Who's your list for next HC?

[UConnJim]

I do not get this at all. Perhaps in our minds we “assumed” that we were “set up” because we had gotten “bigger and stronger”. We just were easily beaten by an FCS team at home after being embarrassed in a display of epic offensive and defensive futility in week 1. So while hope springs eternal preseason, I just do not understand how anyone still thinks we are in any way set up to win any games

(and before anyone asks, long time season ticket holder who will be at the game Saturday until the final whistle)

In my opinion, if we had decent QB play, we would have looked better against Fresno St. and would have beaten Holy Cross. Against HC, Jack Zergiotis had 4 turnovers and UConn had a -3 turnover ratio which, on average, means there is a 10% to 20% chance of winning. With UConn’s shortcomings, you can not have 4 turnovers and expect to win.

What‘s odd about Jack Zergiotis’s play is that he looked better and performed better as a true freshman. He completed just 41% of his passes against HC with 3 interceptions including a pick 6 and a fumble. I think he is a better QB than that.

As for the schedule, the schedule has some really good teams (and I think Fresno St. was one of them), but it also has some winnable games. Let’s see how the season plays out as there are still winnable games on the schedule.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Lashlee and Dave has some history, but I honestly believe he is not coming back. Lashlee is out of the question.

Who do you like? I mean what about Chesney or Joe Moorehead? Todd Orlando?

 

[Pudge]

Lou Spanos. Big Win over the Boilermakers - who is the bottom quartile in their conference. And then roll from there. The Purdue QB will be the worst of the 3 we have faced this fall; with the HC kid being the best - imho. We need to pressure the QB who is a statue ... and tightly cover.

 

[RSTuthill]

This search just feels different.

7. No real President in place to f this up.

Don"t be surprised if Agwunobi gets the job permanently.

 

[JMick]

Apologies if this article was posted

Bill Cowher and Dick LeBeau cherish time with Lou Spanos

UConn interim coach Lou Spanos has close professional and personal relationships with...

www.ctinsider.com

can we dream that Bill Cowher wants to get back into coaching and would keep his buddy Spanos around as DC?

 

[DogFan23]

No one on the path to becoming a head coach in the NFL is coming here. You can get NFL assistants, but not ones who think they're on track to grab the brass ring.

Three years ago, Joe Brady was an NFL offensive assistant. Five years ago, he was an FBS GA. Seven years ago, he was coaching linebackers at William & Mary. Honestly, his rise has been rapid and I think he could have a stop here. As for Bieniemy, I think he wants a head coaching job and no team is giving him one. Sure they’re interviewing him, because of the Rooney Rule, but they’re not hiring him. I don’t know why. And Troy Brown is not on the path to become an NFL head coach, but he knows an offense that’s been successful since the 1970s (Erhardt-Perkins) and will get recruits.

Another choice: Matt Canada, Pittsburgh Steelers OC (49)
Steelers Bio
Runs a unique offense. Has coached in the Midwest and East Coast, and at Pitt had one of the most exciting offenses I’ve ever seen in 2016. Who knew you could base an entire offense on a fullback jet sweep? Anyways, he’s in his first season as an NFL OC and has tons of college experience, so he’s not exactly tied down to his spot with the Steelers. Since he was promoted from within (barely), he won’t be making as much money as the other NFL coaches I mentioned. He could be in our budget.

I just want to say that I thought we should have fired Diaco immediately after the 2016 season, hired Lincoln Riley, and ended it. But alas, we waited on Diaco, Riley got promoted, and now we find ourselves in this problem again.

 

[RSTuthill]

In my opinion, if we had decent QB play, we would have looked better against Fresno St. and would have beaten Holy Cross. Against HC, Jack Zergiotis had 4 turnovers and UConn had a -3 turnover ratio which, on average, means there is a 10% to 20% chance of winning. With UConn’s shortcomings, you can not have 4 turnovers and expect to win.

What‘s odd about Jack Zergiotis’s play is that he looked better and performed better as a true freshman. He completed just 41% of his passes against HC with 3 interceptions including a pick 6 and a fumble. I think he is a better QB than that.

