Hire Paul Winters Now.

[Dave in Green]

FYI - I deleted Dave's post today where he reminisced about Hipsher.

Impossible. I spent a lot of money on a professional hypnotist to erase all memory of the Hipsher era from my mind.

[johnnyzip84]

I don't know as much about Winters as some of you. I've tried to research him as best I could. By all accounts he appears to be a good and decent man who has toiled long and hard to reach where he is this season. His connections to UA are undeniable. In many ways he makes an almost perfect candidate for those who have longed for a qualified head coach with strong UA ties.

From all I'm able to gather, I believe that he would make a good head coach for UA in that he could probably make UA competitive in the MAC within a couple of years.

My only concern is that I haven't seen anything to convince me that he would be likely to turn UA into a big winner in the MAC, or in a more competitive conference in the event that UA should ever make such a move.

I guess I look at Winters as the comfortable choice -- the guy who is likely to draw the least criticism on ZN.o if he's selected, and someone who could probably navigate the MAC well enough to keep the Zips from being an embarassment.

I just don't see the flash of potential greatness that I do in someone like Matt Campbell, who has risen quickly to prominence at a young age.

If Winters ends up being the choice, I hope I'm wrong and that all of the optimism from others is well-founded.

I'm inclined to agree with you, Dave. In fact, I think I already did

FYI - I deleted Dave's post today where he reminisced about Hipsher.

@ CK - you'll have nobody to blame but yourself if a certain song pops into your head again

@ Dave - I figured as much, but couldn't resist messing with you

[Dave in Green]

TIP: Paul Winters is NOT number one on the radar screen.

Someone else is. I know who. Do you?

FootballScoop.com, a much better source, says otherwise.

Correction: FootballScoop.com is not a "source," but a relay system. They get information from sources and relay the information. There's no guarantee that FootballScoop.com's source is better than GoZips' source. GoZips has provided some pretty accurate information on these forums. But I've yet to find anyone with 100% accurate sources.

[g-mann17]

Footballscoop is now hedging themselves saying "to be clear, we aren't saying this is a done deal".

[Dave in Green]

Footballscoop is now hedging themselves saying "to be clear, we aren't saying this is a done deal".

Almost as if they were monitoring ZN.o .....

[Zipsrifle]

I don't know as much about Winters as some of you. I've tried to research him as best I could. By all accounts he appears to be a good and decent man who has toiled long and hard to reach where he is this season. His connections to UA are undeniable. In many ways he makes an almost perfect candidate for those who have longed for a qualified head coach with strong UA ties.

From all I'm able to gather, I believe that he would make a good head coach for UA in that he could probably make UA competitive in the MAC within a couple of years.

My only concern is that I haven't seen anything to convince me that he would be likely to turn UA into a big winner in the MAC, or in a more competitive conference in the event that UA should ever make such a move.

I guess I look at Winters as the comfortable choice -- the guy who is likely to draw the least criticism on ZN.o if he's selected, and someone who could probably navigate the MAC well enough to keep the Zips from being an embarassment.

I just don't see the flash of potential greatness that I do in someone like Matt Campbell, who has risen quickly to prominence at a young age.

If Winters ends up being the choice, I hope I'm wrong and that all of the optimism from others is well-founded.

This is why Proenza had better put together a hell of a Search Committee to find the coach. F the opinion fans on ZNO, make the right hire and lets get this thing turned around.

[InTheZone]

I don't know as much about Winters as some of you. I've tried to research him as best I could. By all accounts he appears to be a good and decent man who has toiled long and hard to reach where he is this season. His connections to UA are undeniable. In many ways he makes an almost perfect candidate for those who have longed for a qualified head coach with strong UA ties.

From all I'm able to gather, I believe that he would make a good head coach for UA in that he could probably make UA competitive in the MAC within a couple of years.

My only concern is that I haven't seen anything to convince me that he would be likely to turn UA into a big winner in the MAC, or in a more competitive conference in the event that UA should ever make such a move.

I guess I look at Winters as the comfortable choice -- the guy who is likely to draw the least criticism on ZN.o if he's selected, and someone who could probably navigate the MAC well enough to keep the Zips from being an embarassment.

