Tag: coaching changes

Coaching Candidate: Bret Bielema

Bret Bielema

Bret Bielema
Age: 44
Current position: Arkansas Razorbacks head coach
Salary: $2,950,000 per year
Head coaching experience: 9-15 at Arkansas Razorbacks (2013-2014), 68-24 at Wisconsin Badgers (2006-2012), 77-39 overall
History: Bielema grew up in Illinois and got a scholarship to Iowa as a defensive tackle. After a short playing stint in the Arena Football League, he latched on at Iowa as a graduate assistant and then the linebackers coach from 1996-2001. Kansas State hired him away as a co-defensive coordinator in 2002-2003, and then he was hired by Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez as the defensive coordinator for 2004 and 2005. After Alvarez retired from coaching, he handed over the reins to Bielema. The Badgers continued their string of highly productive running backs, starting with P.J. Hill (1,161+ yards from 2006-2008), John Clay (1,012+ yards from 2009-2010), and Montee Ball (1,830+ yards in 2011-2012). Bielema and Wisconsin had developed a reputation for producing big-time running backs and big-time offensive linemen. In a bit of a surprising move, he took the head coaching job at Arkansas after the 2012 season. The Razorbacks won their first three games of 2013 but then lost nine straight to end the year, and they are 6-6 so far this year with a bowl game against Texas pending. Meanwhile, his teams’ rushing prowess has continued with two 900+ yards rushers in 2013 and two 1,000+ yard rushers this season.
My thoughts: I hate Bret Bielema. “Hate” is a strong word, because he’s not a criminal or anything. But as far as coaches go, he’s a notch below the likes of Bobby Petrino and Mark Dantonio in my book. Bielema is pompous and a little bit slimy, and he comes off like a meathead. All that aside, he appears to be a pretty darn good football coach. His offensive lines have typically been excellent, and his running backs have been outstanding (at least in college); his quarterbacks have been game managers, and his defenses have been solid (#24 in total defense in 2014, #15 his last year at Wisconsin). It’s hard to argue with his success at Wisconsin, and his current Razorbacks program is headed in the right direction. Michigan is built like a Bret Bielema team – there are highly touted offensive linemen used to a pro-style offense, there are between-the-tackles runners in the stable, and there are pocket-style quarterbacks who should be able to manage games if the running component can improve. At the same time, a move from Arkansas to Michigan after only two years would indicate some instability and make me wonder what his long-term goals would be. Would a successful run in Ann Arbor lead to a jump to, say, Alabama or USC or possibly the NFL?
Likelihood of coming to Michigan: Between the lines, Bielema seems like a great fit at Michigan. His current salary is not steep enough to ward off the Wolverines. His personality might not exactly fit, but he’s familiar with the Big Ten and surely recognizes the traditions, rivalries, etc. Arkansas is a step ahead of Michigan when it comes to their current programs, but he has to understand that Michigan’s ceiling is significantly higher. However, unless he views Michigan as a dream job, it would be hard to jump at this point. I do think Bielema should be on Jim Hackett’s list of potential candidates, and probably higher than just about any other reasonable option.

My wish list (updated):
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Bob Stoops
3. Bret Bielema
4. Dan Mullen
5. Tom Herman
6. Jim Mora, Jr.
7. Les Miles
8. Greg Schiano
9. Pat Narduzzi
10. Mike Shanahan
11. Steve Addazio

