Deleted member 747671
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Let’s make everyone happy. Get Todd Monken as HC and call plays. Bring in Nate and hartline as co-oc’s. State connection with Monken. Illini with Nate. Recruit with hartline. Perfect fit lol
The Illinois Football Coaching Search
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I’d much rather talk pros and cons on hartline than hear about why anyone and everyone seems to hate Bielema like I’ve read all say lol.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I remembered it slightly wrong, but Haden Fry was 3-8 in his final season, followed by Iowa hiring Ferentz from Maine (can you imagine what our fans would have been saying about how that proves we are not a desirable job and how you can't win here??). Ferentz then went 1-10 in his first year, including a 40-24 beatdown at the hands of the Illini in Kinnick Stadium - a game that an 8-year old Fighter of the Nightman attended with his parents, clad in Illini gear, one year after moving to Iowa City.
His next year, they were 3-9 and then finally 7-5 in 2002. It goes to show that we should always remain optimistic that the next guy can be the guy that permanently changes the culture here AND that we need to give him a few years to prove it.Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
FIFY
Deleted member 4333
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Ha ha! I remember that, too.
Wouldn’t say huge risk. To me, the only box he doesn’t check is HC experience.
Sure he was recruiting for Ohio State, and you’re not going to get these top 10 kids to come to Illinois but let’s just be realistic here. If Brian Hartline walks into a kids living room, they’re paying attention. They know who he is. They know he played in the league and that matters a heck of a lot more than coaching in the league. You send Leipold, Monken or Leonhard in there. None of those kids know who they even are. They lose interest.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. Throw Hartline in an orange and blue polo and he gets kids interested. Pay experienced coordinators big money to figure out coaching. For a basketball reference, hiring Hartline is like hiring Juwan Howard. You would have to have a Phil Martelli to help Hartline with coaching but Hartline would get you in with the top level talent across the country. Especially in the midwest, I can’t speak for any other states, but I can say for a fact a lot of Indy coaches absolutely love Hartline.
Hartline instantly elevates the program in a way most of these coaches wouldn’t. Now i’m not saying he’s the best coach on the list, he’s not. Coaching is something you can learn and develop, and lean on others for help with. Recruiting is something you can’t.
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Deleted member 747671
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Hiring hartline just seems similar to Brewster at Minnesota. Recruiters look great when they’re selling the blue bloods. Different with a low tier program. Also at least Brewster had a ton of experience. Hartline has less than Nate.
Deleted member 747671
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Howard played in the league almost 20 years and coached for 7. He also got hired at his alma mater. Hartline was in the league a few years and has 3 years of coaching experience at his alma mater, which he’d leave to take over at a program and school he has no affiliation with. Not even close. This would be like if Illinois hired Etwaun Moore to coach basketball.
Okay I shouldn’t say #1 guy, we all want Fickell.
Out of the list I got, Hartline is at the top for me. I like the upside he brings.
Sorry if I missed it, but who are your best on the list???
altenberger22
- South Carolina
I think I can easily be sold if our AD is in front of the alumni base confidently touting the merits of:
* a 34 year old former NFL player
* the #1 college football recruiter in the nation
* a guy who played and coached at a perennial Top 5 national program
* whose alma mater has also been the undeniable premiere team in the Big 10 for the past 10 years
I trust Josh......
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
If Mackovic can be successful here, anybody can!
Guessing the list was rough?
I like bryan mcclendons coaching history for a 36 yr old. Strong sec background with Georgia and SC and now oregon, plus a top recruiter. On top of being from Chicago. Mmhmm, good name drop.
Tony Elliot HC and Todd Bates DC. I mean if Hartline is on JW list, I’d hope Elliot is also: as long as he brings Bates.
Whens jw going to end the suspense and we fi d out who he’s hiring? Or does everyone think hes still interviewing?
Hartline OK worth a shot. Risky. Morehead, no unless it is OC or top assistant.
Deleted member 747671
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I think he’s still interviewing but probably has a top 2-3. Don’t forget he needs administration to sign off too
Hartline OK worth a shot. Risky. Morehead, no unless it is OC or top assistant.
Getting on flight aware and looking for Ohio.
Deleted member 747671
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The twists and turns of this thread really make me wish Texas fired Herman. I bet Whitman woulda grabbed him the next day.
Not trying to troll, but real question: how exactly does a relatively obscure NFL pedigree and three successful years attracting 5-star WRs to a national title contending alma mater suggest Hartline is the right person to lead a massive, ground-up rebuild of a perennial basement dweller? How would his particular talents and qualities, which are pretty narrowly limited to his recruiting prowess in a completely different context to what he's be dealing with at Illinois, translate to the herculean task of fixing this program? This kind of hail-mary, magic savior mentality is, frankly, sort of what got us Lovie in the first place. Name recognition! He'll adjust to the unfamiliar role! Look how successful he was doing something that won't be relevant here!
JJE
- Bethalto, IL
Not an insider, but my gut says we hear something by Wednesday. I think JW probably has his man, but probably doesn't want to be disrespectful to Lovie hiring someone the next day. He said the Iowa game tipped the scale, so you'd have to think at a bare minimum he's been looking and doing back channel conversations for a couple weeks. But in reality I bet he's been researching for the past couple of months. JW is incredibly precise and calculated how he operates, which makes me think now that Lovie is officially out he can have official conversations with any administration people he has to talk to to get this through.
Again no inside information, just my gut.
Again no inside information, just my gut.
Its only monday. Bet tomorrow gets better
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