I just don't see the flash of potential greatness that I do in someone like Matt Campbell, who has risen quickly to prominence at a young age.

If Winters ends up being the choice, I hope I'm wrong and that all of the optimism from others is well-founded.

This is why Proenza had better put together a hell of a Search Committee to find the coach. F the opinion fans on ZNO, make the right hire and lets get this thing turned around.

Ummm..... no. This administration knows they have F'd the fans enough, and they are not going to make a hire such as Ianello again that may come out of a "process" but leaves everyone saying WTF and then places the blame squarely on them if and when he fails. If they all want to save their asses, they'll hire someone the fans and alumni are behind, which at this point can really only either be a big name or Paul Winters (Mike Johnson has alumni support too, but doesn't want the gig). If they go with a choice of the fans, everyone shares in the blame as a community when the guy fails. They go out on a limb, its squarely on their ass again, and they know they can't survive that.

[Dr Z]

If they go with a choice of the fans, everyone shares in the blame as a community when the guy fails. They go out on a limb, its squarely on their ass again, and they know they can't survive that.

How about hiring the best guy for the job??? That situation you describe sounds like that of a certain professional organization a few years back. Fans and players wanted Russ Grimm (or Wiz) to follow Cowher. Upper management decided they had a better hire. Visit the trophy room at Heinz field for the results.

[johnnyzip84]

Here is a good summary of how Wayne St was able to turn things around.

[hiroad1]

I don't know as much about Winters as some of you. I've tried to research him as best I could. By all accounts he appears to be a good and decent man who has toiled long and hard to reach where he is this season. His connections to UA are undeniable. In many ways he makes an almost perfect candidate for those who have longed for a qualified head coach with strong UA ties.

From all I'm able to gather, I believe that he would make a good head coach for UA in that he could probably make UA competitive in the MAC within a couple of years.

My only concern is that I haven't seen anything to convince me that he would be likely to turn UA into a big winner in the MAC, or in a more competitive conference in the event that UA should ever make such a move.

I guess I look at Winters as the comfortable choice -- the guy who is likely to draw the least criticism on ZN.o if he's selected, and someone who could probably navigate the MAC well enough to keep the Zips from being an embarassment.

I just don't see the flash of potential greatness that I do in someone like Matt Campbell, who has risen quickly to prominence at a young age.

If Winters ends up being the choice, I hope I'm wrong and that all of the optimism from others is well-founded.

This is why Proenza had better put together a hell of a Search Committee to find the coach. F the opinion fans on ZNO, make the right hire and lets get this thing turned around.

Ummm..... no. This administration knows they have F'd the fans enough, and they are not going to make a hire such as Ianello again that may come out of a "process" but leaves everyone saying WTF and then places the blame squarely on them if and when he fails. If they all want to save their asses, they'll hire someone the fans and alumni are behind, which at this point can really only either be a big name or Paul Winters (Mike Johnson has alumni support too, but doesn't want the gig). If they go with a choice of the fans, everyone shares in the blame as a community when the guy fails. They go out on a limb, its squarely on their ass again, and they know they can't survive that.

Come on.....

To make a decison because it is safe?

Absolutely the wrong approach! Those in the "administration" are paid to LEAD and make strategic decisions for this university.

Plus, I am not convinced it is anywhere near unanimous among alumni that they are insisting on an "Akron Man". I'm not.

I want the best coach available. That might be Winters, but I think there might be better people available.

I will be angry if I find UA did not make every effort to find the best person they can get. If a legitimate process leads to the hiring of Paul Winters, he will have my 100% support.

Anything less, and they will have people waiting to say "I told you so" if Winters isn't successful. How would that even be a "safe" approach for the administration?

[skip-zip]

I don't know as much about Winters as some of you. I've tried to research him as best I could. By all accounts he appears to be a good and decent man who has toiled long and hard to reach where he is this season. His connections to UA are undeniable. In many ways he makes an almost perfect candidate for those who have longed for a qualified head coach with strong UA ties.

From all I'm able to gather, I believe that he would make a good head coach for UA in that he could probably make UA competitive in the MAC within a couple of years.

