Coaching Staff Thoughts

[salemjack]

Well we aren’t the only team losing assistants, NDSU D line coach heading to Colorado State.


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[SDSUAlum08]

Ohlson isn’t getting the credit he deserves. On paper he looks great. He was an OC/recruiting coordinator at Bemidji St and they were really good this past year. He recruited those kids. I’ve never met him and I don’t know what he’s thought of within the program, but he has the credentials to take the next step.

[Prairiehaas]

does it seem to anyone else that there is an awful lot of time here devoted to complaining about our teams? wouldnt it be nice if a little more time was devoted to celebrating them. we have far FAR more to celebrate than the huge majority of schools do

More to celebrate than 124 other teams. Thirty years ago SDSU was a basketball school. Football was mediocre in good years and that had been going on for decades. Since then, well we all know the story of continual improvement in not just athletics, but also academics and facilities. There is much to celebrate at SDSU, all due to strong leadership.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Stig has made good hires in the past, but I feel like this is a pivotal set of hires to keep the program at the level we’ve been at. We need a competent OC that can call games based on the talent we have coming back. Perhaps even more important, we need an O line coach that can recruit and develop the way that Eck did. To be honest, I would want to see if there is anyone from the Wisconsin/Alvarez tree that is available, for the recruiting inroads into Wisconsin and the o line philosophy. If we have that on staff already, so be it. If not, let’s try to go get the best people we can.

[rabbits64]

Stig has made good hires in the past, but I feel like this is a pivotal set of hires to keep the program at the level we’ve been at. We need a competent OC that can call games based on the talent we have coming back. Perhaps even more important, we need an O line coach that can recruit and develop the way that Eck did. To be honest, I would want to see if there is anyone from the Wisconsin/Alvarez tree that is available, for the recruiting inroads into Wisconsin and the o line philosophy. If we have that on staff already, so be it. If not, let’s try to go get the best people we can.

I don't know if anyone has encapsulated it better. Perfectly stated.

[bigticket1]

Who wouldn't want to be Jacks OC with this guy back at QB along with Davis, Kraft, Heins, Janke x 2 and company ? http://www.twitter.com/RayGronowski/...92496727212040

[LetsGoRabbits]

Who wouldn't want to be Jacks OC with this guy back at QB along with Davis, Kraft, Heins, Janke x 2 and company ? http://www.twitter.com/RayGronowski/...92496727212040

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! i totally KNOW that there are NO guarantees, but i really think that minus grono getting injured on our first or second offensive possession of the shsu game the jacks are spring and fall 2021 champs. and back to back defending champs going in to next fall

[LetsGoRabbits]

and ABSOLUTELY, i think we will have some excellent options for all of the new coaching hires, obviously including OC. i think this is going to be very interesting, however, because i really do not know if we have an in house candidate to fill OC, at this point. that will be first in a long time. Eids was already on staff both times, as was Eck.

i am not sure, WHO do we lose for sure off O Line? i believe genant is gone and aaron johnson and maybe the older miller. yes??? no??? but we have at least 3 very experienced guys coming back, including one time all american and two first team all conference guys. i think greenfield actually has 3 years remain if he would want, and mccormick has at least 2 maybe 3. younger miller i think three.

we lose a great RB and good QB, but have beyond legit all american candidates return at both spots. plus very possible landon wolfe and chase mason. the offense should be VERY WELL stocked. there will be more and bigger holes on the other side.

i am very unfamiliar with the NSIC but are there some buzzy younger HC or OC?? that seems to be a good and regular training ground for MVFC coaching hires. Eck, Bergstrom, Neilsen and i am sure a lot of others, eck was obviously great, neilsen is having some success but the story is far from complete. bergstrom, i think jury is still out. are there others that i am not thinking of

it makes sense to hire from nsic because those coaches are already familiar and have relationships in the same recruiting area. not saying we WILL or HAVE to hire from nsic or even local, but it seems like ultimately we would love to have somebody with some familiarity with our program and this area. i also think we try to hire people who are not automatically looking at the job as a stepping stone to someplace else. OF COURSE we know that coaches will leave and we WANT to hire assistants who will be wanted by other programs!!! BUT i think they try to hire people who they can at least imagine would stay at sdsu/ brookings for the LONG term

have we ever stolen a coach from ndsu? who would be their most likely to move up if they lost their OC?? do they have an O line or running game coach who we could steal?? stealing hendo from their MBB seems to be working pretty good)))

