Thoughts on this Future Scarlet Knight?

[BaseballFan913]

I'll be honest. I was very impressed with how Lance Leipold had his team prepared and motivated to come out and stomp a P5 team (albeit we are awful).

I've resigned myself to the fact that Ash will be our HC this and next year, but we will be searching for a new HC after 2019. Would this guy be a front runner?

Pros are the track record. In his 8 years as HC at Wisconsin-Whitewater, he went to 7 national championships, winning 6. He tore Buffalo down, and now in Year 4, they should win 10 games, with out of conference victories against us and Temple. He is also going to have multiple guys he developed drafted, with a possible All-American in Johnson.

Cons will be whether or not we want another Midwestern guy. Before Buffalo, he spent his career almost exclusively at Nebraska and Wisconsin satellite schools. There is something to be said about knowing the recruiting foot map of an area.

That being said he may get scooped up by a Cincinnati, Kansas or UCONN after this season and this may be a waste of my typing. Just wanted to hear the thoughts of others.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

I'll be honest. I was very impressed with how Lance Leipold had his team prepared and motivated to come out and stomp a P5 team (albeit we are awful).

I've resigned myself to the fact that Ash will be our HC this and next year, but we will be searching for a new HC after 2019. Would this guy be a front runner?

Pros are the track record. In his 8 years as HC at Wisconsin-Whitewater, he went to 7 national championships, winning 6. He tore Buffalo down, and now in Year 4, they should win 10 games, with out of conference victories against us and Temple. He is also going to have multiple guys he developed drafted, with a possible All-American in Johnson.

Cons will be whether or not we want another Midwestern guy. Before Buffalo, he spent his career almost exclusively at Nebraska and Wisconsin satellite schools. There is something to be said about knowing the recruiting foot map of an area.

That being said he may get scooped up by a Cincinnati, Kansas or UCONN after this season and this may be a waste of my typing. Just wanted to hear the thoughts of others.

Why would Cincy be changing they just hired Fickell and I think he's undfeated so far this year. Same for UConn, not because Edsall is doing well(let's see if you can go home again) but because he too was just hired last year.

Kansas is a possible opening. I think they could look at Neil Brown, Littrell if they're avaiable and someone doesn't pick them up first. Maybe a Venables or Leavitt too.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

D3 championship and winning in the MAC doesn't always translate to winning in the Big Ten.

I rather go after someone who has a record of winning against Power 5 schools on a regular basis.

 

[BaseballFan913]

D3 championship and winning in the MAC doesn't always translate to winning in the Big Ten.

I rather go after someone who has a record of winning against Power 5 schools on a regular basis.

Like who? And keep in mind budget constraints so at most I will say you have $3M a year to spend (being generous).

 

[APKnight]

I read Leipold makes around $450k per year. I think we could get him for $1 million, which saves us $5 million over 5 years, which reduces the impact of the payout to Ash from $10 million (gag) to $5 million. It’s worth the risk IMO. The man obviously knows how to run a successful program. I’d roll the dice and do it.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

Like who? And keep in mind budget constraints so at most I will say you have $3M a year to spend (being generous).

I would caveat it with not winning against P5 schools on a regular basis but just competing with them from time to time. IMO it kind of depends on is it a high mid major or low mid major, I'd have a slightly different metric of what I'd like to see in that regard.

Satterfield, Littrell and Brown fit that bill to a degree and from the pool of mid major coaches are the ones I like currently but would like to see how the rest of their seasons play out too.

 

[krup]

D3 championship and winning in the MAC doesn't always translate to winning in the Big Ten.

I rather go after someone who has a record of winning against Power 5 schools on a regular basis.

The thing is, a coach who has a record of winning against Power 5 schools on a regular basis probably has been working with talent at a level to do that. If hired at RU they won't have many of those kinds of players, and then you have to worry that the initial losing wears out any recruiting momentum they had (kind of like where we are now).

The thought process of people bringing up MAC and lower division coaches is that those coaches have experience with competing and winning with lesser talent so they can handle those initial years better. Then, hopefully as recruiting gets better over time they can accomplish even more.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Like who? And keep in mind budget constraints so at most I will say you have $3M a year to spend (being generous).