My only concern is that I haven't seen anything to convince me that he would be likely to turn UA into a big winner in the MAC, or in a more competitive conference in the event that UA should ever make such a move.

I guess I look at Winters as the comfortable choice -- the guy who is likely to draw the least criticism on ZN.o if he's selected, and someone who could probably navigate the MAC well enough to keep the Zips from being an embarassment.

I just don't see the flash of potential greatness that I do in someone like Matt Campbell, who has risen quickly to prominence at a young age.

If Winters ends up being the choice, I hope I'm wrong and that all of the optimism from others is well-founded.

This is why Proenza had better put together a hell of a Search Committee to find the coach. F the opinion fans on ZNO, make the right hire and lets get this thing turned around.

Ummm..... no. This administration knows they have F'd the fans enough, and they are not going to make a hire such as Ianello again that may come out of a "process" but leaves everyone saying WTF and then places the blame squarely on them if and when he fails. If they all want to save their asses, they'll hire someone the fans and alumni are behind, which at this point can really only either be a big name or Paul Winters (Mike Johnson has alumni support too, but doesn't want the gig). If they go with a choice of the fans, everyone shares in the blame as a community when the guy fails. They go out on a limb, its squarely on their ass again, and they know they can't survive that.

Come on.....

To make a decison because it is safe?

Absolutely the wrong approach! Those in the "administration" are paid to LEAD and make strategic decisions for this university.

Plus, I am not convinced it is anywhere near unanimous among alumni that they are insisting on an "Akron Man". I'm not.

I want the best coach available. That might be Winters, but I think there might be better people available.

I will be angry if I find UA did not make every effort to find the best person they can get. If a legitimate process leads to the hiring of Paul Winters, he will have my 100% support.

Anything less, and they will have people waiting to say "I told you so" if Winters isn't successful. How would that even be a "safe" approach for the administration?

Good post. And they are indeed searching for the best people available. There are some great coaches out there. It all depends on whether they can get them to come to Akron.

[Blue & Gold]

I don't know as much about Winters as some of you. I've tried to research him as best I could. By all accounts he appears to be a good and decent man who has toiled long and hard to reach where he is this season. His connections to UA are undeniable. In many ways he makes an almost perfect candidate for those who have longed for a qualified head coach with strong UA ties.

From all I'm able to gather, I believe that he would make a good head coach for UA in that he could probably make UA competitive in the MAC within a couple of years.

My only concern is that I haven't seen anything to convince me that he would be likely to turn UA into a big winner in the MAC, or in a more competitive conference in the event that UA should ever make such a move.

I guess I look at Winters as the comfortable choice -- the guy who is likely to draw the least criticism on ZN.o if he's selected, and someone who could probably navigate the MAC well enough to keep the Zips from being an embarassment.

I just don't see the flash of potential greatness that I do in someone like Matt Campbell, who has risen quickly to prominence at a young age.

If Winters ends up being the choice, I hope I'm wrong and that all of the optimism from others is well-founded.

This is why Proenza had better put together a hell of a Search Committee to find the coach. F the opinion fans on ZNO, make the right hire and lets get this thing turned around.

Ummm..... no. This administration knows they have F'd the fans enough, and they are not going to make a hire such as Ianello again that may come out of a "process" but leaves everyone saying WTF and then places the blame squarely on them if and when he fails. If they all want to save their asses, they'll hire someone the fans and alumni are behind, which at this point can really only either be a big name or Paul Winters (Mike Johnson has alumni support too, but doesn't want the gig). If they go with a choice of the fans, everyone shares in the blame as a community when the guy fails. They go out on a limb, its squarely on their ass again, and they know they can't survive that.

Come on.....

To make a decison because it is safe?

Absolutely the wrong approach! Those in the "administration" are paid to LEAD and make strategic decisions for this university.

Plus, I am not convinced it is anywhere near unanimous among alumni that they are insisting on an "Akron Man". I'm not.

I want the best coach available. That might be Winters, but I think there might be better people available.

I will be angry if I find UA did not make every effort to find the best person they can get. If a legitimate process leads to the hiring of Paul Winters, he will have my 100% support.

