New Head Coach Search - 2021 Edition

[Football grandma]

I want a coach that thinks out of the box and comes up with a fake punt/toss like LSU just pulled on Alabama! 😄

[John Ward]

7 hours ago, zipsoutsider said:

Some really good thoughts in here. I don't see how we are pursuing the best possible candidates if we are not including some quality black coaches. And by some, I mean more than one.

 

If Dino Babers gets let go by 'Cuse, I would love to see him run the program.

That would be a really good hire.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Mike Johnson still interested in coaching?

[LoyalZIP]

Babers is a fun name, but he didn’t recruit worth a damn at BG in his time there. He was blessed with a QB and roster the Clawson left them with and he continued the winning. That one’s a no from me. I wouldn’t hate it, but I would not be excited about it at all. 

[Zipped Up]

11 hours ago, GP1 said:

I'd like to replace the word feature with dynamic. 

 

For instance, maybe a black head coach has a different type of dynamic with a player like Dollard and is able to guide the kid better. We have failed at guiding at risk kids down the right path too many times to count and we immediately run down an unproductive path that leads to the likes of Ianello or Arth. Maybe we should stop trying to change the players and start changing how coaches interact with the kids.  At risk kids want discipline and order. We just need someone better capable of providing it in a way the kids can relate 

So Tom Arth goes to a JUCO and provides Dollard with an FBS college scholarship and the kid earns a starting role. When he gets arrested the first time, does Arth kick him off the team? No, he lets him remain on the team while he works his way back through the University’s disciplinary protocols. All the while Arth praises Dollard for doing the right things so he can return and petitions the disciplinary board for his return. After 8 months in limbo and a semester plus summer session work in the classroom, Dollard returns for one day of practice and goes down to Kent and fucks up again. Finally, Arth kicks him off the team right?  Wrong, most likely he would have kept him but GUTHRIE dismissed him. 
 

And this is Arth’s failure to guide him down the right path?  I am in favor of removing Arth or any coach based on his won-loss record but his only failure with Dollard was not his “interaction” with the kid (re: support at every turn), but not having the balls to kick him off the team instead of the AD!

IMO, the next hire will be a minority, I just hope it’s based on the individual’s coaching success ie. a David Shaw or Mel Tucker and not the belief that only a black coach can guide at risk kids down the right path.

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Zipped Up

[Steve1982]

11 hours ago, GP1 said:

I'd like to replace the word feature with dynamic. 

 

For instance, maybe a black head coach has a different type of dynamic with a player like Dollard and is able to guide the kid better. We have failed at guiding at risk kids down the right path too many times to count and we immediately run down an unproductive path that leads to the likes of Ianello or Arth. Maybe we should stop trying to change the players and start changing how coaches interact with the kids.  At risk kids want discipline and order. We just need someone better capable of providing it in a way the kids can relate or well end up with another DIII team. 

 

I could go on all day about the recruiting benefits of a black coach at Akron so I won't. 

 

Want the University to be a center piece in a Midwest city that is over 30% black?  Make one of the most visible employees more relatable to the overall community. Everything has to work together. 

Looking at your wants and the list of potential candidates I believe Lavar Woods is the guy. If kids want discipline and order they would certainly get that.

[Z.I.P.]

Here's an interesting article with some possible names (50 top position coaches).  Looking at Marquell Blackwell, Houston.

 

https://www.on3.com/news/50-rising-star-position-coaches-2021-college-football-season/

[GP1]

8 hours ago, Zipped Up said:

So Tom Arth goes to a JUCO and provides Dollard with an FBS college scholarship and the kid earns a starting role. When he gets arrested the first time, does Arth kick him off the team? No, he lets him remain on the team while he works his way back through the University’s disciplinary protocols. All the while Arth praises Dollard for doing the right things so he can return and petitions the disciplinary board for his return. After 8 months in limbo and a semester plus summer session work in the classroom, Dollard returns for one day of practice and goes down to Kent and fucks up again. Finally, Arth kicks him off the team right?  Wrong, most likely he would have kept him but GUTHRIE dismissed him. 
 

And this is Arth’s failure to guide him down the right path?  I am in favor of removing Arth or any coach based on his won-loss record but his only failure with Dollard was not his “interaction” with the kid (re: support at every turn), but not having the balls to kick him off the team instead of the AD!

IMO, the next hire will be a minority, I just hope it’s based on the individual’s coaching success ie. a David Shaw or Mel Tucker and not the belief that only a black coach can guide at risk kids down the right path.

 

Actual coaching is the most overrated thing in college football. Recruiting makes average coaches look good. It's all the other stuff that matters.  Mel Tucker added 20 transfers to a halfway decent roster already during the off season and 14 of those were P5 transfers. His genius isn't on field coaching proven by yesterday's results. Purdue is not a very good team  It is getting good players or better known as recruiting.

 

Dollard was a problem coming in the door. Would different dynamics around him have produced different results?  Like I said, maybe. 