I don't know. How about some like Lane Kiffin, he is young, has coached at the most elite schools (USC and BAMA) took doormats FAU and got to a 13-5 record since he been there. He can recruit with the best of them. He would be one of the best recruiters in the Big Ten, the day he signs. Overall record in college across all schools is 48–26.

He only fault? His personalty is bold and brash, he talks smack and thinks outside the box (perfect for Jersey, if you ask me). If he wins here the NJ/NY media will love him. As long as Brachi and Hobbs are cool with that I don't see the problem.

Also we can afford to pay him twice of what he makes now.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/...ida-atlantic-university/article190551589.html

anyway, that is one name.

 

[Knight Shift]

Why would Cincy be changing they just hired Fickell and I think he's undfeated so far this year. Same for UConn, not because Edsall is doing well(let's see if you can go home again) but because he too was just hired last year.

Kansas is a possible opening. I think they could look at Neil Brown, Littrell if they're avaiable and someone doesn't pick them up first. Maybe a Venables or Leavitt too.

Speaking of Cincy- you touched upon it, and Fickell-he was co-DC with Ash, and depending which fan you ask here, he was/was not the one calling the plays at tOSU.
4-0 is a nice start and not sure if beating uber-world beater/eaveryone's object of HC desire Chip Kelly and UCLA at 0-3 is a major accomplishment.
That's funny about head coaches- Scott Frost is off to a dreadful start at Nebraska- could have something to do with the QB situation. Not really sure, but I think the QB is a key position in establishing a winning record. Can't really tell though, since that has never happened at Rutgers.

Back to Cincy, their true freshman QB has looked pretty solid so far. Low 3 star with no other offers than Cincy-the type of recruit RU fans scof at. Fickell's OC at Cincy is a guy named MIke Denbrock, and looking at his resume, it does not scream that he would be successful as OC. He flip flopped between offensive and defensive positions over his career. Coach and coordinator choices and success can be such a Fickell thing. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Anyway, still too early to declare either guy a major succes, but early signs are there.

 

[tico brown]

If Rutgers are interested in him, they better court him soon because I have a feeling he wont be in Buffalo this time next year.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

Speaking of Cincy- you touched upon it, and Fickell-he was co-DC with Ash, and depending which fan you ask here, he was/was not the one calling the plays at tOSU.
4-0 is a nice start and not sure if beating uber-world beater/eaveryone's object of HC desire Chip Kelly and UCLA at 0-3 is a major accomplishment.
That's funny about head coaches- Scott Frost is off to a dreadful start at Nebraska- could have something to do with the QB situation. Not really sure, but I think the QB is a key position in establishing a winning record. Can't really tell though, since that has never happened at Rutgers.

Back to Cincy, their true freshman QB has looked pretty solid so far. Low 3 star with no other offers than Cincy-the type of recruit RU fans scof at. Fickell's OC at Cincy is a guy named MIke Denbrock, and looking at his resume, it does not scream that he would be successful as OC. He flip flopped between offensive and defensive positions over his career. Coach and coordinator choices and success can be such a Fickell thing. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Anyway, still too early to declare either guy a major succes, but early signs are there.

Both Kelly and Frost are using true freshman qbs. Speight got hurt and I think Frost has a walkon back up after Martinez got hurt for a bit. It's their first year so it might suck right now but you have to give it time to see what might happen. 2nd/3rd years are where you'd like to see some sort of improvements.

QB identification for your system is a big deal IMO, which is part of the reason I kind of tend to lean towards the Leach tree, as long as they don't forget about the D, because they seem to do a good job of it.

 

[BaseballFan913]

I don't know. How about some like Lane Kiffin, he is young, has coached at the most elite schools (USC and BAMA) took doormats FAU and got to a 13-5 record since he been there. He can recruit with the best of them. He would be one of the best recruiters in the Big Ten, the day he signs. Overall record in college across all schools is 48–26.

He only fault? His personalty is bold and brash, he talks smack and thinks outside the box (perfect for Jersey, if you ask me). If he wins here the NJ/NY media will love him. As long as Brachi and Hobbs are cool with that I don't see the problem.

Also we can afford to pay him twice of what he makes now.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/...ida-atlantic-university/article190551589.html

anyway, that is one name.