[jakejc795]

and ABSOLUTELY, i think we will have some excellent options for all of the new coaching hires, obviously including OC. i think this is going to be very interesting, however, because i really do not know if we have an in house candidate to fill OC, at this point. that will be first in a long time. Eids was already on staff both times, as was Eck.

i am not sure, WHO do we lose for sure off O Line? i believe genant is gone and aaron johnson and maybe the older miller. yes??? no??? but we have at least 3 very experienced guys coming back, including one time all american and two first team all conference guys. i think greenfield actually has 3 years remain if he would want, and mccormick has at least 2 maybe 3. younger miller i think three.

we lose a great RB and good QB, but have beyond legit all american candidates return at both spots. plus very possible landon wolfe and chase mason. the offense should be VERY WELL stocked. there will be more and bigger holes on the other side.

i am very unfamiliar with the NSIC but are there some buzzy younger HC or OC?? that seems to be a good and regular training ground for MVFC coaching hires. Eck, Bergstrom, Neilsen and i am sure a lot of others, eck was obviously great, neilsen is having some success but the story is far from complete. bergstrom, i think jury is still out. are there others that i am not thinking of

it makes sense to hire from nsic because those coaches are already familiar and have relationships in the same recruiting area. not saying we WILL or HAVE to hire from nsic or even local, but it seems like ultimately we would love to have somebody with some familiarity with our program and this area. i also think we try to hire people who are not automatically looking at the job as a stepping stone to someplace else. OF COURSE we know that coaches will leave and we WANT to hire assistants who will be wanted by other programs!!! BUT i think they try to hire people who they can at least imagine would stay at sdsu/ brookings for the LONG term

have we ever stolen a coach from ndsu? who would be their most likely to move up if they lost their OC?? do they have an O line or running game coach who we could steal?? stealing hendo from their MBB seems to be working pretty good)))

Henning at MSU-Mankato could be option at OL that would satisfy desire for WI ties among some posters.

Bookins, a Twin Cities native with WI ties, at UNI could be option to replace Bergstrom, or Pawlak at UND could coach OL.

Larson, the Bison OL coach, also has WI ties, but I'm not sold on hiring from among the Ungulates' staff, as my completely unbiased opinion is that their OL have a severe propensity to blatantly hold

[LetsGoRabbits]

haha YES jake, i think we are all aware that you have a little bit of a dislike for ndsu. you and i do differ on this. i absolutely HATE losing to them. i think they have some fans who are difficult to see or hear, i guess every school does of course. but beyond that i have a ton of respect for the school the athletic program and the fb program. everything about the place is FAR more respectable than usd, und, or augie. if i had players or students who were interested in a career in music i pointed them toward augie, other than that i cannot think of ONE reason i would EVER recommend that ANYONE EVER attend any of those schools or cheer for their teams

as far as the holding thing goes. please go back and watch their semi game against jmu. i think this will make any holding that ndsu has done over the years seem mild. the left OFFENSIVE tackle for jmu was the leading tackler in that game by far. it really made me feel a lot better about many of the occasions i have felt that the rabbits got the short end from the officials

but yes i do agree with you i do think they hold. i have also thought over the years that they coach their DBs to hold as much as possible, up to the limit of what the refs will allow. i used to feel that they could have been flagged on easily 60 plus % of passing plays for holding. ironic that i think the play at end of jmu game with the interception was NOT a penalty. absolutely text book training video pass coverage