Coaching Candidate: Steve Addazio

Steve Addazio

Steve Addazio
Age: 55
Current position: Boston College head coach
Salary:
Head coaching experience: 14-11 at Boston College (2013-present), 13-11 at Temple (2011-2012), 27-24 overall
History: Addazio was born in Connecticut and played football at Central Connecticut. After some time coaching at a small college and in high school, he got a job with Syracuse in 1995. He then worked at Notre Dame under Bob Davie, Indiana under Gerry DiNardo, and Florida under Urban Meyer, all coaching the offensive line (and occasionally tight ends) through 2008. When Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen left to take the head coaching job at Mississippi State, Addazio was promoted to his spot. The Gators went 21-6 in Addazio’s two years as offensive coordinator, where he worked with Tim Tebow in 2009 and John Brantley in 2010. Tebow was spectacular, while Brantley threw 9 touchdowns and 10 picks. When Urban Meyer “retired” after the 2010 season, Addazio took the head coaching job at Temple. The Owls went 9-4 in the MAC that first year, ranking #1 in the conference in total defense and #7 in offense. When Temple moved to the Big East in 2012, they were last in defense and second-worst in offense on the way to a 4-7 record. Somehow that earned him a promotion to Boston College. His first team saw running back Andre Williams rush for 2,177 yards, but they still finished #11 in the ACC in offense and #14 in total defense. That defense jumped to #3 in the conference in 2014, but the Eagles were still #10 in defense. Senior quarterback Tyler Murphy eked out 1,000 yards rushing on the ground to lead the team, while freshman running back Jon Hilliman managed just 3.83 yards/carry. Both seasons in Boston College have resulted in 7 wins (with a chance to get to 8 this year).
My thoughts: I am thoroughly unimpressed with Addazio’s resume. Addazio’s teams are wildly inconsistent, and the individual successes – Tim Tebow in 2009, Andre Williams in 2013, Tyler Murphy in 2014 – are odd and unreliable, too. Aside from Tebow that first year, the quarterback play has been subpar with his guys totaling 61 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. From what I gather, Addazio is an upstanding guy whose personality would fit in very well with what Michigan wants. That’s the scary part. His record is slightly above .500, which is frighteningly close to Brady Hoke’s 47-50 job before arriving in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, that comes without the ingrained affinity for the Wolverines and the upward trajectory that Hoke’s Ball State and San Diego State’s teams had. This would be an underwhelming hire, and recruiting would suffer, particularly in the short term.
Likelihood of coming to Michigan: Addazio is getting too many mentions in the media and the Michigan blogosphere to ignore. Likely because of his cultural fit and desire to run the ball, he seems to be on the list. I would assume that athletic director Jim Hackett realizes how disappointing this hire would be, so Addazio seems like an emergency possibility in case Harbaugh, Stoops, Miles, and probably others fall through. Regardless, his name terrifies me and would seem to assure mediocrity for Michigan.

My wish list:
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Bob Stoops
3. Dan Mullen
4. Jim Mora, Jr.
5. Les Miles
6. Greg Schiano
7. Tom Herman
8. Pat Narduzzi
9. Mike Shanahan
10. Steve Addazio

Coaching Candidate: Jim Mora, Jr.

Jim Mora, Jr.

Jim Mora, Jr.
Age: 53
Current position: UCLA head coach
Salary: $1,935,000 per year
Head coaching experience: 28-11 at UCLA (2012-2014), 5-11 at Seattle Seahawks (2009), 26-22 at Atlanta Falcons (2004-2006), 59-44 overall
History: Mora is the son of former NFL head coach Jim Mora. Mora, Jr. lived in California as a kid and attended high school in Washington, where his dad was an assistant with the Washington Huskies and the Seattle Seahawks. After graduating high school, Mora, Jr. walked on at Washington and played linebacker/safety. He became a graduate assistant at Washington before moving to the San Diego Chargers as a quality control guy and defensive backs coach, eventually coaching DB’s for the New Orleans Saints (under his dad) and the San Francisco 49ers. He became defensive coordinator of the 49ers in 1999, and he did well enough to be hired as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach in 2004, where he was under scrutiny for his tutelage of Michael Vick. Fired after a 7-9 season in 2006, he worked under Mike Holmgren in Seattle as the defensive backs coach and associate head coach. He was promoted to head coach in 2009 but was fired after a 5-11 season. Mora, Jr. worked for the NFL Network and Fox Sports before taking the had job at UCLA prior to the 2012 season. He took a program that had been 21-29 in the previous four seasons under Rick Neuheisel, and has since won 9, 10, and 9 games. Mora, Jr. has shown a willingness to adapt with a shotgun/pistol spread offense, a mobile quarterback in Brett Hundley, and a guy who doubles as a linebacker and running back (Myles Jack).
My thoughts: Mora holds some clout as a coach because of his NFL work and how quickly he turned around UCLA, and he has been a good recruiter there. Neuheisel’s final full class in 2011 was ranked #45 by Rivals, and since that point, Mora’s classes have been ranked #8(tie) in 2013, #18 in 2014, and currently #16 in 2015. Mora’s offenses have been pretty good, but his defenses have been mediocre each season. I like that he’s willing to think outside the box (it’s not often that linebackers also play running back) and adapt to the college game with the pistol, and he’s young enough to connect with players without seeming like an out-of-touch old fogey. However, Mora has no ties to the midwest and would be playing from behind in terms of recruiting. He has recruited the west well, but he has just a few recruiting successes in the northeast quadrant of the country (1 from New Jersey, 1 from Indiana, 1 from Delaware). Any connections in Big Ten country would have to come from his assistants.
Likelihood of coming to Michigan: Supposedly, Mora is the one who has reached out to Michigan through some back channels. It could be an effort by his agent to squeeze some extra money out of UCLA, because it would be odd for a West Coast guy (who grew up in California and Washington, who has worked in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle) to want to suddenly move to the Mitten. It seems to me that the only legitimate desire to move might come from the belief that he will be playing from behind against USC and Oregon, a notion that I find hard to believe when Michigan is in direct competition with Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin for recruits and conference dominance. Unless there’s some sort of inner turmoil going on within the athletic department at UCLA, this would be an odd move.