I like Lane Kiffin. His contract is manageable but there is a $2M buyout clause we would have to cover. Seems pretty reasonable. The only thing with him is that he certainly doesn't seem to last anywhere long (see Tennessee; a truly messy divorce). But he could be worth the immediate recruiting dividends, no doubt.

That being said, he seems to really love living in Boca Raton. You would probably have to bump his salary to at least $2M per, which is what we currently are giving for 2-4 wins a year.

I read Leipold makes around $450k per year. I think we could get him for $1 million, which saves us $5 million over 5 years, which reduces the impact of the payout to Ash from $10 million (gag) to $5 million. It’s worse the risk IMO. The man obviously knows how to run a successful program. I’d roll the dice and do it.

Keep in mind, you aren't competing with his current contract. You are going to be bidding against other schools. Idk if you get him for $1M, especially with the cost of living here.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

Not a fan of Lane Kiffin, he's a good self promoter and I think people buy into it too much and think that's his only problem. He had more resources at Tenn and USC and didn't do anything special with them about a .500 coach with it. What P5 school has he competed with at FAU, none that I see. Kendal Briles was his OC last year but has moved onto Houston, I see Houston's offense near the top of the charts. How's FAU's now?

He's an okay coach at best to me and would have to prove it longer at FAU to think he's worthy of a shot and that's all NOT taking into account his personality.

 

[Rokodesh]

Kiffin would be a horrible fit in New Jersey

 

[LevaosLectures]

I think we might need to look lower than a G5 head coach, honestly. Those guys who are really killing it will be looking for a better job than Rutgers. Look for the FCS coaches who are doing well. Remember we could have hired Moorehead from Fordham.

 

[waretown]

Like who? And keep in mind budget constraints so at most I will say you have $3M a year to spend (being generous).

another ash type coach, you would like a steak but can only afford hamburger

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

I think we might need to look lower than a G5 head coach, honestly. Those guys who are really killing it will be looking for a better job than Rutgers. Look for the FCS coaches who are doing well. Remember we could have hired Moorehead from Fordham.

He needed to prove himself as coordinator at the P5 or HC somewhere in the G5 and that's exactly what he did and it worked out for him. It's a very risky and blind kind of jump you make (even more than normal) to hire someone from the FCS without that kind of "proof of concept."

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Not a fan of Lane Kiffin, he's a good self promoter and I think people buy into it too much and think that's his only problem. He had more resources at Tenn and USC and didn't do anything special with them about a .500 coach with it. What P5 school has he competed with at FAU, none that I see. Kendal Briles was his OC last year but has moved onto Houston, I see Houston's offense near the top of the charts. How's FAU's now?

He's an okay coach at best to me and would have to prove it longer at FAU to think he's worthy of a shot and that's all NOT taking into account his personality.

Someone asked for a name, and I gave it to him.

Here was his record at USC:

USC Trojans
2010 USC 8–5
2011 USC 10–2
2012 USC 7–6
2013 USC 3–2*

* was fired before finishing the season.

FAU Owls
2017 FAU 11–3
2018 FAU 2–2

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

Someone asked for a name, and I gave it to him.

Here was his record at USC:

USC Trojans
2010 USC 8–5
2011 USC 10–2
2012 USC 7–6
2013 USC 3–2*

* was fired before finishing the season.

FAU Owls
2017 FAU 11–3
2018 FAU 2–2

Yea but you mentioned someone who beats P5 schools regularly and I assume you meant from the G5 level as it's from that perspective that metric would mean something.

Kiffin hasn't done that at FAU.

Then you take in Tenn/USC and his in conference records and overall records and I see basically around a .500 coach who had tons of resources and advantages, specifically USC. How does that translate to us who is always going to be at a disadvantage in respect to many of our conference mates.

Also look at FAU's offense. 1 year with Kendal Briles, near the top of the offensive rankings, he's gone to Houston. Guess where Houston is currently on offense. Guess where FAU is, they dropped to midlevel-ish area. Now it's early in the season so we'll see how the rest of it goes but Kiffin is more hype than substance to me. He just does or says things to attract attention but he's not all that worthy of it on his own IMO

You or others or whomever can like him it's fine, I don't attack anyone for their opinions here, I just don't see it with Kiffin and that's just my worthless opinion lol.

