CC: Billy Donlon
No, I do not believe Billy Donlon is a serious candidate, but I think his case is an interesting one.
What would have happened if he stayed with Michigan for the last three years? I am guessing defensively, we would be in the similar spot we are in today. Perhaps not a top 3~5 defense (although not out of question), but probably at least top 10~15 defense. Which probably translates to similar results that we have had during that time.
Don't you think with that resume, including being a respected head coach at Wright State, wouldn't he have been a prime candidate for the job? It is not much of a stretch that he would be the head coach for the upcoming season in that scenario.
With hindsight, he made a very serious mistake leaving Michigan. Conversely, did we avoid a huge mistake?
I don't even know why I'm commenting on this and entertaining this idea. I guarantee you they aren't even considering Billy Donlon. There's no point in discussing this when it isn't going to happen and nor should it.
I guarantee you they are not considering him either. This is just a thought exercise on what would have happened if he had stayed instead of going to NW.
He was just hired by the University of Missouri at Kansas City. When he was available for EVERY other job available. He is slightly above Moser and WAY below the Yaklich line. Hiring him would be a fireable offense.
Perhaps you should read the post...
I read the post. You say he was a respected head coach at Wright State. He never finished above 3rd in the conference. He had two 20-win seasons along with two losing seasons. His best season, according to Bart Torvik, was his first season in which they were the 112th best team. What makes you think that his time at Wright State would make him more qualified over Yaklich?
The title of your post is CC: Billy Donlon. CC stands for coaching candidate last I knew. If you weren't suggesting him for the open coaching position, you should've titled your post differently.
You also state in your post that if he had stayed at Michigan we would've been worse than with Yaklich, but he would probably be hired based on his "respected" tenure at Wright St. Everything in your post is suggesting you think he is a candidate; just because you surround that opinion with fluff on if he made a bad decision leaving Michigan doesn't change how your post reads.
I see no reason to put Donlon above Moser. I'd say he's at least one tier below. Michigan shouldn't consider Moser, but St John's offered him. UMKC is close to the worst job in D1. I hope he does well enough there to move back up.
You're right, he shouldn't be above Moser in a coaching search, but neither should be real candidates for us.
But he went home to be with The All-Fours Floor Slapper. He can stay there.
Billy Donlon has a much better resume thank Yaklich
This is what got me started on this. I don't think Yaklich is going to get hired (I would not mind if he did), but if you gave Yaklich the same resume as Donlon, don't you think he would be the prime candidate?
NO
He was fired by Wright State before coming here. He just got another HC job, one of the worst in D1. That's about where he'd be if he stayed longer at Michigan, which wouldn't have fared as well if he had stayed.
The fact that donlon got hired at one of the worst schools in d1 with a resume superior to yaklich should tell you all you need to know about how ridiculous it is people are stumping for him.
i hope he stays on with the new coach but yak is a porter moser level bad hire
Donlon just left Northwestern to be the head coach at UMKC. We'll see how he does there but he's had past experience as a HC and it didn't go particularly well at Wright State, where he was basically a .500 coach. Northwestern didn't become a defensive monster while he was there. They were 90th his first year on Kenpom and 19th last year. (the two years prior they were 87th and 32nd).
That's fine, but Michigan turned in the 2nd and 3rd best defense on Kenpom under Yak which was far better than anything Donlon achieved basically ever. So this is below the Yak line for sure.
People don't appreciate the job Yak has done... ask yourself when an assistant coach has EVER done a such a VERIFIABLE job well done, as an assistant. There is risk, yes, especially after Simpson leaves... but at this point, unless one scores Donovan, Yaklich is the hire.
Donlon when he took an objectively bad defense the year before and made them a top 30 defensive unit in the country? Do people forget Donlon was the original defensive coordinator and started the turn around? Jesus christ people have short memories
Kenpom has Michigan’s defense ranked 69th in 2017.
we can do better
My new favorite candidate I saw online this morning: Gregg Marshall
Marshall can coach a little but how about we keep the screamers and yellers on somebody else's bench...and we do not need their wives making headlines either.
I'm guessing you sit during football games.
To me, all of these names being thrown around outside of the top-2/3 feel like a grab-bag candidate, and that point just promote from within. Like, does Billy Donlon's two CBI/CIT runs at Wright State and being a fine defensive assistant coach really matter all that much?
How was Northwestern's defense? This is a silly consideration.
You like the attention too?