The Illinois Football Coaching Search

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#577      
Deleted member 747671
sacraig said:
I don't know anything about Heacock, but that may not be a bad play to bring in someone that is packaged with Scheelhaase with a promotion.
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If Scheelhaase came here as OC, I would hope/assume the new HC was the playcaller. My 2 cents.
 
#579      
RedRocksIllini
Pennsy said:
Here are 2 reasons we don't want Bielema. First, he has a big nose and is hard to look at during sideline shots. Second, he keeps his windbreaker zipped up to his neck. No one else does that.
All in all, we ought not want anyone who is available because he has been fired or resigned. That leaves out Sarkisian who had dependency issues with Wash and USC. We need not want anyone who bleeds orange and blue. Look at what happened with Barry Odom, who was MizzouThruandThru. Got canned. Look who Mizzou hired -- an up and comer, widely respected, paid his dues at the right programs, never been fired. And had not set foot west of StL. And has charmed the state from day one. Too bad they got him first.
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You may have a point on the windbreaker.

usa-today-9031255.jpg
 
#580      
EyeoftheIllini
sacraig said:
I don't know anything about Heacock, but that may not be a bad play to bring in someone that is packaged with Scheelhaase with a promotion.
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I’m kidding, though he has head coaching experience — winning record at Youngstown St and has coached in B1G.
 
#581      
sacraig
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Two things I want to add:

1) Thank you, Coach Smith. It didn't appear to be working out by my estimation - as in, I did not see us improving significantly over the next 2-3 years, and the recruits weren't there to buy more time - but I was genuinely proud to have you represent the Illin with such class and dignity.
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Agreed.

Fighter of the Nightman said:
Two things I want to add:

1) Thank you, Coach Smith. It didn't appear to be working out by my estimation - as in, I did not see us improving significantly over the next 2-3 years, and the recruits weren't there to buy more time - but I was genuinely proud to have you represent the Illin with such class and dignity.

2) I'm getting a little tired of people around the Internet who are LITERALLY ILLINI FANS downplaying this job. We have brand new facilities, good recruiting grounds, a world class university in a nationally renowned college town, a young and energetic AD who is by all accounts good to work for and no shortage of money or influential boosters willing to pony up for a coach they believe in. We simply should not be this bad year in and year out, and we cannot allow ourselves to be so beaten down so as to forget that. If a program like Iowa can go from utterly bad before Ferentz showed up (FROM MAINE) to what they are now or Wisconsin can go from a constant doormat to running the Big Ten West, we can at the VERY least strive for hardly ever missing a bowl. Instead, as someone noted, we haven't won 7+ games in a row hardly ever in decades. That is below what we should all expect from Illinois Football.
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I mean, if you prefer being divorced from reality then that's fine with me, but look at this from the perspective of a non-fan. Better, look at it from the perpective of a potential hire. If you are an established commodity like Fickel or Campbell, you aren't going to sniff the Illinois job no matter how much money someone throws at you. Illinois has been the graveyard for too many recent college coaches. The odds are too low for a guy like that to take a chance, especially when our roster isn't exactly primed for rapid recovery. That even makes it a tough sell (though not impossible) for a highly-regarded coordinator.

Fighter of the Nightman said:
3) Things not working out with hire after hire after hire is NOT a reason to stop trying. You HAVE to try to get better. Period. If we hire a coach who starts going 7-5 every year for ten years and we achieve the goal I mentioned in Point #2 and fans are back on board and we have so momentum but nothing is improving? Guess what? We probably should move on and try to use the momentum to aim higher. The EVENTUAL goal at Illinois should be to compete for championships. Period. We obviously have to consider the situation and be realistic and afford realistic timetables (even if that is a decade or two!), but we can never stop striving toward those goals. If our own damn fans don't believe in our program's potential ... well, as someone else said, go root for 'Bama. I will never understand Illini fans who seem to pratcially enjoy talking about Illinois in a bad light. Whatever failure goes on for Illini athletics is quite simply fixable.
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I don't think anyone is advocating we stop trying, but just trying to get people to stop acting like we can have the pick of the litter by opening the wallet. We can't. We aren't OSU or Alabama or Texas. We shouldn't scrape the bottom of the barrel, but we also shouldn't be pretending we are something we are not.
 
#583      
sacraig
dbeaverfg said:
You have no reason to believe but I do have first-hand knowledge and would not look at him for ANY position.
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Wouldn't "first-hand" imply you are either Bret Bielema or one of said cheerleaders? Either way, I can't imagine why you'd be frequenting an Illinois message board.
 
#584      
dbeaverfg
sacraig said:
Wouldn't "first-hand" imply you are either Bret Bielema or one of said cheerleaders? Either way, I can't imagine why you'd be frequenting an Illinois message board.
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First-hand meaning saw what was happening between him and MUCH younger co-ed when he was the head coach at Wisconsin.
 