[jakejc795]

haha YES jake, i think we are all aware that you have a little bit of a dislike for ndsu. you and i do differ on this. i absolutely HATE losing to them. i think they have some fans who are difficult to see or hear, i guess every school does of course. but beyond that i have a ton of respect for the school the athletic program and the fb program. everything about the place is FAR more respectable than usd, und, or augie. if i had players or students who were interested in a career in music i pointed them toward augie, other than that i cannot think of ONE reason i would EVER recommend that ANYONE EVER attend any of those schools or cheer for their teams

as far as the holding thing goes. please go back and watch their semi game against jmu. i think this will make any holding that ndsu has done over the years seem mild. the left OFFENSIVE tackle for jmu was the leading tackler in that game by far. it really made me feel a lot better about many of the occasions i have felt that the rabbits got the short end from the officials

but yes i do agree with you i do think they hold. i have also thought over the years that they coach their DBs to hold as much as possible, up to the limit of what the refs will allow. i used to feel that they could have been flagged on easily 60 plus % of passing plays for holding. ironic that i think the play at end of jmu game with the interception was NOT a penalty. absolutely text book training video pass coverage

If I had to choose a ND Valley coach for OL, I'd opt for Pawlak over Larson. First, I think Pawlak did "more with less" at UND, and their offense is similar to Jacks in terms of QB (when Schuster & Gronowski were starters) and RB play (when they used Weah and Jacks theoretically making Davis RB1 next season)

[LetsGoRabbits]

what about some of the big time offensive schools?? maybe the OC from east washington wants to work at a school where they also play defense and he has a legit chance to win a title? i think HC Hill is kind of the "actual" OC at SIU but what about thier OC? who are the other schools known for consistent offensive excellence? but i would not want to hire anyone who has EVER worked with KC keeler or mike houston

as far as being familiar with wisconsin or any area. there are good and bad to that situation, like every situation. i definitely think it is important to stay strong in the areas where we are strong and i think that needs to be a very high priority recruiting wise. but you cannot say it is not valuable to get coaches who possibly open doors in new areas. you have to balance that because you cannot be strong EVERYWHERE and if you try, you end up being strong nowhere

[jakejc795]

what about some of the big time offensive schools?? maybe the OC from east washington wants to work at a school where they also play defense and he has a legit chance to win a title? i think HC Hill is kind of the "actual" OC at SIU but what about thier OC? who are the other schools known for consistent offensive excellence? but i would not want to hire anyone who has EVER worked with KC keeler or mike houston

as far as being familiar with wisconsin or any area. there are good and bad to that situation, like every situation. i definitely think it is important to stay strong in the areas where we are strong and i think that needs to be a very high priority recruiting wise. but you cannot say it is not valuable to get coaches who possibly open doors in new areas. you have to balance that because you cannot be strong EVERYWHERE and if you try, you end up being strong nowhere

Wait -- is there any school more "big time 'offensive'" than NDSU?

I'm less concerned with the focus on WI than others, and another perspective regarding Keeler and Houston assistants is that they may appreciate working in a regime headed by a coach who is the polar opposite.

Would you also be leery of hiring coaches who were Cignetti, Farley, or Petrino assistants (I'm assuming the Bison respect you mentioned wouldn't cause you to shy away from considering an Entz acolyte)?

[LetsGoRabbits]

Wait -- is there any school more "big time 'offensive'" than NDSU?

I'm less concerned with the focus on WI than others, and another perspective regarding Keeler and Houston assistants is that they may appreciate working in a regime headed by a coach who is the polar opposite.

Would you also be leery of hiring coaches who were Cignetti, Farley, or Petrino assistants (I'm assuming the Bison respect you mentioned wouldn't cause you to shy away from considering an Entz acolyte)?

hahah nice switcheroo on the word offensive))!!!

also like your thought on the keeler and houston assistants appreciating the difference!!

i have not seen cignetti as much but i definitely get a better, "less criminal, less total lack of integrity" feeling from him than i get from houston and keeler

farley- i am not aware of any reason that i would be opposed to one of his assistants. i know there is a lot of question about his overall coaching ability, but i think we could argue their defense was as good or better than ANY defense in fcs this year. they have definitely become a nightmare for us. they as much as any team scare me, as the team that just seems to keep us OFF OUR GAME.

