Our new defensive coordinator
- Thread starter TulsaRising1
- Start date
The best internal hire we could have made. His influence was big in some of our improvements. Is he the best we could have gotten anywhere? Idk
Tulsa linebacker coach Joseph Gillespie has been promoted to defensive coordinator for the Golden Hurricane. TU announced the move on Thursday. The 47-year old has coached Tulsa’s linebackers for the past four years and takes over for retired defensive coordinator Bill Young.
LINK: Gillespie promoted to DC
LINK: Gillespie promoted to DC
For what it is worth, a quick scan of twitter comments shows that plenty of former TU players, including Dane, Pagonis, and Trent, are all very high on the hire, for those of you without the time to drill down into those details.
The more I am reading from various sources he was a de facto DC last year and largely the architect of the odd man 3-3-5 we played. That’s at least encouraging. The thing he is going to need to be able to get up to speed on is breaking down game film and installing a game plan week in and week out. Young’s 50 years of coaching experience and understanding tendencies and picking up on formation giveaways is something that Gillespie won’t quite have yet.
He’s been doing it twenty years. I would guess you mean that he may have habits and preparation techniques that worked for him in high school but will not work or can be exploited at this level. We saw a little of that from the DII guys in the BB era and in TG’s attempts to fly solo on offense.
The man has been coaching for 20+ years. Sure there will be some adjustment and no doubt Young brought a wealth of experience but this stuff is football 101. He will be just fine with the addition of another ACE recruiter
Good hire. He help build the 3-3-5 defense and has ties to our main recruiting area. Coach Gillespie spent 4 years as LB coach. He recruited and developed solid Linebackers during his tenure at TU. He know the needs of this defense.
I originally thought - why would TU hire Billy Gillespie to coach the D? My bad.
The one position on defense that has maintained quality results over the years has been linebacker.
I remember when some people on here would gripe about Edminston. Here's developed into a solid player.
Exactly. He had to grow up quick. He was also being asked to do his job AND help cover up for teammates when they were at a disadvantage or flat out incapable of making their assignment.
I was one. I just didn’t think he was fast enough.
I was wrong. Kid is a really good player and solid tackler. Has a stronger instinct for the ball than I originally realized. He and Zaven should both be in the mix for DPOY next year provided they maintain their production and the team wins a bit more.
No offense, 20 years of high school coaching is not quite the same as college. You don’t have the depth or same level of talent, your game film is typically pretty low angle and your not spending every waking minute doing it. I have been impressed with his LBs the last 4 years, they’ve definitely been a strong part of the D.
I don’t know what the communication is like between the DC and the calls to the field and who has input. We’ll see. I think our D will be the strong part of the team next year. Lots of talented players returning.
Some quotes from Monty that touch on how Bill Young and Gillespie worked together...
“The continuity with Joe leading our defense will be vitally important as we progress," said Montgomery. "The loss of Bill is great. He brought so much to the table for us, but I know Joe brings a lot of knowledge and experience. I trust him. He’s a guy that will bring a ton of energy and enthusiasm to our defense.
“I think our players will react in an extremely positive manner and be excited about us being able to, No. 1, stay in the defensive scheme we’ve been in, and No. 2, Joe leading that charge for us.
“We started installing parts of this defense halfway through the 2016 season, and last spring we dove all the way into it. Joe and Bill worked hand-in-hand, along with our defensive staff, in transitioning to this scheme.
“I think Bill would tell you as well, that he and Joe did a really good job of bouncing ideas off of each other, working through things schematically together, and that the new defensive look really benefitted us. It fits our personnel better and allows us to do some different things defensively.”
Fair point.
But you weren’t complaining about 20 years of high school prep calling the plays that beat Notre Dame.
I think being a High School coach for 20 years help because all the new offense are being created on the high school level and how to defeat it. He know where the hot bed of talents is located and where gems are hidden. I'm putting a lot of confidences in coach Gillespie. I'm being positive I have seen miracles on 11th.