Its Weist, per ESPN

[CL82]

You know this is a good call based on energy alone. I have a healthy skepticism about how much can be done to salvage this season, but I like giving TJ a shot at it.

 

[FluxTZ]

Full release:

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/093013aab.html

 

[jostar1]

I know there's been a lot of Warde-bashing on here, but you have to think it's possible he brought Weist in here for a reason...........

After graduating from Michigan, Manuel was coordinator of the university's Wade H. McCree, Jr., Incentive Scholars Program from June 1990 to August 1993.

Weist was also on the staff at Michigan (1990-93).

 

[freescooter]

Let's not get too committed to this guy. I agree with bl that in some sense it makes sense, but in other ways it really doesn't. Here's a guy who is the offensive coordinator for a team that is 0-4, has one of the worst rushing attacks in college football, might even be the worst at this point, has a quarterback controversy waiting to happen, and a team that might or might not be too far gone to ever recover. There clearly are issues on the offensive line. The backup at one tackle spot is, for the position, tiny, and his backup has mostly worked out on the left side.

I have a real fear that Pasqualoni, for all his talk about prototype players, missed badly on offensive linemen. And while I am of the school that you can develop guys to play that position, you need a couple of years to do it successfully and we've missed a year and a half during George DeLeone's reign of errors. It is also not that easy for a team to just turn it on and off. I think this is what it is, a tempory solution to a difficult problem. I hope we turn it around and go 8-0, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[sportsart]

After graduating from Michigan, Manuel was coordinator of the university's Wade H. McCree, Jr., Incentive Scholars Program from June 1990 to August 1993.

Weist was also on the staff at Michigan (1990-93).

I think this speaks volumes. I believe the permanent job is Weist's to lose. If he can go 4-4 I think it gives him a strong shot.

 

[UConn Dan]

I think this speaks volumes. I believe the permanent job is Weist's to lose. If he can go 4-4 I think it gives him a strong shot.

I'm thinking 6-2 is a guarantee, 5-3 is a strongly consider, 4-4 is a mild consideration and anything less is NEXT!

 

[junglehusky]

‏@UConnFB_Andrew
@NoEscalators Weist has run zone blocking almost his whole career and they've been running both man and zone this year. Scheme will remain.

 

[freescooter]

I think this speaks volumes. I believe the permanent job is Weist's to lose. If he can go 4-4 I think it gives him a strong shot.

I doubt it. After watching how Manuel handled the other coaching changes I think it is pretty unlikely. Hockey coach had the most successful team in over a decade and didn't get rehired, for example. As I said above, this is a short term solution to get us through to December. I, at least, am hopeful that Warde is already reaching out to serious candidates. What pray tell in Weist's performance to date makes you think he is the man? Our worst in the nation rushing game? Our oline that has given up almost 5 sacks per game? An overall anemic offense? We'll see what he can do, but my guess is that he's going to have to be much better than 4-4 to get the permanent gig. I do think that Warde is insecure enough to want to have his guy at the helm, but he isn't going to give the job to Weist unless he is wildly successful. He's not looking to commit career suicide, and if the next head football coach doesn't deliver, he is cooked along with the coach.

 

[sportsart]

Let me just say Weist as interim HC is going over very well amongst all people associated with the program.

 

[freescooter]

Let me just say Weist as interim HC is going over very well amongst all people associated with the program.

I don't doubt it. But let me just ask, don't you think pretty much anyone not named paul Pasqualoni would have gone over well at this point? I do.

 

[sportsart]

I don't doubt it. But let me just ask, don't you think pretty much anyone not named paul Pasqualoni would have gone over well at this point? I do.

There's relief and "OK I respect this new coach so I'll play for him" and there's "I love this new coach and I'll run through walls for him"

I get the impression Weist is a "I'll run through walls for him" kinda coach.

 

[Uconnalliance]

Why would Warde have hired him if his intention wasn't to move him to head coach at some point? He must of seen what was coming no? good connections in the Ohio valley?

 

[Carl Spackler]

There's relief and "OK I respect this new coach so I'll play for him" and there's "I love this new coach and I'll run through walls for him"

I get the impression Weist is a "I'll run through walls for him" kinda coach.

You got to know what it's like to lose AND win to get that art - you know this!! I like what's happening. You know I do. The excitement is real, and it's everywhere.

They still need to get out on the field and win before anybody's running through walls, and they need to get their grades right, their heads right, and their practices over the next 2 weeks right.

It will be nice though,come Oct 12, from my perspective, to get out there, and for the first time in a long time, not have the angst of not really knowing, whether or not our players really want to be out on that field doing what they love, or if they are out their going through the motions because they have to.

 

[sportsart]

You got to know what it's like to lose AND win to get that art - you know this!! I like what's happening. You know I do. The excitement is real, and it's everywhere.

They still need to get out on the field and win before anybody's running through walls, and they need to get their grades right, their heads right, and their practices over the next 2 weeks right.

It will be nice though,come Oct 12, from my perspective, to get out there, and for the first time in a long time, not have the angst of not really knowing, whether or not our players really want to be out on that field doing what they love, or if they are out their going through the motions because they have to.

I would be shocked if the emotion, at least for the remaining home games, is not through the roof. With Weist's intensity level, and the players knowing they need to prove they were not the problem, I think we see a different team.