 

Success comes from evaluations and recruiting. We need a coach who can connect with really good players on a personal level. Akron can't afford a bunch of guys who just recruit like the big schools do. We need a guy who can grind it out on a daily basis in living rooms, prioritize time with the best opportunities and make the connections necessary to get good players. 

[GP1]

9 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Mike Johnson still interested in coaching?

I would like to think so since he is coaching. Is the pay increase from the Owls the the Zips worth a move from Boca Raton to Akron?

[Football grandma]

So the bottom line in the hunt for a coach is this; does the new coach recruit scholar/athletes that enhance the academic stature of Akron to the majority of perspective enrollees, but not necessarily create the top 10 football program many of you want? Or, does he recruit the best players he can find regardless of the players academic ability, socially acceptable behavior, and discipline record? In so doing, lessening Akron's academic credibility, inviting possible criminal activity to campus/city, and creating a less safe environment for all students/faculty. If you choose option 2, be prepared to accept the consequences; a draw for football players, but hardly anyone else. It's a rare coach that can successfully marriage the two options. They're out there, but would they be available or even want to come to Akron? Most likely they are paid handsomely to stay at the top 10 colleges/universities. Just a grandma's thoughts.

[GP1]

35 minutes ago, Football grandma said:

So the bottom line in the hunt for a coach is this; does the new coach recruit scholar/athletes that enhance the academic stature of Akron to the majority of perspective enrollees, but not necessarily create the top 10 football program many of you want? Or, does he recruit the best players he can find regardless of the players academic ability, socially acceptable behavior, and discipline record? In so doing, lessening Akron's academic credibility, inviting possible criminal activity to campus/city, and creating a less safe environment for all students/faculty. If you choose option 2, be prepared to accept the consequences; a draw for football players, but hardly anyone else. It's a rare coach that can successfully marriage the two options. They're out there, but would they be available or even want to come to Akron? Most likely they are paid handsomely to stay at the top 10 colleges/universities. Just a grandma's thoughts.

I choose neither. I'd like a coach that can evaluate on the field talent that can graduate from Akron and get the best of those players to sign up with Akron, win on the field and get a degree even at the lowest possible GPA for some. 

 

I don't want saints who stink but allow the misguided to wax on about the good old days when there really were "student athletes" all the while the team is winning 3 games a year. I also don't want criminals who fall out leading to 3 win seasons. Somewhere in the middle is a huge pool of potential that can win a mac championship. I also understand that somewhere in between is an at risk kids(s) that a coach has to be able to keep from falling out of line. 

 

Ideally I would like a team of saints that can win the Mac. Unfortunately, that is not possible. 

[Football grandma]

7 hours ago, GP1 said:

Somewhere in the middle is a huge pool of potential that can win a mac championship. I also understand that somewhere in between is an at risk kids(s) that a coach has to be able to keep from falling out of line. 

 

Right you are, sir! That is the third option implied. The "marriage."  That should be foremost in hunting for a new coach because it's a win/win for the football program and the university. Those coaches aren't normally unemployed! Maybe the next choice would be to find an assistant coach that has worked under a rare one and buys into the marriage philosophy 100%.  I can't help but think of the Rooney family and the Steelers. "We don't care how good you are. You don't create problems for our organization or embarrass our city. If you do, you're gone." The players and the fans respect that approach. 

[GP1]

1 hour ago, Football grandma said:

That should be foremost in hunting for a new coach because it's a win/win for the football program and the university. 

It's also a win for society to take an at risk kid, bring him along and have him graduate. This is partly why we should expect out of taxpayer funded universities. 

 

MAC football programs should benefit the athletes, students, alumni, fans and general communities where they are. 

[Captain Kangaroo]

Every MAC champion football team in memory has been  a clean, respectable group. No Barry Sweitzers or Jimmy Johnson’s. It shouldn’t be too outlandish to expect it could happen in Akron too. 

[GP1]

7 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Every MAC champion football team in memory has been  a clean, respectable group.

A lot of last place finishers have been also. 

 

Since we never really know what happens behind closed doors we never know how many at risk kids were helped by a coach who could reach that kid on a level that guided him in the right direction. I'd bet a lot of money every MAC Champion had 2-3 that benefited from a coach like that. When you're holding a trophy above your head, nobody examines this aspect of a team. They are fantastic human interest stories that highlight the way state universities benefit the athletes, students, alumni, fans are general communities where they are.

[clarkwgriswold]

I'm in the process of reading an article about Keith Dambrot and his challenges at Duquesne this year and he made a point that I think is very applicable to UA football and all of the talk we've heard about the "culture":

 

“Let’s be clear on one thing: You can have great culture and if you have bad players, you’re getting your (butt) kicked. And if you have good players and bad culture, you’re getting your (butt) kicked.”

[Spin]

21 hours ago, GP1 said:

I choose neither. I'd like a coach that can evaluate on the field talent that can graduate from Akron and get the best of those players to sign up with Akron, win on the field and get a degree even at the lowest possible GPA for some. 