Anything less, and they will have people waiting to say "I told you so" if Winters isn't successful. How would that even be a "safe" approach for the administration?

Good post. And they are indeed searching for the best people available. There are some great coaches out there. It all depends on whether they can get them to come to Akron.

Any updates on Matt Campbell. Right now I'm more excited over him than anyone.

[g-mann17]

Any updates on Matt Campbell. Right now I'm more excited over him than anyone.

Toledo Blade said all reports are that Campbell is next in line to take over Toledo.

[Lee Adams]

I see a lot of people saying Proenza/Wistrcill need to hire 'the best man for the job'. As has been the problem for the last 20+ years nobody seems to be able to define what the phrase 'the best man for the job' means. Lot of generalities being thrown around. Maybe its Winters. Maybe its Campbell. Maybe its ??? What we do know is the last coach who had a winning record at this school hasn't been here for a long time. Whoever the next coach is needs to rebuild a foundation for the entire program. He needs to be able to show current improvement on the field. In other words he needs to be able to 'coach up' players he inherits. Needs to build a recruiting base. Needs to TRY to reinvolve the community in the program. And on and on and on.

This problem isn't just the fault of coaches either. Its also the responsibility of a succession of AD's. Its the responsibility of others in the administration.

I fear that no matter who comes in here its still going to be a few more years before this team becomes consistently competetive in the MAC. That doesn't mean we shouldn't see improvment,it means they better get the 'right' guy this time.

[Dave in Green]

Here is a good summary of how Wayne St was able to turn things around.

Thanks for that link. There are some positive points in there that could work in DI and are needed at UA, such as:

Winters built a base by "building it the right way." He tore down a wall of doom by changing the mind-set of players, their friends and people in the administration. Wayne was viewed as a losing program. Winters did not want people around who felt that way.

He convinced recruits that the school was a hidden gem and wanted players willing to redshirt and wait their turn.

The one glaring negative in the story was this:

Now he's a hot commodity and is rumored to be a finalist for the University of Akron job. Winters says he has no intention of leaving Wayne State for that job.

Now you might expect any coach to say they aren't interested in leaving a school while they're in the middle of chasing a national championship. But you never really know what personal reasons someone might have for not wanting to take an opportunity that everyone else thinks they'd jump at.

Anyway, the mystery should be solved within the next few weeks.

[hiroad1]

Here is a good summary of how Wayne St was able to turn things around.

Thanks for that link. There are some positive points in there that could work in DI and are needed at UA, such as:

Winters built a base by "building it the right way." He tore down a wall of doom by changing the mind-set of players, their friends and people in the administration. Wayne was viewed as a losing program. Winters did not want people around who felt that way.

He convinced recruits that the school was a hidden gem and wanted players willing to redshirt and wait their turn.

The one glaring negative in the story was this:

Now he's a hot commodity and is rumored to be a finalist for the University of Akron job. Winters says he has no intention of leaving Wayne State for that job.

Now you might expect any coach to say they aren't interested in leaving a school while they're in the middle of chasing a national championship. But you never really know what personal reasons someone might have for not wanting to take an opportunity that everyone else thinks they'd jump at.

Anyway, the mystery should be solved within the next few weeks.

Regarding the "no intention of leaving".......

It is a pretty benign comment, and, as you point out, is pretty much what you'd expect of someone in the midst of a championship run with his current team.

Could also be that his agent has advised him to use those words to give him some leverage for negotiating salary during discussions with Akron.

[g-mann17]

Here is a good summary of how Wayne St was able to turn things around.

Thanks for that link. There are some positive points in there that could work in DI and are needed at UA, such as:

Winters built a base by "building it the right way." He tore down a wall of doom by changing the mind-set of players, their friends and people in the administration. Wayne was viewed as a losing program. Winters did not want people around who felt that way.

He convinced recruits that the school was a hidden gem and wanted players willing to redshirt and wait their turn.

The one glaring negative in the story was this:

Now he's a hot commodity and is rumored to be a finalist for the University of Akron job. Winters says he has no intention of leaving Wayne State for that job.