so if we were looking for defensive coaches, i actually think that would be one of the first places i would look and obviously Stig has a LOT of respect for him, so i think it is VERY reasonable to think it might be a place that we would look to hire from. also the AD Sell connections to UNI

petrino- whole other deal. i think it is probably safe to assume that not ALL of his assistants have the same OFF the field issues that he has dealt with, but one could surely guess that he hires assistants from a STRICTLY fb perspective and does not put much weight on their personal values. meaning that i know for a fact that sdsu coaches tell perspective players that they want AND expect them to grow as people and students and players. it is NOT all about the games!! i think maybe petrino does not necessarily make that a priority in hiring. hence yes i probably agree with you that his assistants might not be the best fit for the culture sdsu has

that all said, nobody is perfect and you can find very flawed people in the best places and wonderful people in the worst places!!!!! i totally realize that i make some STRONG statements about some things here.. ex. usd, keeler, houston, etc....... but truthfully you cannot make black and white rules. you cannot judge anyone by ONE thing or judge the book by the cover. every situation and person has to be valued on their own merit. and everything is a case by case situation

as far as entz goes he does appear to be a bit of a hot head. i DEFINITELY like the former coach more. i had a ton of respect for Klieman!! but to the question, i would DEFINITELY steal coaches from ndsu if we thought they would be a good fit here. as far as i know i am surprised they do not lose more assistants. i feel like we lose more assistants than they do over the years

[jakejc795]

hahah nice switcheroo on the word offensive))!!!

also like your thought on the keeler and houston assistants appreciating the difference!!

i have not seen cignetti as much but i definitely get a better, "less criminal, less total lack of integrity" feeling from him than i get from houston and keeler

farley- i am not aware of any reason that i would be opposed to one of his assistants. i know there is a lot of question about his overall coaching ability, but i think we could argue their defense was as good or better than ANY defense in fcs this year. they have definitely become a nightmare for us. they as much as any team scare me, as the team that just seems to keep us OFF OUR GAME.

so if we were looking for defensive coaches, i actually think that would be one of the first places i would look and obviously Stig has a LOT of respect for him, so i think it is VERY reasonable to think it might be a place that we would look to hire from. also the AD Sell connections to UNI

petrino- whole other deal. i think it is probably safe to assume that not ALL of his assistants have the same OFF the field issues that he has dealt with, but one could surely guess that he hires assistants from a STRICTLY fb perspective and does not put much weight on their personal values. meaning that i know for a fact that sdsu coaches tell perspective players that they want AND expect them to grow as people and students and players. it is NOT all about the games!! i think maybe petrino does not necessarily make that a priority in hiring. hence yes i probably agree with you that his assistants might not be the best fit for the culture sdsu has

that all said, nobody is perfect and you can find very flawed people in the best places and wonderful people in the worst places!!!!! i totally realize that i make some STRONG statements about some things here.. ex. usd, keeler, houston, etc....... but truthfully you cannot make black and white rules. you cannot judge anyone by ONE thing or judge the book by the cover. every situation and person has to be valued on their own merit. and everything is a case by case situation

as far as entz goes he does appear to be a bit of a hot head. i DEFINITELY like the former coach more. i had a ton of respect for Klieman!! but to the question, i would DEFINITELY steal coaches from ndsu if we thought they would be a good fit here. as far as i know i am surprised they do not lose more assistants. i feel like we lose more assistants than they do over the years

I wonder if part of this is a combination of prospective employers questioning whether Bison assistants' success is due to their own ability or to the Bison "system" and reputation and assistants not necessarily being in a rush to leave a team likely to contend for the national championship every season.

In the Jacks case, I think assistants can point to marked system/scheme adaptation; for instance, the Jacks' offense transitioned from Sumner to Lujan to Christion to Gibbs to Gronowski with varying levels of TE and RB involvement and sustained OL ascendance, and on defense from blue chip DBs (e.g., Butler and Brown) with LBs being a strength for over a decade to the DL and defense overall being among the conference's, if not the nation's, best.

Regarding Keeler there was talk of him being less than keen on the move to FBS and being mentioned as a contender for Delaware HC gig, but trustees purportedly blocked that. The fact that Carty, a Keeler assistant's hiring was approved by the same group at UD suggests we may not want to exclude subordinates of coaches we're not the biggest fans of