Hello: Shaun Nua, Defensive Line Coach
Michigan's filled their final hole on the defensive side of the ball:
OFFICIAL: @CoachJim4UM names Shaun Nua as new defensive line coach.
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 17, 2019
DETAILS » https://t.co/i0MxHuwnD8#GoBlue 〽️ pic.twitter.com/NYp7FB2Bc1
This was said to be official yesterday but as Ben McDaniels seems to be finding out, better not to count those chickens before they've hatched twitter eggs.
[After the JUMP: the bio]
Nua was a DE at BYU in the early aughts and had a few years in the NFL after being drafted in the seventh round. He went back to his alma mater to GA for three years before landing the DL job at Navy, which he held for six years. He bumped up to Arizona State last year, and now lands at Michigan.
Nua continues a theme: youth. Michigan's added four assistants (pending McDaniels becoming official); all are in their 30s. Many of these guys are wild cards and Nua's no exception. Recruiting to Navy is a different world than recruiting to Michigan and it's tough to judge how he's developing guys when academy teams are operating from such a different POV than "did he get enough guys drafted and have good stats?" One season at ASU doesn't tell you much more, especially when it's year one of Herm.
Like Gattis, Nua is a guy who seems to be rapidly rising through the ranks. His somewhat extended Navy tenure could have been much shorter if he was inclined:
“Shaun is a great coach and an even greater person,” Niumatalolo said when contacted on Monday. “We are really going to miss Shaun. He will be very tough to replace.”
Nua briefly accepted the defensive line position at Virginia under head coach Bronco Mendenhall in December, 2015. That was when Niumatalolo was considering replacing Mendenhall at BYU.
After Niumatalolo turned down the BYU job and decided to remain at Navy, Nua changed his mind and also elected to stay in Annapolis.
“Shaun’s had offers almost every year he’s been here. We were very fortunate to keep him as long as we did,” Niumatalolo said. “Shaun felt this opportunity was too good to pass up. I wish him all the best and know he will do great things in his career.”
And he seems like a genuine dude:
Nua became choked up when contacted by The Capital on Monday morning and asked to discuss the decision to leave Navy for Arizona State. After taking a moment to compose himself, Nua said he will always cherish the time spent in Annapolis.
“This whole Navy experience has been nothing but a blessing to my life. This is a really, really special place, one I will never forget,” he said. “They talk about the Navy family and it is so true. All the coaches here took me under their wing and treated me like a brother. I felt like a father figure to all these incredible players I got to coach. I will forever be grateful for my time at Navy.”
Nua, a native of Pago Pago, should help Michigan recruit Pacific Islanders amongst others to their DL. And if there's anything you learn with six years at Navy it's how to get your guys technique up to compensate for their general lack of size. Seems like a good bet. Another good bet: in five years he'll be a better coach than Greg Mattison.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:07 PM ^
Welcome Shawn Nua!
Why 5 years in particular?
January 17th, 2019 at 1:12 PM ^
The positive buzz of the coaching hires has almost washed away the bitter memories of the end of last season. Hope might be the first step on the road to disappointment, but it springs eternal.
January 17th, 2019 at 2:32 PM ^
Be like Urban
January 17th, 2019 at 3:59 PM ^
Lets not pretend that Michigan football isn't constantly buzzing with positivity every offseason. Hasn't reflected on the field yet, so consider me still skeptical.
The Gattis hire seems like a roll of the dice that could bring some good upside. Nua feels like a total shot in the dark with little reason to believe this will bring improvement.
January 17th, 2019 at 4:16 PM ^
I guess you weren't here last summer, when the consensus seemed to be 6-6 or 7-5, with 8-4 as a best case scenario.
January 17th, 2019 at 4:32 PM ^
LOL! BULLSHIT! You and I, specifically, have been through this before. You also claimed that everybody knew 2017 was going to be a rebuilding year and that was bullshit too! Everybody was saying we'd "reload not rebuild" and that we were now on par with Ohio State.
It's fucking embarrassing that clowns like you try to repaint the past to make things appear rosier.
January 17th, 2019 at 4:38 PM ^
Mods, we got a troll on our hands.
January 17th, 2019 at 5:17 PM ^
I've been here for a decade. Calling people out on their bullshit is not trolling.
Did you know that it's possible to have criticisms of Michigan football while still being a fan? We all want Michigan to be better but that doesn't mean that every time a coach scratches his ass you need to commend him on what a great job he has done.
Step outside the echo chamber sometime.
January 17th, 2019 at 5:54 PM ^
It's also possible to have criticisms without being a jerk.
January 17th, 2019 at 8:12 PM ^
Yup and aside from evenyoubrutus, I have been even-keeled about things. He's always the clown on here making idiotic claims and trying to revise history to fit those claims so I have no problem with acting like a jerk to him. What goes around comes around.
January 17th, 2019 at 8:42 PM ^
I'm so flattered that my positive outlook has gotten under your skin.
I do feel really bad for you, tbh. Someone who reacts like you have has probably been through some serious trauma. I'll say a prayer for you, brother.
January 17th, 2019 at 10:27 PM ^
It looks like he claimed that a majority of posters thought Michigan would go somewhere between 6-6 and 8-4. That's close to what I remember as well. I don't know if a majority claimed those results, but I remember a large number who predicted losses to ND, Wisconsin, Penn State, MSU and Ohio State.
January 17th, 2019 at 5:56 PM ^
You also don't have to be a jerk about it. If people think you're trolling maybe it's because you're acting like one
January 18th, 2019 at 2:19 AM ^
Kurpit is being a jerk because he has suppressed psychological trauma. It's not his fault. It is probably from when he was a child. The best way to help him is to be kind and sensitive to his feelings. Remember, saying the wrong thing could cause him to be triggered and become "unevenly keeled" as it were.