 

I don't want saints who stink but allow the misguided to wax on about the good old days when there really were "student athletes" all the while the team is winning 3 games a year. I also don't want criminals who fall out leading to 3 win seasons. Somewhere in the middle is a huge pool of potential that can win a mac championship. I also understand that somewhere in between is an at risk kids(s) that a coach has to be able to keep from falling out of line. 

 

Ideally I would like a team of saints that can win the Mac. Unfortunately, that is not possible. 

 

If I were AD, at this point I would want players who can put the football team on the map. You do that by winning games, winning conference games, winning records in the MAC, and eventually winning games against famous P5 programs. That is the only thing that will put Akron on the map in Ohio State's shadow. 

 

If (and that's a big IF) that were established, butts in the stands, football fans flipping over to Zips football on the tube, THEN we can aspire to Notre Dame GPA numbers. But nobody is tuning in to CWRU football to see who the brightest football player is.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Spin

[John Ward]

On 11/7/2021 at 6:48 AM, GP1 said:

Actual coaching is the most overrated thing in college football. Recruiting makes average coaches look good. It's all the other stuff that matters.  Mel Tucker added 20 transfers to a halfway decent roster already during the off season and 14 of those were P5 transfers. His genius isn't on field coaching proven by yesterday's results. Purdue is not a very good team  It is getting good players or better known as recruiting.

 

Dollard was a problem coming in the door. Would different dynamics around him have produced different results?  Like I said, maybe. 

 

Success comes from evaluations and recruiting. We need a coach who can connect with really good players on a personal level. Akron can't afford a bunch of guys who just recruit like the big schools do. We need a guy who can grind it out on a daily basis in living rooms, prioritize time with the best opportunities and make the connections necessary to get good players. 

Back to what I have been saying. We did and have not used the transfer portal. Mich St did use it and look what happened. Running to a JUCO and getting problem children aint the answer.

[zipsoutsider]

9 minutes ago, John Ward said:

Back to what I have been saying. We did and have not used the transfer portal. Mich St did use it and look what happened. Running to a JUCO and getting problem children aint the answer.

ULM used it and went from 0-10 to four wins in year one of a rebuild. It can be done. 

 

No known discipline issues have followed, FYI.

 

By the standards I have seen floated around here, we would not have had Jojo Natson, arguably one of the most exciting Zips to watch in recent history, and a guy who now wears a SB ring.

 

I absolutely believe in second chances. 

[GP1]

1 hour ago, Spin said:

If (and that's a big IF) that were established, butts in the stands, football fans flipping over to Zips football on the tube, THEN we can aspire to Notre Dame GPA numbers.

Ohio State doesn't aspire to ND grade points.

 

I know a 29 year old guy who graduated from the Naval Academy and played football. He'll admit the football players are the dumbest guys on campus and endlessly on the verge of flunking out. He was the smartest kid at his high school and got an A in calculus 2 in 12th grade. Took entry level calculus at the Academy thinking he would get an easy pass and got a C minus. Barely got a D plus to pass chemistry. Navy has been good at football the past 10 years and nobody cares about grades. 

[clarkwgriswold]

11 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said:

ULM used it and went from 0-10 to four wins in year one of a rebuild. It can be done. 

 

No known discipline issues have followed, FYI.

 

By the standards I have seen floated around here, we would not have had Jojo Natson, arguably one of the most exciting Zips to watch in recent history, and a guy who now wears a SB ring.

 

I absolutely believe in second chances. 

 

You certainly don't want to bring in a kid whose history demonstrates will be a problem.  However, if you bring in altar boys and stress character in the program aren't you essentially preaching to the choir?  Don't bring on obvious headcases and criminals but they shouldn't hesitate to give a kid a chance who doesn't fit into their ideal character profile and who might most benefit from the character lessons the program can bring.

[Spin]

30 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Ohio State doesn't aspire to ND grade points.

 

Point is Ohio State bit it taking a chance on highly talented players with a past (Maurice Claurett). We saw the Browns dump Odell. Sometimes the kid can clean it up and see the big picture. Sometimes not. But their fans are having a hell of a lot more fun than we are.

 

I'm not saying go full Al Davis/Oakland Raiders, but OTOH Case isn't exactly selling out. 

[Gozips7]

Jim Fleming former Akron DC current HC at Rhode Island would be a great HC 

[Blue & Gold]

3 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I'm in the process of reading an article about Keith Dambrot and his challenges at Duquesne this year and he made a point that I think is very applicable to UA football and all of the talk we've heard about the "culture":

 

“Let’s be clear on one thing: You can have great culture and if you have bad players, you’re getting your (butt) kicked. And if you have good players and bad culture, you’re getting your (butt) kicked.”

I almost posted that very quote. 😂

[Football grandma]

You'll never soar with the eagles if you're content to walk with the turkeys. A coach creates a culture that has the team wanting to soar with the eagles. A little Class A school (less than 1000 K-12) in PA has won multiple state championships. Why? Not because it always has the best players in the conference, but because the coaches tell the turkeys they can soar with hard work, discipline, and unity.