 

[Letitrip]

Leipold may be a decent Plan B but has too much risk to be a Plan A. Given the current status of this train wreck Plan A needs to be someone who will almost certainly bring us back to respectability. We all know who Plan A should be - warm up the red helicopter.

 

[BaseballFan913]

Leipold may be a decent Plan B but has too much risk to be a Plan A. Given the current status of this train wreck Plan A needs to be someone who will almost certainly bring us back to respectability. We all know who Plan A should be - warm up the red helicopter.

No, we don't know who Plan A would be. If it is another DC in Columbus, then we certainly don't see eye to eye on where this program needs to send its helicopter. I've seen that story before. Guy couldn't beat Rich Rod, couldn't beat Dantonio or Kelly. He went a consistent 9-4 while making sure to have service academies and a Big East schedule. Yeah, he's a huge upgrade from Ash, but let's not pretend he is Vince Lombardi.

another ash type coach, you would like a steak but can only afford hamburger

Oh man, do I wish we currently even had a hamburger. But you can get a good coach for $3M or less. Start with 44 and head on down. These guys do exist.

 

[Knight Shift]

Kiffin would be a horrible fit in New Jersey

But a lot of fun and a walking newsreel.

 

[LevaosLectures]

He needed to prove himself as coordinator at the P5 or HC somewhere in the G5 and that's exactly what he did and it worked out for him. It's a very risky and blind kind of jump you make (even more than normal) to hire someone from the FCS without that kind of "proof of concept."

I get that, I just think that given our position we have to think more like a G5 school than a Big Ten school in terms of who will be willing to take this job.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

I get that, I just think that given our position we have to think more like a G5 school than a Big Ten school in terms of who will be willing to take this job.

I get the despair but we are still a P5 job that will end up paying millions to a coach and that's more than most of these coaches make at the G5 and most coordinators too. Only the hottest names (be it coordinator/G5 HC) of the moment would likely be out of reach but there are still other suitable options out of both those buckets. You see coordinators and G5 coaches take jobs just as bad as ours.

Matt Campbell took the Iowa State job, championship coordinators have taken G5 jobs or jobs like ours (see Ash..I know I know lol) so we're not as depleted for pools of suitable candidates as one might think on its face.

 

[beaced_rivals]

If Rutgers are interested in him, they better court him soon because I have a feeling he wont be in Buffalo this time next year.

IMO it will take at least 1.5 million for starters and good sized increases as he keeps winning and we have a FB team again.

 

[fsg2_rivals]

I get that, I just think that given our position we have to think more like a G5 school than a Big Ten school in terms of who will be willing to take this job.

No, we don't and definitely shouldn't.

 

[Clambhorghini]

But a lot of fun and a walking newsreel.

And will recruit like a boss from day one. You need to think like a 17 year old recruit. What do they want.

I doubt he would want the job but it would bring in recruits, fans and media attention. All desperately needed.

Two more years of this and the next coach will have a minimum 5 year rebuilding process, if it’s even possible at that point.

Years of losing and empty stadiums.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

And will recruit like a boss from day one. You need to think like a 17 year old recruit. What do they want.

I doubt he would want the job but it would bring in recruits, fans and media attention. All desperately needed.

Two more years of this and the next coach will have a minimum 5 year rebuilding process, if it’s even possible at that point.

Years of losing and empty stadiums.

I don't want Kiffin with my reasoning above but I think he'd take the job in a second. A guy who is primadonna like him wouldn't take the only P5 job in the largest market in the country, are you kidding.

He left the Alabama OC job early and took a pay cut to be the FAU coach. I'd be shocked if his personality wouldn't be salivating for the opportunity to coach in this market.

I read an article a little while ago about a survey of say 10-12 athletic directors and Kiffin. I think something like 2 would consider hiring him, 1 or so was on the fence and the rest said no. So in that environment Kiffin can't afford to be picky and again I don't think it would even be a matter of picky because I think his ego would love working in this market.

 

[tico brown]

No, we don't and definitely shouldn't.

Might not have a choice until Rutgers gets the full share in a few years. But then again, the hands will be out when that happens.

 

[Letitrip]

No, we don't know who Plan A would be. If it is another DC in Columbus, then we certainly don't see eye to eye on where this program needs to send its helicopter. I've seen that story before. Guy couldn't beat Rich Rod, couldn't beat Dantonio or Kelly. He went a consistent 9-4 while making sure to have service academies and a Big East schedule. Yeah, he's a huge upgrade from Ash, but let's not pretend he is Vince Lombardi.