Now you might expect any coach to say they aren't interested in leaving a school while they're in the middle of chasing a national championship. But you never really know what personal reasons someone might have for not wanting to take an opportunity that everyone else thinks they'd jump at.

Anyway, the mystery should be solved within the next few weeks.

Regarding the "no intention of leaving".......

It is a pretty benign comment, and, as you point out, is pretty much what you'd expect of someone in the midst of a championship run with his current team.

Could also be that his agent has advised him to use those words to give him some leverage for negotiating salary during discussions with Akron.

Let's not forget he is competing for a National Championship and he is only a finalist for the job. If he says "can't wait to get home" that kind of ruins the morale of the players and if he gets passed over for Johnson or someone else he has less leverage with Wayne State for more money in his contract extension. Also it limits his ability to field offers from other schools like Toledo or Arkansas St.

[Doug Snyder]

Here is a good summary of how Wayne St was able to turn things around.

Thanks for that link. There are some positive points in there that could work in DI and are needed at UA, such as:

Winters built a base by "building it the right way." He tore down a wall of doom by changing the mind-set of players, their friends and people in the administration. Wayne was viewed as a losing program. Winters did not want people around who felt that way.

He convinced recruits that the school was a hidden gem and wanted players willing to redshirt and wait their turn.

The one glaring negative in the story was this:

Now he's a hot commodity and is rumored to be a finalist for the University of Akron job. Winters says he has no intention of leaving Wayne State for that job.

Now you might expect any coach to say they aren't interested in leaving a school while they're in the middle of chasing a national championship. But you never really know what personal reasons someone might have for not wanting to take an opportunity that everyone else thinks they'd jump at.

Anyway, the mystery should be solved within the next few weeks.

Regarding the "no intention of leaving".......

It is a pretty benign comment, and, as you point out, is pretty much what you'd expect of someone in the midst of a championship run with his current team.

Could also be that his agent has advised him to use those words to give him some leverage for negotiating salary during discussions with Akron.

Let's not forget he is competing for a National Championship and he is only a finalist for the job. If he says "can't wait to get home" that kind of ruins the morale of the players and if he gets passed over for Johnson or someone else he has less leverage with Wayne State for more money in his contract extension. Also it limits his ability to field offers from other schools like Toledo or Arkansas St.

+1

[Doug Snyder]

@ IntheZone

I have a question and want your insight. It appears most of the HC positions are getting filled rather quickly. I believe that most ADs have a list in mind when they pull the trigger on termination. They go through the national search looking for better than the list they have but...they have a plan in mind. I would if I were replacing a guy in the private sector. That said...it seems we are taking a very long time. I could understand that if we are getting turned down a lot and had to move down the list. That does not appear to be the case. The only other reason for the long process is one of the key candidates is in a playoff and unable to speak with them. A D1 bowl would not be an obstacle so a D1 assistant should not be the hang up. That would lead me to believe that Paul Winters is the leading candidate. If you thought Campbell was the #1 guy...I don't think you would wait and risk that Beckman getting hired by someone giving Campbell more options. Maybe Campbell was there guy all along and he wanted to wait and see if this scenario played out??

Is there any other reason Akron would take such a long time to make a hire?? I don't think the interview process is a hang-up for Paul as he has gone through that process 2 years ago. Do you think he wants the job??

[InTheZone]

I still have an active relationship with Coach Winters, and I can say this with certainty: Coach Winters absolutely positively 100 percent wants this job. After Owens was fired in '03 he campaigned HARD for it, interviewed, but Mike Thomas was set on going outside the program (which set the program back in my opinion, as we would've had MAC titles in '04 and '05 with Winters at the helm, and would've avoided the recruiting diasters of a man who didn't know how to recruit for this level, but that's a topic for another day). He went hard after it again in '09 when Ianello was hired. Some of you may think that maybe after two rejections he became bitter and doesn't want the job anymore, but that's just not the case. He understood that though he had started from scratch with one of the worst programs in America, he was still coming off a 6-5 record at a D2 school and hadn't accomplished what he wanted to accomplish at WSU. He's obviously in a much better position this year to be a much more attractive candidate. Coach Winters loves Akron, wants this program to be elite, and, even with the state of the program now, there is no job in the country he would rather have. There is no other candidate in this process that we could say that about. This guy bleeds Blue and Gold, and it came across every single day in practice when he was my OC.