As for the schedule, the schedule has some really good teams (and I think Fresno St. was one of them), but it also has some winnable games. Let’s see how the season plays out as there are still winnable games on the schedule.

You do not replace that many starters on the OL, particularly a Matt Peart, and hope that your QB will improve. His problem is poise and execution under pressure. It's not helpful to raise the pressure.

 

[Bongo Fury]

This time it seems like it is “Dave’s” choice. Hiring is often a crapshoot but I think he is pretty shrewd.

 

[RSTuthill]

This time it seems like it is “Dave’s” choice. Hiring is often a crapshoot but I think he is pretty shrewd.

Yes, this time around he should have the influence to dominate. the discussion and the choice. The BE move and the Hurley hire are looked upon as major successes. Also the ice rink and hockey's steady rise in HE. Not to mention field hockey. A lot to like actually.

 

[ktuck911]

I like Moorhead and Lashlee, with Devanney or Orlando as our defensive coordinator, but how about these NFL candidates:

Joe Brady, OC, Carolina Panthers (32 on September 23)
Panthers Bio
My preferred choice if we can nab him, this is the guy behind the LSU offense in 2019. 2019 Broyles Award winner, and he’s very young. He’s never been a head coach, but he’s going to be an NFL one very soon. From Florida, but played at William & Mary. Coached at Penn State under James Franklin and Joe Moorhead, so there’s his small UConn connection.

Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City Chiefs OC (52)
Chiefs Bio
He has interviewed for multiple NFL head coaching jobs, and is hungry to be a head coach, but no team has hired him. A little bit older than I’d like, but he has experience coaching in High School, FBS, and the NFL. The mastermind behind one of the greatest offenses of all time.

I’ve seen Jets fans and Giants fans here, so I’ll include some Patriots coaches:

Josh McDaniels, OC/QB (45)
Patriots Bio
He seems happy in Foxboro, but oh boy if we got him we’d be good on the recruiting trails in New England. He’s young and energetic, and is seen as the Patriots’ coach-in-waiting. Has NFL head coaching experience, and was relatively successful. Bill Belichick doesn’t seem like he’s retiring until he breaks Don Shula’s record or he dies, hopefully the former. McDaniels’ offense could be too complex, though.

Steve Belichick, OLB/de facto co-DC (34)
Patriots Bio
Young with a rich daddy, Steve could be our choice if we want defense cheap. Also seen as a coach-in-waiting for the Patriots.

Matt Patricia, Senior Football Advisor (47 on September 13)
Patriots Bio
As close to a literal rocket scientist as you can get (he’s an aeronautical engineer). NFL head coaching was a little over his head, but maybe he can handle college. Plus, he’s flush with buyout money, so he could be cheap.

Jerod Mayo, ILB/de facto co-DC (35)
Patriots Bio
A fast riser, going to de facto co-DC in only his second year as a coach.

And finally: Troy Brown, WR/KR (50)
Patriots Bio
Mr. Patriot, the consummate team member. Played on both sides of the ball in 2004, but mostly as a receiver from 1993-2007. Only in his second year of coaching, but he was a TV analyst beforehand. Every Patriots fan knows who he is, so he should be a good recruiter in New England.

I'd be shocked if any if these guys even became finalists for the job. They all seem to be far hone from college ball. They'd either go for a much higher level coaching opportunity at the collegiate level than here, and not all if them necessarily as head coach. Only possible way these guys get considered or considers us is if we finally provide adequate financial support to the rest of the coaching staff

 

[DogFan23]

This time it seems like it is “Dave’s” choice. Hiring is often a crapshoot but I think he is pretty shrewd.

