Ken Wilson says goodbye to Wazzu
- Thread starter ScottHood
- Start date
Must have happened over the weekend because he was out recruiting for us just last week.
Classy but I cannot wait until WSU is no longer a springboard to better things. Big Joe, David Yost, Ken Wilson, who else? At the moment, if Oregon comes calling it's the ONLY choice for a WSU coach. They have effortlessly poached our coaching talent because they continue to ride on their reputation from 5+ years ago. Chip Kelly left in 2012 and it's been downhill ever since.
Just goes to show that if WSU can reach the same heights, we have a nice 5+ year cushion on the downswing where we can win head-to-head recruiting battles and poach coaching talent. Takes a long time to build, and a long time to lose.
Just goes to show that if WSU can reach the same heights, we have a nice 5+ year cushion on the downswing where we can win head-to-head recruiting battles and poach coaching talent. Takes a long time to build, and a long time to lose.
I'm trying to be as objective as possible and look at all the possible reasons for leaving:
1) Money. Of course. And the way Whoregon throws it around, we're not talking chump change. Didn't Joe et al basically double their pay?
2) Oregon is knocking on the door of a national championship. Right? RIGHT? I mean, if you say it enough it has to be true. You remember all those teams with 4 hc's in 4 years that won NCs, right? And a constant carousel of assistants? And Jesus in cleats, when he's healthy of course.
3) Leach is an a-hole to work for. Not sure if this is true, but has to be listed among the possible reasons.
4) They know something we don't (or possibly do) and are getting out before the bottom drops out. Either CML has one foot out the door (he's always giving that impression for $$ reasons), or they know/think that without donor support (which isn't coming, apparently) we can't sustain this level of success, or whatever other reason they can conjure up.
I get the money thing, I really do. It can be life changing for your family, and maybe you just milk Uncle Phil for all you can while you can because those opportunities don't come along very often for most coaches.
Everything else is fools gold, imho. Personally, as someone who's coached HS athletes before, I find much more gratification out of coaching up a 2 or 3 star athlete than managing the ego of a 4 star, but then again I wasn't being offered stupid money to do the latter either, so who knows?
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I think on the defensive side, working for Leach would be good. Pretty much full autonomy to do as you see fit.
Coaches move around. I wouldnt think Leach is hard to work for. He may not see eye to eye with the scheme. He may just want to network. He may be best friends with the other coaches already at UO and want to work with them again. I wouldnt crucify the guy. He was there 5 or 6 years. One or two seasons? Prob be more likely to be upset.
You meant you are listening all POTENTIAL reasons he's leaving...
Leach is not hard to work for or Wilson wouldn't have lasted as long as he did. There's ONE reason he's leaving: Money. Oregon keeps taking WSU coaches because they are paid on the lower scale than other Assistants. There are maybe better LB coaches in the country than Wilson, but none that are as good as him making as little.
Money talks and Oregon is kicking around a lot of it. The money we pay our assistants is simply not competitive with power 5 programs. Keeping folks like Wilson and Mastro for as long as he did speaks highly of Leach, as each could have bounced earlier. Eventually the money becomes too much to pass up though.
I fixed your list above to include only the correct reason.
Here are my thoughts, first the money was better, that is probably 75% of it. Secondly he was at WSU for 6 years, which is long in football coaching circles. So to make yourself more valuable you have to move around, more money, school with a good football reputation nationally, so more exposure for the future. Then you throw in the added benefit of working with a DL line coach that you worked well with, and a RB coach that is one of your good buddies. So I hate to see him leave, but if someone is advancing their career I get it, it just sucks that's it's Oregon poaching our coaches every year. So let's make it 5 in a row over the Ducks. I am sure between Claeys and Leach they will find an adequate replacement.
As far as reasons for assistants leaving, there is a lot of room for speculation. Different coaches leave for different reasons.
But it usually boils down to $$$$$$$$ and/or "opportunity" (i.e. - position coach to coordinator, OR for professional success, as far as a particular school with better perceived opportunity to compete for titles, etc, etc).
Like I said, not every single coach will leave for the exact same reason, to Oregon or anywhere else. It happens and we have to look on it as an opportunity to find someone else who can bring their own positives to the table. Best case scenario? An "upgrade" of some aspect of his responsibilities - recruiting, coaching, player management/relation.
But your list probably does hit a couple of big specific triggers for guys leaving, in general.
Your item #1 - (Money) is almost always a huge factor.
And I think your item #4 - is a real factor as well. But maybe not exactly as you put it?
I don't think there's really anything that isn't known about WSU's situation.
I don't think Leach has one foot out the door any more than any other head coach.
I do think he would/will listen to offers from places that would dramatically increase his salary. Those places also likely would have situations with better institutional and donor support, for things such as the IPF, and also generally running a program at the "top level" without having to beg for the funding to do so.
Leach is not alone as a head coach who would look at a different opportunity which would increase his pay considerably AND have better program support from school and donors alike.
I think there's going to be a real question about the sustainability of top success at WSU with the level of support we get, especially as it compares to P12 "peers", who we have to compete with on the fields and courts.
I'd sure like to think we can continue to be "the Little Engine That Could" and do more with less well into the future. But I have to think there's a point where that ends up catching up with any program? And maybe that point is where the program ends up not being able to keep a highly successful head coach, who has proven he knows what it takes to win at a school like WSU?
For now Leach seems happy and we are on a great roll. Can both of those things be sustained? We shall see!
I know that's not a popular point around here and many/most will disagree and dismiss it. But I honestly think it has at least some validity.
One thing I'm curious about -
Is WSU getting a chance to counter offer? Is that how these things work? Or do asst coaches just bail? Or is it different each time?
Seems like all of our Oregon coaches just left, but I could be wrong.
I'm willing to bet that each coach made Leach aware of the opportunity and discussed it with them. He likely tried to keep them and said, "do what's best for your career."
I don’t think it has anything to do with Oregon and everything to do with money. If WSU countered Oregon’s offers we’d still have our coaches.
Yup. We spend 60% of what Oregon does on assistants. Paying Mastro what Oregon offered would have given him 25% of the assistant pool so something like that.
We need a bigger pool. But some folks think AD funds would better spent paying Kent not to coach.
Admittedly that's a crappy position to be in, but it is what it is. Buying out Kent means you're taking money away from somewhere. If a booster wants to foot the bill, go for it. But otherwise, keep giving football, volleyball, soccer, XC, rowing, etc. the resources they need to be successful, cause that is actually paying off!
WSU pays our assistants as well as we can. According to USA Today, WSU spent a total of $3.2 million in 2018 on assistant coach salaries and was #41 in that measure. Minnesota, Colorado, Purdue and West Virginia all pay a similar amount to us. We would have to break $4.1 million to get past #25. Oregon is #13 at $5.4 million (just behind UW). When you consider that our AD revenue ranks #53, it's hard to say that WSU isn't doing a lot for football when it comes to salary when our head and assistant coaching salaries run 12 to 15 spots higher than that..
Until our fan support leaps significantly, it is what it is.
I think college assistants do need to keep moving up if possible. Unless they are in line to be a coordinator or head coach at their current place, an assistant that stays too long at a school probably quits getting calls...
I would actually be surprised if our turnover is higher then the rest of the conference. At this point, every school in the PAC12 is a stepping stone job. Some are just a little higher up on the ladder than WSU.
I would actually be surprised if our turnover is higher then the rest of the conference. At this point, every school in the PAC12 is a stepping stone job. Some are just a little higher up on the ladder than WSU.
