to run a modern-day athletic department), while having the critical extra piece that both of them lacked (the ability to scout and recruit big time revenue sport coaches). This is an argument about the mists of history, but the propaganda campaign still drives me insane.
 
Last edited:
#360      
Worked the last year with Derek Dooley with the Giants. Might be a name to keep an eye on. HC and OC experience. Some good.....some not as good. But....you can say that about most coaches.
 
#361      
Worked the last year with Derek Dooley with the Giants. Might be a name to keep an eye on. HC and OC experience. Some good.....some not as good. But....you can say that about most coaches.
I don't see him as someone that would require a very high salary. Maybe get him in as a position coach. I don't see him as an option for OC.
 
#364      
I don't see him as someone that would require a very high salary. Maybe get him in as a position coach. I don't see him as an option for OC.
It's pretty silly how we're pu-pu-ing coaches with objectively superior resumes to some of the most lauded coordinators we've had around here in recent years (Rod Smith and Vic Koenning spring to mind)

That being said, after Ryan Cubit and Miles Smith (don't think we've forgotten about you either, Tyler Underwood) I am just sick to death of failsons around here, so I am down on Dooley (whose coaching career was ludicrously accelerated by being Vince Dooley's kid) on that basis.
 
#365      
It's pretty silly how we're pu-pu-ing coaches with objectively superior resumes to some of the most lauded coordinators we've had around here in recent years (Rod Smith and Vic Koenning spring to mind)

That being said, after Ryan Cubit and Miles Smith (don't think we've forgotten about you either, Tyler Underwood) I am just sick to death of failsons around here, so I am down on Dooley (whose coaching career was ludicrously accelerated by being Vince Dooley's kid) on that basis.
I try very hard not to "pu-pu" coaches but Dooley has very little OC experience. There's a lot of guys I'd take ahead of him in regards to calling plays and running an offense. I'd be fine with him on the staff but uneasy if he was the OC.
 
#366      
I try very hard not to "pu-pu" coaches but Dooley has very little OC experience. There's a lot of guys I'd take ahead of him in regards to calling plays and running an offense. I'd be fine with him on the staff but uneasy if he was the OC.
Not much OC experience, but he did coordinate the 8th best offense in the country against an SEC schedule at Mizzou in 2018. And of course he was the head coach at Tennessee. "Inexperience" isn't the issue.

His OC at Tennessee was Jim Chaney too, so there are connections to Bielema beyond just this one NFL staff.

And Dooley's OL coach at Tennessee was Harry Hiestand, who is a free agent right now and would be a grand slam hire for the O-Line.

Look at you, you've got me talking myself into this.
 
#369      
I am probably in the minority here but what about Mark Helfrich as OC?
I don’t think he’d be terrible at all. His real problems at Oregon as HC stemmed from his inability to hit on a DC after their long-time DC retired. Though Bear fans might not like it. What is he doing now, broadcasting?
 
#372      
The OC will be one of three names. Derek Dooley, Dan Enos or Mark Helfrich. Do I know which one? Maybe. And if I recall correctly, Bielema stated he wanted to have his staff ready to go first week of January. Sounds like some announcements this week
First week of January is accurate. I know there was some confusion early regarding a statement BB made about end-of-January, but he did later confirm first week of January for coaching staff. Should therefore be news starting to come out this week.
 
#374      
Not much OC experience, but he did coordinate the 8th best offense in the country against an SEC schedule at Mizzou in 2018. And of course he was the head coach at Tennessee. "Inexperience" isn't the issue.

His OC at Tennessee was Jim Chaney too, so there are connections to Bielema beyond just this one NFL staff.

And Dooley's OL coach at Tennessee was Harry Hiestand, who is a free agent right now and would be a grand slam hire for the O-Line.

Look at you, you've got me talking myself into this.
Lol you just talked me into it too. The connections are there. He definitely has experience. I just did not realize he was that good at Mizzou as OC. Also, hard to get a true read on how good he actually is with him basically changing jobs every year or 2.
 
#375      
The OC will be one of three names. Derek Dooley, Dan Enos or Mark Helfrich. Do I know which one? Maybe. And if I recall correctly, Bielema stated he wanted to have his staff ready to go first week of January. Sounds like some announcements this week
Now were cooking with peanut oil.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back