BC Coach Jeff Hafley taking Packers DC job
January 31st, 2024 at 6:31 PM ^
Chip Kelly is also trying to get an NFL OC job reportedly as well.
There’s definitely a number of coaches who are tired of having to deal with NIL and the transfer portal and having to constantly rerecruit their roster. And it feels like we still have a ways to go till we settle into a better equilibrium there.
Maybe Harbaugh can do us a solid and hire Hartline as the receivers coach with the Chargers.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:32 PM ^
I’m plugged in at UCLA and let me tell ya - Chip’s ass is on borrowed time here. His search is more likely about job security than anything else.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:37 PM ^
Yeah, Chip hasn't wanted to recruit for years now and I really do wonder if that USC win saves him possibly getting the pink slip this off-season.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:51 PM ^
I’m not going to overrate or underrate the USC win. From what little I know conclusively, I’d say that his retention had more to do with the then-prevailing expectation of the AD’s imminent departure (and perhaps secondary to that, the university’s ongoing search for a new Chancellor).
January 31st, 2024 at 7:50 PM ^
There’s zero chance of any college coach getting the pink slip at this stage for performance related issues. The last thing any school is going to do is WILLINGLY start the 30 day transfer portal clock on their roster
January 31st, 2024 at 8:54 PM ^
Yep. It's too late to fire a coach for performance reasons at this point.
If they were going to do it, they would have done it following the Cal loss. Which was a rancid season finale, from the Bruins POV.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:35 AM ^
So what you're saying is the best time to fire a coach is after game 8. The 30-day window starts for weeks 9-12, the season ends, hire a new coach who gets the kids excited to stay. Survive the 30-day portal because games are being played, then survive the normal portal due to excitement with the new coach.
February 1st, 2024 at 2:54 PM ^
Excitement due to the new coach isn’t necessarily going to get guys to stay. Bama was still having guys enter the portal after DeBoer took the job there.
But the bigger idea is to have your new coach in place by the beginning of December so HE can raid the portal to fill out his roster. It’s more about that than it is trying to con your roster into staying. If guys enter the portal now, you can’t really replace them until the post-spring window.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:43 PM ^
And yet somehow he managed to land Dante Moore.
(And then lose him.)
January 31st, 2024 at 7:36 PM ^
I don’t think UCLA is now or has ever been serious about football. I got a feeling they are gonna get stomped in the B1G. I think Chip does too.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:43 PM ^
I thought Chip Kelly got fired halfway through the year. Did I create a false memory?
January 31st, 2024 at 7:48 PM ^
"alternative facts"
January 31st, 2024 at 8:18 PM ^
Just like Kirk Ferentz retired.
January 31st, 2024 at 9:07 PM ^
I was absolutely convinced I heard this.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:55 PM ^
There were all kinds of media reports following their November 11 17-7 home loss to Arizona State that he was going to get fired.
But then it never happened. They beat USC the next week. They had an absolutely horrible 4-score (!!!) home (!!!) loss to Cal (!!!) the week after that, but I guess the USC win bought him a LOT of good will.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:44 AM ^
You Mandela effected yourself. Or something like that.
January 31st, 2024 at 9:17 PM ^
Why is that? I remember the report he was going to get fired toward the end of the season. As an outsider, I was pretty surprised by that. The program was in the gutter when he took over and he's been solid the last three seasons. He's had 8, 9, and 8 wins. The program has had three 10-win seasons since 2000. What are expectations there?
February 1st, 2024 at 7:59 AM ^
UCLA treats football like Michigan treats basketball. They could be really good if they just dedicated the resources. I was a fan back in the Aikman/Donahue era, but that was a blip on the radar screen.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:32 PM ^
I don't know why, but BC was a school I always liked to root for since I was a kid. Hopefully they get someone to at least make them competitive in the ACC.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:36 PM ^
The way things are going, that may happen simply because there won't be much competition left in the ACC.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:35 PM ^
They had interviewed Orr (one of the Ravens defensive coaches). I've lost count on remaining "Ravens style" defensive coaches left. Obviously Minter and MacDonald have been hired, the Ravens will need to promote someone (Orr?) ... does that leave us anyone to target?