My wish list:
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Bob Stoops
3. Dan Mullen
4. Jim Mora, Jr.
5. Les Miles
6. Greg Schiano
7. Tom Herman
8. Pat Narduzzi
9. Mike Shanahan

Coaching Candidate: Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh
Age: 50
Current position: San Francisco 49ers head coach
Salary: $5,000,000 per year
Head coaching experience: 43-16 at San Francisco 49ers (2011-present), 29-21 at Stanford (2007-2010), 29-6 at University of San Diego (2004-2006), 101-43 overall
History: Jim was born in Toledo, grew up in Ann Arbor while his father was an assistant at Michigan, and graduated high school in Palo Alto, CA. He then came back to Michigan as a quarterback, started for his final three seasons, was named Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior, and was drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He became a Pro Bowl quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts in 1995. When his career was finished, he coached quarterbacks at Western Kentucky and for the Oakland Raiders before getting the head coaching job at the University of San Diego, where he went 11-1 in each of his last two seasons. He proceeded to improve a moribund Stanford football program from 4-8 in his first year to 12-1 in his final year there. That turned into being hired by the 49ers, for whom he has reached the Super Bowl and two other NFC Championship games. They are 7-5 so far this season, but there are rumblings of discontent from the front office and ownership.
My thoughts: Harbaugh is as intense of a coach as they come, and that’s not always the way to go about dealing with NFL players. Frankly, it rubs people the wrong way – at all levels – but millionaires don’t like to be treated like college kids. On the flip side, college kids are playing for the love of the game or with a desire to make it to the next level, so they can handle a little more in-your-face intensity. Harbaugh is a proven winner as a player, a college coach, and an NFL coach, and Michigan would be in excellent hands with him. He recruited well at Stanford, and he would be recruiting the same types of players at Michigan – high character, smart athletes who are hard-nosed and disciplined. Furthermore, Harbaugh would have a full complement of returning linemen, tight ends, and running backs as a coach who places a premium on running the ball. The defense is solid, too. The only huge question mark is at quarterback.
Likelihood of coming to Michigan: Some outlets are reporting that it is likely, and some are reporting that it is unlikely. Rivals, on the one hand, is keeping fans’ hopes up, but they are somewhat notorious for sending out positive vibes to keep readers happy. NFL people are saying he wants to stay in the NFL. I really have no idea whether he’ll come back to Ann Arbor or not, but money would not be an issue (numbers like $8,000,000 per year have been thrown around), he doesn’t seem likely to stay in San Francisco, and other potential destinations right now include the moribund Raiders and Jets franchises.

My wish list:
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Bob Stoops
3. Dan Mullen
4. Les Miles
5. Greg Schiano
6. Tom Herman
7. Pat Narduzzi
8. Mike Shanahan

Coaching Candidate: Tom Herman

Tom Herman

Tom Herman
Age: 39
Current position: Ohio State University offensive coordinator
Salary: $550,000
Head coaching experience: None
History: Herman was born in Ohio and became a wide receiver at California Lutheran University, a D-III school. He then moved on to the state of Texas, where he was a graduate assistant (Texas), a wide receivers coach (Sam Houston State), and an offensive coordinator (Texas State, Rice). He was hired as the offensive coordinator at Iowa State for the 2009-2011 seasons, climaxing with an upset of undefeated #2 Oklahoma State. That got him hired as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer from 2012 to the present, where he has mentored Heisman trophy candidates in Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett.
My thoughts: Herman has some connections in the midwest and in Texas, both of which are fertile recruiting grounds for proximity and talent, respectively. He is a spread offense guru who has learned at the hands of Meyer, whom Michigan fans should grudgingly respect. Herman does not have an ideal quarterback for his offense in Michigan’s pipeline, but he has had success with some young quarterbacks, so the situation could lend itself to a quick offensive turnaround. Herman is obviously unproven as a head coach and might face some hurdles from a disappointed fan base, but his youth could give a boost to a program recovering from a lot of turmoil.
Likelihood of coming to Michigan: This would be a huge step up for a coordinator of his age, so he would probably jump at the chance to be a Big Ten head coach. However, chances are slim that Michigan would have to settle for a young coordinator when they have the resources to pull in a veteran head coach. Interim athletic director Jim Hackett would have to get a lot of no’s before dropping down the list to Herman.

My wish list:
1. Bob Stoops
2. Dan Mullen
3. Les Miles
4. Greg Schiano
5. Tom Herman
6. Pat Narduzzi
7. Mike Shanahan