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Possible Candidates


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1 hour ago, Hilltopper said:

Great article.  

I know we're hiring a national search firm, but you've got to think LW, being a football guy, already has his short list of guys he's just salivating to talk to.  This has probably consumed his thinking over the last few years.  I'd be shocked were that not the case.

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The comments regarding the new coach are very short sighted.  Akron football is a business.  In business, there has to be contingency plans.  Contingency A, B, C, and D should be laid out on an annual basis.  If Larry does not have a list of potential hires ready to go, then he needs to go back to the Golden Dome and pray that Touchdown Jesus will rescue him and all of us Zip fans.  

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2 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

 

If this is the model that the University wants to pursue then I want to throw a name onto the candidate list. I would gauge the interest from Joe Harasymiak the current head coach at the University of Maine. He is one of the youngest coaches in all of Division 1 and has galvanized a program that had mediocre at best expectations and turned them into conference champions this year in what is likely the top conference in FCS football. Also, it cannot be as easy to recruit to Orono, Maine as it would be to get talent in the Akron program.

 

If looking for someone with a bit more seasoning but still proving to be a quality head coach at the FCS level after serving in many coaching capacities in the FBS we could take a look at Columbus-born Jeff Choate who is a bit of a throwback as a run to set up the pass (although he loves to confuse defenses with multiple formations) and play strong defense coach as the current head man at Montana State.

Just wanted to put those names out there to see what people think.

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10 hours ago, bigjim said:

The comments regarding the new coach are very short sighted.  Akron football is a business.  In business, there has to be contingency plans.  Contingency A, B, C, and D should be laid out on an annual basis.  If Larry does not have a list of potential hires ready to go, then he needs to go back to the Golden Dome and pray that Touchdown Jesus will rescue him and all of us Zip fans.  

 

Yes but you should also be prepared for the out-of-nowhere coaching candidates that might express an interest in the job after it is announced which is something you cannot plan for.

After Ianello was fired, I doubt anyone thought Bowden would end up as the next football coach of Akron.

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What's most important is making the right hire. If it takes us two weeks to find the best candidate and we lose out on a handful of recruits so be it. I'd rather that than for us to rush a decision and hire someone we'll have to fire in 3-4 years.

Edited by kreed5120
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6 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

What's most important is making the right hire. If it takes us two weeks to find the best candidate and we lose out on a handful of recruits so be it. I'd rather that than for us to rush a decision and hire someone we'll have to fire in 3-4 years.

 

Exactly.

 

I don't understand the notion that we need to hire someone as quickly as possible to save a recruiting class. The foundation of talent on this team is 10x better than what Bowden had when he was hired. The floor going forward should be 4-8, and that gives the new coach time to learn the University and put together an excellent recruiting pitch. Besides, football is a system-dominated sport. The right coach will win with lesser talent if his system is superior. Bowden had more talent than half the teams we played and lost to this season; his offense (ran by Milwee) blew. 

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17 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I realize I'm increasingly an "old fashioned guy", but I am not a fan of the whole search firm trend.   Old Larry is making in the area of $300K, has a staff, and many qualified folks would volunteer to help.  He should also be pretty well connected. 

I agree.  I don't know the ins & outs of how a national search firm works, but I'm assuming it largely has a lot to do with covering Larry's & UA's backside.  I'm sure Larry has already been in contact with his preferred candidates.  (Seriously, he's probably been in conversation with his preferred candidate(s) for over a year.  Not offering the job but just talking football & offering some hypothetical "winks.")  

 

Though, IIRC, the national search firm identified Bowden as a candidate 7 years ago.

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8 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

I agree.  I don't know the ins & outs of how a national search firm works, but I'm assuming it largely has a lot to do with covering Larry's & UA's backside.  I'm sure Larry has already been in contact with his preferred candidates.  (Seriously, he's probably been in conversation with his preferred candidate(s) for over a year.  Not offering the job but just talking football & offering some hypothetical "winks.")  

 

Though, IIRC, the national search firm identified Bowden as a candidate 7 years ago.

 

Can we get a partial refund since it didn't work out?

 

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32 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I realize I'm increasingly an "old fashioned guy", but I am not a fan of the whole search firm trend.   Old Larry is making in the area of $300K, has a staff, and many qualified folks would volunteer to help.  He should also be pretty well connected. 

They offer a service that probably involves extreme vetting that his staff doesn't have time or resources to do.  

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13 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

They offer a service that probably involves extreme vetting that his staff doesn't have time or resources to do.  

I get that, and I guess it is a worthwhile service in today's day and age.  My hope would be that a university with an athletic staff, law enforcement agency and staff attorneys could do some or much of this.

 

Here's an interesting article on search firms-

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-coach-search-firms-are-they-worth-the-money/

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13 hours ago, Hilltopper said:

I'm not a big fan of what kent thinks is the 'it factor'. In football we cannot recruit internationally like other UA sports. N/E Ohio is not the hotbed it used to be for football talent - families have been migrating out of here for decades. Agreed that the right person is out there - Fleck is abrasive, but I'd like someone like him - a young guy that works 18 hours a day with two things in mind - getting better every day and winning football games.        

Edited by UA1987
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17 minutes ago, UA1987 said:

I'm not a big fan of what kent thinks is the 'it factor'. In football we cannot recruit internationally like other UA sports. N/E Ohio is not the hotbed it used to be for football talent - families have been migrating out of here for decades. The right person is out there - Fleck is abrasive, but I'd like someone like him - a young guy that works 18 hours a day with two things in mind - getting better every day and winning football games.        

Bro...NE Ohio schools just won 5 out of the 7 state championships and were at least represented in all of them by one team except for lowly D7. Ohio is still a top 5 state for talent and I don't think there is any question that the majority of the talent is right here in NE Ohio.

Edited by LZIp
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4 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Bro...NE Ohio schools just won 5 out of the 7 state championships and were at least represented in all of them by one team except for lowly D7. Ohio is still a top 5 state for talent and I don't think there is any question that the majority of the talent is right here in NE Ohio.

Bro - ha ha ha that's funny - take a look at Cleveland - used to be a city of 1,000,000 now 300,000. Columbus is solid, but they don't call this area the rust belt for nothing.  

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