Personally, I think it is a terrible hire in many regards. I hope this does not happen. I will support the team, but think it is a really bad hire.The more I think about the more I am ok with it
Personally, I think it is a terrible hire in many regards. I hope this does not happen. I will support the team, but think it is a really bad hire.The more I think about the more I am ok with it
Going back to the mooted insider list:The more I think about the more I am ok with it
Those all seem totally credible and fine.Jim leonhard
Lance Leipold
Jeff Monken
Luke Fickell
Bret Bielema
This I did not know. And even if he's learned to behave himself as an older man, that's a bomb that can potentially detonate in the press many years later.First-hand meaning saw what was happening between him and MUCH younger co-ed when he was the head coach at Wisconsin.
YOU DO NOT WANT CANADA AS OC!!!Sign me up for Bielema with really any of those guys. Probably like Canada best on OC, maybe Rhoads as DC, but I just learned he's Arizona's DC (yikes). He would definitely be able to put together a good staff, at least on paper.
Yeah I guess that's just the name I recognize most. He seems very hit or miss, like he alternates being great and being terrible. Bad at NCSU, good at Pitt, terrible at LSU, good at Maryland. Also, I had heard he's not the best to work with and really quickly will jump if he thinks it'll progress his career.YOU DO NOT WANT CANADA AS OC!!!
Sincerely,
A loyal and devout NC State Fan
Our offense got significantly better when Canada was fired. He does not develop QBs and his passing game is terrible (the concept of WR spacing means nothing to him). His jet motion is useful but he dials it up at inopportune times. Finally, red zone offense was a real struggle.
My final note, there is a reason the dude was unemployed for a while. Several years at NC State, only to be fired for poor development and attitude issues. A year at Pitt. Less than a year at LSU, where Coach O got so pissed at him that he fired him midseason. Bad road...
He fell into the Pitt situation. Chryst had just left for Wisconsin, and Pitt had a really solid run-blocking OL and set of running backs.Yeah I guess that's just the name I recognize most. He seems very hit or miss, like he alternates being great and being terrible. Bad at NCSU, good at Pitt, terrible at LSU, good at Maryland. Also, I had heard he's not the best to work with and really quickly will jump if he thinks it'll progress his career.
I'm not sure you can look at someone who stood toe to toe and really competed with a division that was: Peak Alabama, Malzahn's best Auburn teams, Hugh Freeze's Ole Miss, Dan Mullen's best Mississippi State teams, Johnny Football-era Texas A&M and LSU and call 29-34 with three bowls in five years a "failure".Please, no Bielema. I don't want the guy who failed at Arkansas. That isn't inspiring.
You make an excellent point about White, Mackovic and Fry. Certainly, that list could go on infinitely in looking at successful head coaches at the Power 5 schools over the last 20, 30 or 40 years. And as others have pointed out previously, Whitman probably doesn't get a third chance 4-5 years from now if this selection is a failure.The two most successful coaches at Illinois in the modern era were experienced head coaches at what are now power 5 schools. Hayden Fry fixed Iowa after being an experienced power 5 head coach. White, Mackovic and Fry all had baggage. We could get lucky with a coordinator or an up and comer from a smaller school but the best bet to get us on the right course is someone who’s done it before. Bielema fits the bill perfectly. If he can make us a consistent winner at the 8 win level or so, we can eventually get to Iowa/Wisconsin good. We can’t take chances at this point.
Notices change in monikerGuys the hire will have HC or coordinator experience I promise you that.
I may be wrong here but I think Whitman is different than most ADs. He's very well liked and an alum. I think if Underwood keeps Illinois near the top of the conference in hoops, Whitman will be able to make as many football hires as he needs as long as there's no scandal in the athletics department.You make an excellent point about White, Mackovic and Fry. Certainly, that list could go on infinitely in looking at successful head coaches at the Power 5 schools over the last 20, 30 or 40 years. And as others have pointed out previously, Whitman probably doesn't get a third chance 4-5 years from now if this selection is a failure.
I'm not sure you can look at someone who stood toe to toe and really competed with a division that was: Peak Alabama, Malzahn's best Auburn teams, Hugh Freeze's Ole Miss, Dan Mullen's best Mississippi State teams, Johnny Football-era Texas A&M and LSU and call 29-34 with three bowls in five years a "failure".
It wasn't success, but it's not clear success was really a possible outcome there.
I'm of the opinion that Josh's third chance at a FB hire would be dependent on the success of basketball, fundraising and other sports. As has been mentioned, UIUC administration above Josh doesn't care that much about football. Admin would only have issues with Josh if he was unsuccessful across the board.You make an excellent point about White, Mackovic and Fry. Certainly, that list could go on infinitely in looking at successful head coaches at the Power 5 schools over the last 20, 30 or 40 years. And as others have pointed out previously, Whitman probably doesn't get a third chance 4-5 years from now if this selection is a failure.
I understand your point, but you need more than one team like that to really create a golden era.I don't see how you can separate the fact that Bielema's losses to these programs led to these program's golden years. Sumlin's TAMU run is looking very much like a fraud, Hugh Freeze had his own issues, and Malzahn was just fired.
For example, this is NW's best run in years, same for Minny, Wisconsin is still extremely excellent, Iowa put up their first 10-win season in five years, and Brohm has injected new lift into Purdue's program. But part of those programs' success is because Lovie handed a bunch of wins to each of them since he started here. Bielema chose the Arkansas job and the program had been playing well the past 20 years. The descent started under his watch.
Great data, particularly with the three years prior to his arrival in ARK.That's only impressive if you ignore the success they had just a year before minus the weird interim scandal year. 5-3 is also only impressive if you stop in 2015. Unfortunately there's two more years there which paint a very discouraging picture.
2010: 6-2
2011: 6-2
2012: 2-6 (Scandal year)
2013 : 0-8 (Bielema 1st year)
2014: 2-6
2015: 5-3 (where you stop)
2016: 3-5
2017 1-7 (fired)
Fair points. I'll take time to think it over more.I'm not sure you can look at someone who stood toe to toe and really competed with a division that was: Peak Alabama, Malzahn's best Auburn teams, Hugh Freeze's Ole Miss, Dan Mullen's best Mississippi State teams, Johnny Football-era Texas A&M and LSU and call 29-34 with three bowls in five years a "failure".
It wasn't success, but it's not clear success was really a possible outcome there.
I agree with this. If the admin really doesn't put as much stock into wins as other criteria, I absolutely see Josh getting a 3rd football hire. With that said, let's hope he doesn't need a 3rd hire for awhile because he gets this one right.I'm of the opinion that Josh's third chance at a FB hire would be dependent on the success of basketball, fundraising and other sports. As has been mentioned, UIUC administration above Josh doesn't care that much about football. Admin would only have issues with Josh if he was unsuccessful across the board.
I support $4.5M-ish for Fickell. I just pulled the following excerpt from a South Carolina write-up about Shane Bieber, rumored to be getting paid ~$3M by the Gamecocks.I definitely agree. I made sure to include the "at least". $5 would put him at #5 highest paid in the B1G tied with Frost.
If Illinois isn't willing to pay $5M a year for the head football coach in the B10, then what are we doing here?No way Fickell comes here for less than 5 mil a year, probably more. I don't really consider him a serious option, but would love to be surprised.