Oh man, do I wish we currently even had a hamburger. But you can get a good coach for $3M or less. Start with 44 and head on down. These guys do exist.

So given the state of the program you would not be happy with an 8-4 or 9-3 season. In fromt of 50000 fans! Do you have any idea how bad we are right now???

 

[Clambhorghini]

People saying you can’t afford to fire Ash. You can’t afford NOT to fire him.

Empty stadiums and cratered ticket sales. For how long? People laughing nationwide. Well at least we’re not as bad as Rutgers.

Anyone with common sense sees this guy is done. Now or the end November?

A Kiffin or Schiano brings in recruits and gets you out of the gutter quickly. Hopefully in a couple years. Not another guessing game on some DC or OC.

Hobbs needs to put his ego in closet and fix this before it gets worse.

 

[Jinpa88]

D3 championship and winning in the MAC doesn't always translate to winning in the Big Ten.

True, but as I type this he's got a better Big Ten record than Ash, this year. I'm all for a hire like this.... A guy who's established, and very successful, on another level.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

People saying you can’t afford to fire Ash. You can’t afford NOT to fire him.

Empty stadiums and cratered ticket sales. For how long? People laughing nationwide. Well at least we’re not as bad as Rutgers.

Anyone with common sense sees this guy is done. Now or the end November?

A Kiffin or Schiano brings in recruits and gets you out of the gutter quickly. Hopefully in a couple years. Not another guessing game on some DC or OC.

Hobbs needs to put his ego in closet and fix this before it gets worse.

I see everyone say Kiffin can recruit. I don't follow recruiting much at all so I kind of just take it at its face and go along with it.

But I decided to take a look at FAU's recruiting rankings. I see before Kiffin a bunch of 70s 80s type rankings. For 2017 I see 78, and 2018 unranked (only goes up to 100) and 2019 (unranked).

Is that correct? Am I missing something in the rivals rankings? If it is then how much of a stellar recruiter is he really despite it always being repeated. Don't point to USC or what not as they recruit themselves regardless.

 

[BaseballFan913]

So given the state of the program you would not be happy with an 8-4 or 9-3 season. In fromt of 50000 fans! Do you have any idea how bad we are right now???

I would love 8-4 or 9-3. Unfortunately, our yearly schedule doesn't consist of:
an HBC that is more known for its drum line than football
2 service academies
a handpicked lower tier G5 School
the watered down Big East

GS couldn't beat Rich Rod. Cincy owned us during the Dantonio and Kelly periods. How do you think he stacks up against these B1G coaches.

I give GS credit for developing some lower tier guys into productive NFL players. And he certainly has been a better coach than Flood or Ash. But the man is not a Messiah. Far from it.

 

[BaseballFan913]

I see everyone say Kiffin can recruit. I don't follow recruiting much at all so I kind of just take it at its face and go along with it.

But I decided to take a look at FAU's recruiting rankings. I see before Kiffin a bunch of 70s 80s type rankings. For 2017 I see 78, and 2018 unranked (only goes up to 100) and 2019 (unranked).

Is that correct? Am I missing something in the rivals rankings? If it is then how much of a stellar recruiter is he really despite it always being repeated. Don't point to USC or what not as they recruit themselves regardless.

A lot of people will point to his one year in Tennessee for recruiting. He had a Top 10 recruiting class, including the #1 player in the country. That kind of stuck with him (although that class really flopped at UT).

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

A lot of people will point to his one year in Tennessee for recruiting. He had a Top 10 recruiting class, including the #1 player in the country. That kind of stuck with him (although that class really flopped at UT).

Tennessee isn't some hard place to recruit to either though, look at Butch Jones. He recruited well there too. USC/Tenn aren't things I'd point to say yup this guy can recruit.

And like I said even a 10-20 spot improvement in ranking doesn't necessarily mean you're in a higher tier of talent by my view of recruiting as a pyramid.

I'm kind of surprised he gets so much play frankly. One year at FAU? He's got to show more than to me and that's setting aside his personality issues. He seems like about a .500 coach at places with more than we will ever have. Let's see how he follows up last year and if he can repeat similar results.