#585      
IlliniFandom
I liked the way that Robert Rosenthal laid it out on TV: "Illinois went with the NFL coach (2x), the recruiter, and the program builder* (asterisk for any coach hired by Mike Thomas)...nothing worked". So if we go down that theme, what other "category" is left. 1) Young Talented Coach 2) the redemption coach 3) the top school coach, but on their way out coach 4) Successful Power 5 coach already...any others?

Not that I think Josh thinks this way necessarily, but I think he would put his job in jeopardy if he chooses either the young talented coach or redemption coach. I don't think it necessarily means doom for him, but if it ends in scandal it could be a stain. However, I like the guy and think he does right by those he hires and the university, so I don't think he necessarily gets the Axe. I think the redemption coach is one that will give us the greatest chance to get and achieve success. No already Successful Power 5 coach gives us a serious look. I don't want someone who may be at risk because they aren't performing at their school...even if it is a top program and their expectations are crazy...my expectations are crazy too, so what makes me want that? The Young Coach is a tough one. On one hand, you have someone that is exciting, brings energy, could be a big hit...on the other, if it pans out, they will always be a flight risk, the chances of panning out are lower, and you need to develop a program/consistency...tough call.

I just hope whoever it is, we'll be excited about it just as we were with BU and Lovie TBH.
 
#586      
champaignchris
Emerson Bigguns said:
I think this program may have officially reached, "any coach who would be willing to preside over this dumpster fire, probably isn't good enough to do anything about it" territory.
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Why is Illinois a dumpster fire? There’s no lingering scandal. No detriment to building a program here that doesn’t exist elsewhere.

It was a dumpster fire when Smith took over. It’s just a bad football program, now. There’s a difference.
 
#587      
Emerson Bigguns
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Two things I want to add:

1) Thank you, Coach Smith. It didn't appear to be working out by my estimation - as in, I did not see us improving significantly over the next 2-3 years, and the recruits weren't there to buy more time - but I was genuinely proud to have you represent the Illin with such class and dignity.

2) I'm getting a little tired of people around the Internet who are LITERALLY ILLINI FANS downplaying this job. We have brand new facilities, good recruiting grounds, a world class university in a nationally renowned college town, a young and energetic AD who is by all accounts good to work for and no shortage of money or influential boosters willing to pony up for a coach they believe in. We simply should not be this bad year in and year out, and we cannot allow ourselves to be so beaten down so as to forget that. If a program like Iowa can go from utterly bad before Ferentz showed up (FROM MAINE) to what they are now or Wisconsin can go from a constant doormat to running the Big Ten West, we can at the VERY least strive for hardly ever missing a bowl. Instead, as someone noted, we haven't won 7+ games in a row hardly ever in decades. That is below what we should all expect from Illinois Football.

3) Things not working out with hire after hire after hire is NOT a reason to stop trying. You HAVE to try to get better. Period. If we hire a coach who starts going 7-5 every year for ten years and we achieve the goal I mentioned in Point #2 and fans are back on board and we have so momentum but nothing is improving? Guess what? We probably should move on and try to use the momentum to aim higher. The EVENTUAL goal at Illinois should be to compete for championships. Period. We obviously have to consider the situation and be realistic and afford realistic timetables (even if that is a decade or two!), but we can never stop striving toward those goals. If our own damn fans don't believe in our program's potential ... well, as someone else said, go root for 'Bama. I will never understand Illini fans who seem to pratcially enjoy talking about Illinois in a bad light. Whatever failure goes on for Illini athletics is quite simply fixable.
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I made one of those comments moments ago. I'm certainly not advocating throwing in the towel, just making light of a bad situation. Taking a coaching job is a calculated risk. For the young guys who are emerging stars of the coaching ranks, this job is an enormous risk. Lovie Smith just failed even with almost 2 decades of NFL coaching cache. We can throw a bunch of money at them, but if they fail to turn things around in 5 years, that stench can follow you around.

If Brett Bielema had just stayed in Madison, he'd probably still be the HC of a very good program. Likely would have been remembered very fondly up there for the rest of his days. Instead, he chased the dollars to the SEC, turned in a couple bad years, and apparently can't coach anymore.

My guess is that whomever we end up with, the initial reaction will be that we should have been able to do better. Many fans will believe it's a failure before they even start. There will be flaws in the resume. Either a failed stop, or someone making a big jump. There will very likely be jobs with easier paths to Bowl season than the one here, so it's a long shot to imagine one of the consensus top available moving in.

My post was more about how the new coach will be received by internet fans. My bet is... not well.
 
#588      
Oldskoolkoach
IlliniCaboose said:
And has just about every high level donor willing to make either of them the highest paid coach in the B1G, because that's where the conversation would have to begin with either of them. And even then they still might not return the call.
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Perhaps a call to Shahid Khan or Jerry Colangelo would be more than enough to get whoever is wanted. These Illini Alumnus are sports guys. Khan only has a net worth of near 8 Billion and Colangelo 300 Mil
 
#589      
altgeld88
Emerson Bigguns said:
I think this program may have officially reached, "any coach who would be willing to preside over this dumpster fire, probably isn't good enough to do anything about it" territory.
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I give you November 1979 and Gary Moeller departing having won four BT games in three seasons, and tying two. The Sept. 1978 scoreless tie in Memorial Stadium with eventually-winless Northwestern (0-10-1 that year, while we went 1-8-2) is reputed to have been the worst BT football game in decades. (Did anyone here actually see it?)

www.offtackleempire.com

Forty years ago, Illinois and Northwestern played the worst football game of all time

The Pointless Game turns 40
www.offtackleempire.com www.offtackleempire.com

And then Mike White, who had coached Steve Bartowski and Chuck Munice as HC at Cal in the mid-'70s, came to town.
 
