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- Thread starter BiggsCoug
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I think we'll either hire an air raid head coach or a defensive coach with an up and coming air raid offensive coordinator. I'd be surprised if we totally abandoned our system.
Well i have never watched or followed MIss State. To be honest i want to see leach get his behind kicked there.
big hire for Chun. Needs to find a coach with Air Raid Principles. We don't have one Tight End on this roster. Our OL is specifically on Wide Splits. Wide Receiver dominated roster. Only a couple running backs.
If Graham Harrel is hired, watch Seth Litrells staff get raided
And maybe a guy or two from USC. They've been on death row for 12 months.
My knee-jerk list of coaching candidates for WSU:
1) Bryan Harsin
2) Graham Harrell
3) Josh Heupel
4) Billy Napier (probably going to Baylor)
5) Seth Littrell
6) Jay Hill
7) Jim McIlwain
8) Luke Fickell
*Not on my list, but don't be surprised if Sonny Dykes comes up as a name.
Harrell, Heupel, and Littrell all have Leach connections and probably wouldn’t do much more than tweak the offense. Napier served on some good staffs…including a year in the Pac-12…and is coming off 11 wins. Hill has built a solid program at the FCS level but may need some FBS experience before handling a P5 program, but I like him. McIlwain has coached a P5 program and has ties to the PNW. Harsin would change things but has demonstrated the ability to get a lot out of 3-star recruits, which is obviously something needed in Pullman. I’m missing some other good candidates, but that’s my early read.
Glad Cougar
1) Bryan Harsin
2) Graham Harrell
3) Josh Heupel
4) Billy Napier (probably going to Baylor)
5) Seth Littrell
6) Jay Hill
7) Jim McIlwain
8) Luke Fickell
*Not on my list, but don't be surprised if Sonny Dykes comes up as a name.
Harrell, Heupel, and Littrell all have Leach connections and probably wouldn’t do much more than tweak the offense. Napier served on some good staffs…including a year in the Pac-12…and is coming off 11 wins. Hill has built a solid program at the FCS level but may need some FBS experience before handling a P5 program, but I like him. McIlwain has coached a P5 program and has ties to the PNW. Harsin would change things but has demonstrated the ability to get a lot out of 3-star recruits, which is obviously something needed in Pullman. I’m missing some other good candidates, but that’s my early read.
Glad Cougar
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10 years from now, some of these names will be at or near the top of the profession, and some will have fallen. The trick is always in trying to decide which is which. That will ultimately rest on Chun's desk. I am glad that Chun is the one driving this bus instead of the bulk of his predecessors. Will we end up with the optimum pick? Who knows? That is something that nobody will know for several years. But I feel pretty confident that we will have a good choice, and the program will proceed with the benefit of some momentum acquired during the Leach years.
There is some speculation because Grinch is quoted as supposedly has some assistants in mind (Wilson and Mastro returning). In other words, Chun has already reached out to him and it sounds like Grinch might be assembling a staff.
I liked the thought of Grinch as HC and Harrell as OC if Leach moved on last year. With maybe an extra million to invest in quality assistants....not bad. How many wish this happened last year?
There was something about bringing Wilson and Mastro back. Wilson was here last year, so I thought it was new.
Interesting On this hire i actually do not have an opinion. I really like it when Leach was hired. that said i am glad that he is moving on as his heart no longer seemed to be in it .
Football Scoop has nothing about our replacement at this point.
I'm not on board with Grinch. He has no HC experience, and I'd argue that he hasn't really even proven himself as a DC yet. He made improvements here and at Oklahoma, but in both cases it would have been hard to not improve. And even with their improvement, OU got torched by LSU.
Rocky Long is too old, and he just quit at SDSU.
Harrell isn't coming. Dykes didn't make it at Cal. I'm not sold on Littrell or Heupel - not enough HC experience. Napier and McElwain might be worth a conversation. Jay Hill is also mildly interesting, although I'd rather see some FBS experience. Probably would give Harrell a call, but wouldn't expect anything out of it. Same with Luke Fickell.
This isn't going to be a big splash hire like the Leach one was. At this point, the only way we could match that would be to lure either Urban Meyer or Chris Petersen (smaller splash, but wouldn't that just infuriate the UW?). Odds of either of those seem somewhere near zero, maybe less. Bob Stoops would also be a splash, and since he's planning to come back and coach XFL, maybe there's a slightly better than zero chance that he'd talk.