He seems to have an in with Lashlee, who ran our most modern offense probably ever. It’s hard to tell what his Miami offense looks like this year, since they’ve only played Alabama, and it’s even harder to know if his success is tied solely to D’Eriq King, who as we know when he was in Houston, is electrifying. Also, don’t forget that Moorhead didn’t run RPOs here and his playbook was much different from what it is now. These guys are my favorites, with Devanney and Orlando, but I’m worried that every single candidate has a downside. Also, what do you guys think about Orlando with Graham Harrell as his OC? Or Harrell as the coach? Was an extremely productive QB at Texas Tech, runs the Air Raid, and has a UConn connection through Orlando. I think we might need a 3-4 base defensive coordinator/head coach because it’s easier to recruit 3-4 OLBs than 4-3 DEs. And the 3-4 linemen don’t have to be super fast, they just have to be good run stoppers and big.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

The Purdue QB will be the worst of the 3 we have faced this fall; with the HC kid being the best - imho

He may be the third best...but no way the HC QB is better than the Fresno QB.

 

[CCSUblue]

If you look at it from a David Benedict centric view and not a UConn/Connecticut/northeast view...

Muschamp currently an analyst at south Carolina.
Kevin Steele I don't think has a gig this season...
Maybe Tracy Claeys
Or hell, maybe Kill's health is sorted out and he wants a HC job.
The chances of any of them are probably very slim, but all connected to DB.

I bet Claeys would be a great HC.

 

[JMick]

If you look at it from a David Benedict centric view and not a UConn/Connecticut/northeast view...

Muschamp currently an analyst at south Carolina.
Kevin Steele I don't think has a gig this season...
Maybe Tracy Claeys
Or hell, maybe Kill's health is sorted out and he wants a HC job.
The chances of any of them are probably very slim, but all connected to DB.

I bet Claeys would be a great HC.

I forgot all about Jerry Kill. Damn if he's alright and thinks he has 5 years left in him, yes please.

 

[CCSUblue]

I forgot all about Jerry Kill. Damn if he's alright and thinks he has 5 years left in him, yes please.

He's a special assistant to the HC at TCU I think.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I forgot all about Jerry Kill. Damn if he's alright and thinks he has 5 years left in him, yes please.

I thought of him early on but think he’s too old. Didn’t he have heart surgery or something? IIRC he did express an interest in the UConn job.

 

[UConnJim]

I forgot all about Jerry Kill. Damn if he's alright and thinks he has 5 years left in him, yes please.

No to Kill. UConn can’t hire a 60 year old that hasn’t been a head coach in 6 years that has had health problems. UConn can do better.

 

[BigTenFan]

He may be the third best...but no way the HC QB is better than the Fresno QB.

You also have an all American wide out in David Bell on Purdue

 

[Yup!]

This search just feels different.

1. Neither Hathaway nor Warde are in charge.
2. We’re out from under Fiascos buyout so there should be money to spend. Somebody wrote that the four coaches for men’s BB make more than the staff combined for football. That ain’t right
3. We have time
4. We have a vision and plan we can sell. Independence. No CR bull Shiite going on
5. We have a good schedule.
6. Chair of Board of Trustees seems all in
7. No real President in place to f this up.
8. It’s a great school.
9. Really good recruiting class if it can be held together.

I feel you brotha, I was telling myself the same thing. This time around just feels different in a good way. Fingers crossed

 

[Yup!]

In my opinion, if we had decent QB play, we would have looked better against Fresno St. and would have beaten Holy Cross. Against HC, Jack Zergiotis had 4 turnovers and UConn had a -3 turnover ratio which, on average, means there is a 10% to 20% chance of winning. With UConn’s shortcomings, you can not have 4 turnovers and expect to win.

What‘s odd about Jack Zergiotis’s play is that he looked better and performed better as a true freshman. He completed just 41% of his passes against HC with 3 interceptions including a pick 6 and a fumble. I think he is a better QB than that.

As for the schedule, the schedule has some really good teams (and I think Fresno St. was one of them), but it also has some winnable games. Let’s see how the season plays out as there are still winnable games on the schedule.

A lot of those turnovers were do to horrible OL play. It all starts and finishes up front.

 

[UConnJim]

A lot of those turnovers were do to horrible OL play. It all starts and finishes up front.