January 31st, 2024 at 6:40 PM ^
Maybe the guy who has had to do the heavy lifting of coaching the back end of that defense the last three years.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:49 PM ^
I'm not against Elston or Clink (or both), but it feels like everyday that they aren't announced it's less likely they're getting it. I could be wrong.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:52 PM ^
I think the opposite. On road recruiting. Maybe they know job is theirs and just waiting for contract to be worked out, vs no chatter at all of external DC interviews.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:13 PM ^
There’s definitely been chatter of some names under consideration on some of the pay sites.
Feels like interviews are underway and that potential candidates are also evaluating what options they may have in the NFL.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:46 AM ^
On the pay sites. So are they just rumors? Lists of names the "insiders" hope Moore targets? Or actual interviews taking place? Until there are actual interviews it's all just someone's wishlist.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:02 AM ^
There are almost certainly actual interviews and discussions taking place right now. To the extent there are certain people involved in the discussions there have been some names that have come out (which likely doesn't represent the full list of names involved).
January 31st, 2024 at 6:57 PM ^
Selfishly, I’d been kinda clinging to the idea that Elston and Clink were both elite position coach lifers who liked being at Michigan and were willing to embrace the revolving door at DC. After all, it’s been quite some time since either was a DC and they both spent exactly one year as a DC when they had the role.
This offseason seems to have firmly placed those notions in doubt.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:43 PM ^
I thought I read that Jim Leonard runs similar (though not exact). I cant remember where saw that though
January 31st, 2024 at 7:28 PM ^
Sherrone might want to watch his back if he went that route.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:16 PM ^
Is there a source on that? I’ve seen it claimed multiple times. I’ve also seen it debunked a few times as well.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:00 PM ^
Jim Leonhard does run a 3-4, which is as close as you’ll get to what we run personnel wise. He does switch up alignment and go 2-4-5 or 3-3-5 as his nickel, similar to what we run on the majority of plays. Alignment wise, it’s about as close as you can get to the Ravens style defense without the Real McCoy.
The biggest difference in my opinion would be personnel at the edge spots. If memory serves, Wisconsin typically had outside backers that were heavier and Michigan has preferred some athleticism at the spot, allowing for some positional versatility.
From a playcalling standpoint, it’s going to be about maintaining the complex zones and simulated pressure turning into players dropping into coverage. Something that would be fairly easily incorporated into what Leonhard is accustomed to running.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:03 PM ^
He comes from the Aranda tree which is what I just read (again) that I guess is similar to the Ravens
January 31st, 2024 at 8:16 PM ^
The Ravens D isnt really all that different from a generic 3-4 except for the fact that they really value positional versatility. Edge rushers who are linebackers or defensive ends. Rush the passer, set the edge, or drop into coverage.
Michigan’s defense for example is either a 3-4 or a 5-2, depending on how you want to classify the edge rushers. But because it’s the 2020s and virtually everyone runs a spread, we’re nearly always in nickel. Which means dropping a DT for a nickel corner, and lining up in a 2-4-5 or a 4-2-5, again depending on how you want to classify the edge rushers.
I don’t know enough about Aranda or Leonhard’s defenses to really make a comment on their man/zone preferences or their blitz setups and make that comparison, but it’s similar enough that Leonhard would be walking into a situation where he has the personnel to run his scheme and we have the staff (knock on wood) that can incorporate some of the concepts we’ve been using the past three years. It’s a seamless transition and you gain a DC with multiple years experience and top 10 defenses.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:22 PM ^
Thanks for the breakdown/info...sounds like it would be a pretty good match then. I know some want to stay in house but sometimes good to go outside a little to get a different perspective too
Edit:And just to add might be best to have someone with actual DC/play calling experience as well since have a 1st time true HC
January 31st, 2024 at 9:22 PM ^
That’s why my preference was Leonhard. Elston has experience in a 3-4 defense from his time at Notre Dame, as well as knowledge of our system from being on staff here the last two years. Paired with Clinkscale it could work out, but the lack of playcalling experience between the two with a rookie head coach would be concerning.