January 17th, 2019 at 9:45 PM ^
hey man, walks like a duck, etc.
January 17th, 2019 at 6:15 PM ^
ok cool.
Go blue
January 18th, 2019 at 6:43 AM ^
Everyone specifically talked about 17 being a rebuilding year because of the young receivers, questions about qb, and the OL. You're being a troll. Brian write last off season that the team would go as far as the offense of line would take them. It was obvious that the offensive line could not take them very far this past year.
January 18th, 2019 at 7:44 AM ^
Let's be honest here, we've won 10 games in three of the last four years. When was the last time that happened? Bo? What you're really saying is that hasn't translated into us beating OSU yet. JH brought in DB which was highly successful. JH brought in Warriner which was highly successful. JH brought in Moore & Washington whom were highly successful recruiters. JH has reeled in three top 10 recruiting classes in four years which also hasn't happened this decade. So, I think there have been lots of positives that have given us results on the field. They just haven't made us better than OSU yet, which is the current place holder of what we need to do in order to win our division and likely our conference as well as have a chance at a playoff berth.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:13 PM ^
Welcome Coach Nua!
From Pago Pago instead of Samoa, but definitely a Pacific Islander.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:14 PM ^
Pago Pago is the capitol of American Samoa, which is separate from Samoa, as google maps tells me.
January 17th, 2019 at 2:02 PM ^
I vaguely remember this. Thanks for the geography refresher.
American Samoa is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean that lie about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand and about 100km east of the island country of Samoa, which is part of the same archipelago, ethnicity and culture.American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America.
American Samoa - Wikitravel
January 17th, 2019 at 2:36 PM ^
tbh i had no idea. the internet can be a pretty cool place
January 17th, 2019 at 4:56 PM ^
Everyone loves Samoas....
Welcome aboard Coach!
January 17th, 2019 at 5:30 PM ^
Samosas are pretty good too...
January 17th, 2019 at 6:51 PM ^
....especially the minced meat ones!!!
January 17th, 2019 at 2:25 PM ^
This feels like a CGP Grey video
January 17th, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^
Is that good or bad? Better than a Barney video, right?
January 17th, 2019 at 1:16 PM ^
He was the lead recruiter for a 4 star DE that ASU got out of California, who was purportedly choosing between ASU and USC. So, at least a bit of evidence that he can 'croot as well as coach.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:19 PM ^
if this guy can recruit good California players to choose his team over USC, then sign me up!
January 17th, 2019 at 1:38 PM ^
I've also heard that Jay Harbaugh covers recruiting anything west of the Rockies. Having Nua on board can only help with recruiting the west coast, Hawaii and the Samoan Islands.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:17 PM ^
"Another good bet: in five years he'll be a better coach than Greg Mattison."
We'll see, but even if he's just as good, that's good.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:21 PM ^
Mattison probably won't be coaching in 5 years so being a coach >> retired.
That's how I took that.
January 17th, 2019 at 3:16 PM ^
I hope that is what the author meant. You would have to be fairly horrible at coaching if a retired coach is better.
However, if the author meant this guy will be better than Mattison was in his prime, well i just hope that is not what the author really meant.
January 17th, 2019 at 3:46 PM ^
However, if the author meant this guy will be better than Mattison was in his prime, well i just hope that is not what the author really meant.
I'm more inclined to believe Brian meant that Nua will be better in 5 years than Mattison is now.
January 17th, 2019 at 6:47 PM ^
It's definitely that, because it bookends Brian's observation that the recent hires were youthful. Any other meaning would lack context.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:24 PM ^
I think the implication is that Mattison will be retired by then.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:34 PM ^
Mattison will be retiring before the bowl game, after Michigan obliterates his defense.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:25 PM ^
I think that Brian meant that in 5 years, Mattison won't be coaching anymore. Mattison is old.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
As an aside, I hate that I have to hate Mattison, but I do.
January 17th, 2019 at 2:58 PM ^
Maybe Mattison is going there as a counter agent.
January 18th, 2019 at 8:40 AM ^
He was a counter agent this year for them. No way our defense should have gave up that many points! I think promises were made. Remember the 97 D was the year after he bolted for nd.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
I read that as Brian taking a bit of a shot at Mattison perhaps insinuating that maybe he was a product of the talent in the program rather than coaching? Idk i could be super off base on this
Edit: ahhh i think it was an age comment. Disregard my nonsense
January 17th, 2019 at 1:56 PM ^
I read that as he is a better person than Mattison.
I too am still in shock that he would pull such a Benedict Arnold move...and for what?
January 17th, 2019 at 2:03 PM ^
Triple the salary? Hmm . . .
January 17th, 2019 at 2:35 PM ^
A title promotion?
January 17th, 2019 at 2:45 PM ^
If Brian wanted to take a shot at Nattison he would have said, “Nua is already a better coach than Mattison.”
January 17th, 2019 at 1:49 PM ^
Already sounds more loyal that Mattison
January 17th, 2019 at 4:05 PM ^
Is Brian just saying that he is banking on Mattison no longer being a coach in 5 years? Because that'd make a lot more sense than believing he'll quickly be better than a guy everybody here flaunted as being one of the best D-line coaches in the country.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^
"Another good bet: in five years he'll be a better coach than Greg Mattison."
An odd and unlikely prediction. Once we become bitter we can no longer accurately assess our prior coaches? What is there from Nua's past that leads us to believe that in 5 years he'll be a better coach than Mattison? I'd love for that prediction to be correct but reeks of super hot mlive take prediction with a side of sour grapes. We're better than that.
(edit: if it was merely a reference to the fact that in 5 years one is coaching and the other isn't...therefore a better coach by default...then I retract my prior statement and instead say "ok".)
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