Others have adequately explained his recent denial that he's coming here.. He wants the job, but he also wants a National Championship, and he has to kill any speculation that distracts his team from that goal until it is achieved. TW is waiting on him to finish out his season, and he will then be our next head football coach. Take it to the bank.

[Doug Snyder]

I still have an active relationship with Coach Winters, and I can say this with certainty: Coach Winters absolutely positively 100 percent wants this job. After Owens was fired in '03 he campaigned HARD for it, interviewed, but Mike Thomas was set on going outside the program (which set the program back in my opinion, as we would've had MAC titles in '04 and '05 with Winters at the helm, and would've avoided the recruiting diasters of a man who didn't know how to recruit for this level, but that's a topic for another day). He went hard after it again in '09 when Ianello was hired. Some of you may think that maybe after two rejections he became bitter and doesn't want the job anymore, but that's just not the case. He understood that though he had started from scratch with one of the worst programs in America, he was still coming off a 6-5 record at a D2 school and hadn't accomplished what he wanted to accomplish at WSU. He's obviously in a much better position this year to be a much more attractive candidate. Coach Winters loves Akron, wants this program to be elite, and, even with the state of the program now, there is no job in the country he would rather have. There is no other candidate in this process that we could say that about. This guy bleeds Blue and Gold, and it came across every single day in practice when he was my OC.

Others have adequately explained his recent denial that he's coming here.. He wants the job, but he also wants a National Championship, and he has to kill any speculation that distracts his team from that goal until it is achieved. TW is waiting on him to finish out his season, and he will then be our next head football coach. Take it to the bank.

I believe you are correct. There is no other reason this should take this long. I was never in Paul's corner before....I just believe it is his time. And now I want someone who bleeds blue and gold.

Give TW a break. This was his first hire. I believe he learned from the process.

[Roo2]

InTheZone, I'm very glad to hear he still "bleeds Blue and Gold." That was one of the main points I made to TW in an email I sent him. That the new head coach, no matter who it is, has to feel the same pride and passion for Akron that I do. He stated in his reply that he completely agreed and that was an important factor in the evaluation process. It really seems like Winters is the guy.

[Dave in Green]

@ITZ, your last post has convinced me that Winters has even more special qualities than what he's been showing at Wayne State. If UA really means that much to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he has a clause related to being released from his WSU contract should he ever be offered the HC position at UA. My enthusiasm is building.

[xu9697]

Yeah..ITZ had a great post there. But I do hope they are doing their due diligence in actually INTERVIEWING other candidates.

Even though it delays our hire another week...I hope Winters and Wayne State get that championship. For him, for the chance to SEE them in the game (and begin scouting him), for those players that believed and for what it will look like on the resume if he is the hire. Certainly might resonate with more of the skeptics (ZNO or NON-ZNO) to get the DII National Champ coach.

[g-mann17]

Yeah..ITZ had a great post there. But I do hope they are doing their due diligence in actually INTERVIEWING other candidates.

Even though it delays our hire another week...I hope Winters and Wayne State get that championship. For him, for the chance to SEE them in the game (and begin scouting him), for those players that believed and for what it will look like on the resume if he is the hire. Certainly might resonate with more of the skeptics (ZNO or NON-ZNO) to get the DII National Champ coach.

What I have noticed is that most names actually mentioned for interviews (not speculated by us) have had strong Akron ties.

Tressel - GA and alumnus

Moorhead - OC during our best time

Johnson - QB and alumnus

Winters - OC during our upswing, RB and alumnus

Campbell has area ties being from Massillon and attending Mount Union. But We know 3 of these five were interviewed and one offered the job.

I think Porter and Dambrot (along with Tressel) all pointed out the importance of being tied to the school. Look at the last hire that TW mad. Rembielek(sp?) has very strong ties to Akron. Porter is the exception to the rule, but he kind of fell in love with the place so he has quite a bit of loyalty now. Loyalty breeds passion and passion is what you need to succeed at anything.