Instead of a splash, it needs to be steady, reliable, and proven. Doesn't necessarily need to be an Air Raid disciple. Our personnel right now (particularly the lack of an experienced QB) makes this as good a time as any for a transition. In fact, moving to a system that relies less on the QB for the next couple seasons might be a good idea....since we've got no experience there and a solid RB in Borghi.
In Chun's position, I'd quietly explore Brian Harsin. He's getting less than $2M in Boise, and he's managed to continue their success while pulling the same level of recruits (or lower) than what we'd look at. Wouldn't be a big splash, but I think would be a steady hire that could manage the transition. He game plans well to hide their personnel shortcomings, and I think could play to our strengths while evolving the offense and rebuilding the D. And, we could probably get him for $2.5-3.
I'm not on board with Grinch. He has no HC experience, and I'd argue that he hasn't really even proven himself as a DC yet. He made improvements here and at Oklahoma, but in both cases it would have been hard to not improve. And even with their improvement, OU got torched by LSU.
Rocky Long is too old, and he just quit at SDSU.
Harrell isn't coming. Dykes didn't make it at Cal. I'm not sold on Littrell or Heupel - not enough HC experience. Napier and McElwain might be worth a conversation. Jay Hill is also mildly interesting, although I'd rather see some FBS experience. Probably would give Harrell a call, but wouldn't expect anything out of it. Same with Luke Fickell.
This isn't going to be a big splash hire like the Leach one was. At this point, the only way we could match that would be to lure either Urban Meyer or Chris Petersen (smaller splash, but wouldn't that just infuriate the UW?). Odds of either of those seem somewhere near zero, maybe less. Bob Stoops would also be a splash, and since he's planning to come back and coach XFL, maybe there's a slightly better than zero chance that he'd talk.
Instead of a splash, it needs to be steady, reliable, and proven. Doesn't necessarily need to be an Air Raid disciple. Our personnel right now (particularly the lack of an experienced QB) makes this as good a time as any for a transition. In fact, moving to a system that relies less on the QB for the next couple seasons might be a good idea....since we've got no experience there and a solid RB in Borghi.
In Chun's position, I'd quietly explore Brian Harsin. He's getting less than $2M in Boise, and he's managed to continue their success while pulling the same level of recruits (or lower) than what we'd look at. Wouldn't be a big splash, but I think would be a steady hire that could manage the transition. He game plans well to hide their personnel shortcomings, and I think could play to our strengths while evolving the offense and rebuilding the D. And, we could probably get him for $2.5-3.
Little Peter would make a little, dinky splash. Like a flat rock hitting the water vertical.
I agree Harsin worth a look. Do not know of others other than Grinch who seems o be a legitimate candidate.
The least disruptive near-term thing we can do is hire a defensively-minded HC like Grinch. The AR is a system and - with an intelligent QB and assistants who can teach it - does not require constant CML stewardship in- or out-of-game.
I'm grateful to CML for everything that he did but by the end, it wasn't clear to me that the value we got from having Mr. Air Raid himself was better than the value of having an Air Raid disciple who will adapt game-to-game based on roster and opposing schemes. I'm talking about someone who will ride the spectrum between pure Air Raid (pass) and Baylor Veer & Shoot (run), depending on whatever that week calls for.
Imagine having a comparably dangerous offense in Years 1-2, plus a guy like Grinch who will build a roster to cut points allowed in half? Honestly the defensive side of the ball was so neglected which is why - though he is and always will be a Palouse Legend - I felt CML was never more than an OC.
Hiring Harrell, or otherwise elevating an OC to HC, just isn't what we need right now, provided we can continue running a similar offense. Another OC makes us the guy at the gym who never works out his legs.
I'm grateful to CML for everything that he did but by the end, it wasn't clear to me that the value we got from having Mr. Air Raid himself was better than the value of having an Air Raid disciple who will adapt game-to-game based on roster and opposing schemes. I'm talking about someone who will ride the spectrum between pure Air Raid (pass) and Baylor Veer & Shoot (run), depending on whatever that week calls for.
Imagine having a comparably dangerous offense in Years 1-2, plus a guy like Grinch who will build a roster to cut points allowed in half? Honestly the defensive side of the ball was so neglected which is why - though he is and always will be a Palouse Legend - I felt CML was never more than an OC.
Hiring Harrell, or otherwise elevating an OC to HC, just isn't what we need right now, provided we can continue running a similar offense. Another OC makes us the guy at the gym who never works out his legs.
Based on what? The dgibbs/Uncle Rico eye test?
I'm talking about run/pass adaptability depending on what you have and what you're up against. This year, we were mathematically the most inflexible team in the conference on that front: we were dead last run-pass mix, standard deviation and range.
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