Especially with Moore’s background being on offense. Moore would be suited to help a first time offensive coordinator, but a rookie DC will be stuck learning on the fly by themselves.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:50 PM ^
Wink Martindale is currently unemployed. Was Minter and McDonald's boss, coached under Jack Harbaugh back in the day.
January 31st, 2024 at 8:00 PM ^
gotta have someone who has some college understanding..remember how McDonald struggled with tempo so much..esp against sparty
Wink has been in the NFL for 20 yrs..to long to move back to college
January 31st, 2024 at 8:51 PM ^
The Ravens have four defensive assistant coaches that are being interviewed for defensive coordinator positions.
Assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, inside linebackers coach Zachary Orr and defensive pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt are all candidates after interviewing for defensive coordinator positions with other NFL teams this offseason.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39429973/sources-seahawks-hire-ravens-dc-mike-macdonald-coach
February 9th, 2024 at 8:58 AM ^
Damn, looks like you have no idea what youre talking about now XD
February 1st, 2024 at 10:04 AM ^
I feel like you're better off trying to hire him as analyst if you go with Clinkscale and Elston. Which someone like him might be more amenable to for a year until he waits for an NFL team to hire him as DC.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:39 PM ^
Probably a smart move for him. BC is going to become more and more irrelevant as the ACC moves closer to the end of that GoR deal it has. BC, from a football perspective, is probably the least attractive job in the ACC. You’re in a city where really no one cares for college sports (at least not local college sports), and when this GoR runs out, BC is not going to find that good a dance partner that’ll be willing to take them. Honestly if you’re a BC student athlete and you’re not a hockey player, no one cares who you are.
If I’m Hafley I get out now while I can. That job becomes much less attractive by the year.
January 31st, 2024 at 6:43 PM ^
They had something going when O'Brien was there, essentially acting like B1G program grabbing and developing linemen from Ohio and playing a pretty pro-style offense. Then they made one of the worst firings (firing Jeff Jagodzinski for interviewing for the open Jets job) in recent memory and quickly became irrelevant.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:22 PM ^
The Jagodzinski saga was pretty crazy.
I wonder if that turned other potential coaches off of them as well.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:10 PM ^
Just hope they don't poach our team/players. Would love for them to scout OSU.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:20 PM ^
Honestly, I love that we won it all this year but hate what this is all becoming. Anyone trying to claim that it will still be "college" sports going forward is being naive, disingenuous or simply in denial.
I know many here (and around the college sport fanbase) don't mind the pay-to-play, the free agency, the "ain't come to play school" character, and the rampant monetization of everything. Personally... I'm nearing the point of checking out of the whole thing. Growing up a Michigan fan, having that reinforced by my time as a student there, and retaining that connection after my career took me far from there is what has been keeping me from pulling that trigger. Yet, if it is no longer the sport I fell in love with in my younger days... I don't know any longer.
Is anyone else struggling with this or am I just an old man yelling at clouds?
January 31st, 2024 at 7:28 PM ^
Not alone ... I share some of the same sentiments.
January 31st, 2024 at 7:29 PM ^
Is anyone else struggling with this or am I just an old man yelling at clouds?
Yes. And Yes! “Get Paid” is so tiresome. I know I’ll get negged for saying this, but players were compensated AND given a chance at the lottery as well. Graduating debt free is something most kids would love to experience. But that’s just “old school” talking!
January 31st, 2024 at 7:53 PM ^
Nobody says kids on academic scholarship can't get paid. Some of them at the bschool or law school make a lot of money being summer associates that they only can get because they're elite students of the University of Michigan. Why should football and basketball players be treated differently?
Students on full academic scholarship have absolutely no restrictions on transferring, why should students on athletic scholarships?
January 31st, 2024 at 7:55 PM ^
Yes. You've been sold a bunch of BS and bought it hook, line, and sinker. I encourage you to read James Duderstadt's book on college athletics. He does a great job outlining how football and basketball have always been cash cows and not really for the benefit of the student-athlete. Hell, sometimes, they weren't even students.