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#590      
RedRocksIllini
altgeld88 said:
I give you November 1979 and Gary Moeller departing having won four BT games in three seasons, and tying two. The Sept. 1978 scoreless tie in Memorial Stadium with eventually-winless Northwestern (0-10-1 that year, while we went 1-8-2) is reputed to have been the worst BT football game in decades. (Did anyone here actually see it?)

And then Mike White, who had coached Steve Bartowski and Chuck Munice as HC at Cal in the mid-'70s, came to town.
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That was the first game I saw at Memorial Stadium. My eyes are still bleeding.
 
#592      
ChicagoKid
Sark isn't coming here. He's making $2.5 million as the Alabama OC and will have his pick of top jobs either this year or next year. Auburn apparently is interested in him and I wouldn't be shocked if Texas/LSU/Tennessee targets him in 2022.

To even sniff Stark, you probably need to pay him $6 million per year with an assistant pool of $12-15 million,
 
#593      
Mike55
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Two things I want to add:

1) Thank you, Coach Smith. It didn't appear to be working out by my estimation - as in, I did not see us improving significantly over the next 2-3 years, and the recruits weren't there to buy more time - but I was genuinely proud to have you represent the Illin with such class and dignity.

2) I'm getting a little tired of people around the Internet who are LITERALLY ILLINI FANS downplaying this job. We have brand new facilities, good recruiting grounds, a world class university in a nationally renowned college town, a young and energetic AD who is by all accounts good to work for and no shortage of money or influential boosters willing to pony up for a coach they believe in. We simply should not be this bad year in and year out, and we cannot allow ourselves to be so beaten down so as to forget that. If a program like Iowa can go from utterly bad before Ferentz showed up (FROM MAINE) to what they are now or Wisconsin can go from a constant doormat to running the Big Ten West, we can at the VERY least strive for hardly ever missing a bowl. Instead, as someone noted, we haven't won 7+ games in a row hardly ever in decades. That is below what we should all expect from Illinois Football.

3) Things not working out with hire after hire after hire is NOT a reason to stop trying. You HAVE to try to get better. Period. If we hire a coach who starts going 7-5 every year for ten years and we achieve the goal I mentioned in Point #2 and fans are back on board and we have so momentum but nothing is improving? Guess what? We probably should move on and try to use the momentum to aim higher. The EVENTUAL goal at Illinois should be to compete for championships. Period. We obviously have to consider the situation and be realistic and afford realistic timetables (even if that is a decade or two!), but we can never stop striving toward those goals. If our own damn fans don't believe in our program's potential ... well, as someone else said, go root for 'Bama. I will never understand Illini fans who seem to pratcially enjoy talking about Illinois in a bad light. Whatever failure goes on for Illini athletics is quite simply fixable.
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Our AD is the Best boss I've ever had.
 
#595      
Deleted member 747671
ChicagoKid said:
Sark isn't coming here. He's making $2.5 million as the Alabama OC and will have his pick of top jobs either this year or next year. Auburn apparently is interested in him and I wouldn't be shocked if Texas/LSU/Tennessee targets him in 2022.

To even sniff Stark, you probably need to pay him $6 million per year with an assistant pool of $12-15 million,
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Wow. Had no idea he made that much. Was thinking around 1.5 but that's gotta be the highest coordinator salary in the country. That might take him out of the running. Not sure I see him as a fit at Auburn but obviously those other schools would offer higher salary and prestige.
 
#596      
altgeld88
#598      
ChicagoKid
WINTer said:
Wow. Had no idea he made that much. Was thinking around 1.5 but that's gotta be the highest coordinator salary in the country. That might take him out of the running. Not sure I see him as a fit at Auburn but obviously those other schools would offer higher salary and prestige.
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The SEC is it's own league. And they don't even have the full $$ coming in from ESPN yet. Projected school revenue from TV rights alone will hit $75-$85 million in 2024.

When that happens, every SEC defensive and offensive coordinator -- outside of Vanderbilt -- will be paying their guys over a $1.5 million. Those coordinators are jumping ship from the SEC unless it's a big time job with big time money.
 
#599      
saukee
CurbeloYourEnthusiasm said:
He was upset with the Wisconsin admissions dept. Plus, I think he wanted to see if he could compete in the best football conference because there was nothing else he could really accomplish at WI.
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If I remember right it was over the pay of his assistants, he wanted them paid more so he didn't have to keep replacing them so he went to a conference that did pay more for coaching
 
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