It may take them a few weeks to get in a groove, but I believe by the UL game they will be ready for their new "A" game. A tough 3 game (I think) road trip before UL will test them in a big way

 

[jostar1]

Story from Jan. 22 when he was named offensive coordinator :

Now Weist finds himself as a top assistant at a Division I program, perhaps one step away from becoming a head football coach after 25 seasons in the business.
"It's always your goal to become a head coach," he said. "That's the next goal and it's a big step. If you are a coordinator, you have to win, have success, then hope for the opportunity to make the move."

http://www.mlive.com/sports/bay-city/index.ssf/2013/01/bay_city_background_help_drive.html

 

[Carl Spackler]

I would be shocked if the emotion, at least for the remaining home games, is not through the roof. With Weist's intensity level, and the players knowing they need to prove they were not the problem, I think we see a different team.

It may take them a few weeks to get in a groove, but I believe by the UL game they will be ready for their new "A" game. A tough 3 game (I think) road trip before UL will test them in a big way

You got that right. It's got to go one day at a time. One step at a time though. people think I'm insane around here, because I constantly come up with the things I do, but I believe that things do happen for a reason, and I see huge positives in this season going forward. Because we do only have one home game in the next several weeks.

There is no place that team can bond, like on the road.

 

[Uconnalliance]

The Rent is gonna explode on the 12th the atmosphere is gonna be electric people will be smiling again because the future just got a tad brighter,god I feel like someone just fired my boss! Lol

 

[metsfan2323]

The best thing that can happen for the program would be for Weist to win and get the job. Warde obviously hired TJ because he got good feedback on him and now we hear through the grapevine that the players love him. I'm having Ollie De Ja Vu.

Go TJ and Go UCONN! I can't wait for 10/12.

 

[freescooter]

Why would Warde have hired him if his intention wasn't to move him to head coach at some point? He must of seen what was coming no? good connections in the Ohio valley?

The problem with that view is that it suggests that Warde is either gutless, slimey or inept. Gutless if he knew he would need to make a change but didn't last season, inept if he didn't think it would be necessary to make a change this year, or perhaps even worse, he intentionally undercut his head coach to promote his buddy. None of those things represent what I want in a head coach or AD.

 

[Uconnalliance]

The problem with that view is that it suggests that Warde is either gutless, slimey or inept. Gutless if he knew he would need to make a change but didn't last season, inept if he didn't think it would be necessary to make a change this year, or perhaps even worse, he intentionally undercut his head coach to promote his buddy. None of those things represent what I want in a head coach or AD.

Or maybe he quietly prepared without anyone knowing? Hmmmmmm

 

[metsfan2323]

The problem with that view is that it suggests that Warde is either gutless, slimey or inept. Gutless if he knew he would need to make a change but didn't last season, inept if he didn't think it would be necessary to make a change this year, or perhaps even worse, he intentionally undercut his head coach to promote his buddy. None of those things represent what I want in a head coach or AD.

You are not going to do this again are you? You didn't learn from last year?

 

[junglehusky]

I've asked this before and I'll ask it again - wasn't it the HC (PP) who hired Weist? Do we know if WM suggested PP hire Weist, demanded it, "made it clear" that he should hire Weist, etc?

 

[FAIRTIDES]

He's in his late 40's, man... Guy isn't dead yet! Haha

BizLaw, have you ever done civil litigation? I want to sue the BY for Age Discrimination and Ageism. Should be easy. The members self-document.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Winning is only part of the equation. The team needs to play like the Michigan every game. That in and of itself is progress for UConn at this time.

To guarantee the job, Weist needs to come close to running the table in the America, including pulling another ‘Michigan’ type game against Louisville, which is a better team than the Wolverines. Otherwise, look for Warde to try and put ‘his’ name on the program with a big hire towards the end of 2013. He has to.

 

[freescooter]

You are not going to do this again are you? You didn't learn from last year?

I don't like an Athletic director undercutting his head coach. That is essentially what you're suggesting. I don't think that's what happened for what its worth. If Warde believed Pasqualoni was not going to get it done, he should have fired him in December. The only legitimate reason to bring the guy back was because you think he can turn things around. You're suggesting that A. he didn't think P could turn the ship around but brought him back anyway; and B. he brought Weist in to take over when P failed. That is pretty damning on Manuel, in my opinion and I seriously doubt that is what happened. If it did, he ought to be terminated immediately for both incompetence and acting in a totally unprofessional manner. In my view, a much more likely scenario was that he thought P at least had a shot at making progress this season and thus deserved year 3. He might have suggested Weist, but with virtually the whole word knowing Pasqualoni was on a short lease, it is as likely that P took who he could get and there weren't thousands of big name OCs lining up for what would be at best a highly risky voyage aboard the SS UConn this year. That things went worse than anyone could have imagined is just a coincidence.

You know it isn't like Weist was some hot commodity as a coordinator at a major program. He was the receiver coach at Cincinnati. He has clearly helped the receivers at UConn. But I would argue that the jury is still out on the overall offense, being that it is ranked in the bottom 10 or so in Division 1. I don't believe for a minute you can blame that entirely on George DeLeone. He was a contributor, no doubt, but he didn't do it all.