So throwing the ball into a UConn lineman for a Pick 6 was the lines’ fault? Or, in the 4th Q, he stood in the pocket with no pressure and overthrew an open receiver for an interception was the lines fault?

 

[Drew]

It’s a good question that I don’t know has a great answer. Despite what all these UConn Twitter people will tell you, being an independent is really difficult for recruiting and adds to a long list of challenges for the program right now.

Regardless of who the school hires, they need to make the financial commitment to the program and have the administrative alignment from the Governor’s office all the way to the Analysts. Unfortunately I don’t know that either one of those will happen. Paying $1M for a HC and $1M for a staff isn’t going to get it done. This isn’t 2006- you have to double that commitment both on the HC salary and assistant pool side (maybe even 2.5x there) to get someone worthwhile to come.

Moorhead is the most realistic of the big names IMO. Lashlee isn’t coming back. To me, they need to hire someone with a track record of development and recruiting in non-fertile areas who’s a program developer/character guy and willing to be aggressive on both offense and defense. The name I’d really like to see here is Will Healy at Charlotte. Could triple his salary and he’s turned around a TERRIBLE APSU team and revived Charlotte when they needed a spark after the Lambert experience flopped. He’s young, energetic, high octane offense but has proven to develop guys and be great with program building. He’d be an absolute home run.

Realistically, I think the gig will go to either a young FCS coach or an offensive assistant from somewhere which I’m okay with. That OC from UCLA or Kentucky would be good hires IMO.

Just hope regardless of who it is, they put them in a position to succeed. UConn has won for a long time in all sports in spite of the mismanagement and chaos at an administrative level- not because of their admin. That’s only sustainable for so long.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

It’s a good question that I don’t know has a great answer. Despite what all these UConn Twitter people will tell you, being an independent is really difficult for recruiting and adds to a long list of challenges for the program right now.

Regardless of who the school hires, they need to make the financial commitment to the program and have the administrative alignment from the Governor’s office all the way to the Analysts. Unfortunately I don’t know that either one of those will happen. Paying $1M for a HC and $1M for a staff isn’t going to get it done. This isn’t 2006- you have to double that commitment both on the HC salary and assistant pool side (maybe even 2.5x there) to get someone worthwhile to come.

Moorhead is the most realistic of the big names IMO. Lashlee isn’t coming back. To me, they need to hire someone with a track record of development and recruiting in non-fertile areas who’s a program developer/character guy and willing to be aggressive on both offense and defense. The name I’d really like to see here is Will Healy at Charlotte. Could triple his salary and he’s turned around a TERRIBLE APSU team and revived Charlotte when they needed a spark after the Lambert experience flopped. He’s young, energetic, high octane offense but has proven to develop guys and be great with program building. He’d be an absolute home run.

Realistically, I think the gig will go to either a young FCS coach or an offensive assistant from somewhere which I’m okay with. That OC from UCLA or Kentucky would be good hires IMO.

Just hope regardless of who it is, they put them in a position to succeed. UConn has won for a long time in all sports in spite of the mismanagement and chaos at an administrative level- not because of their admin. That’s only sustainable for so long.

When you say being an independent is difficult for recruiting...are you saying the recruits we have gotten recently are not good...or that the next coach will find it hard replicate the recruiting of Edsalls staff?

When looking at offers...it looks like recruiting is on an upswing since uconn went independent. So you must think UConn recruiting will get worse with a different coach?

 

[Purple Stein]

If you look at it from a David Benedict centric view and not a UConn/Connecticut/northeast view...

Muschamp currently an analyst at south Carolina.
Kevin Steele I don't think has a gig this season...
Maybe Tracy Claeys
Or hell, maybe Kill's health is sorted out and he wants a HC job.
The chances of any of them are probably very slim, but all connected to DB.

I bet Claeys would be a great HC.

Was thinking about Muschamp earlier, too. Not that I want Muschamp, not that Muschamp would want us, but wouldn’t be surprised if DB would kick the tires based on their mutual time at Auburn.

 

[Yup!]

So throwing the ball into a UConn lineman for a Pick 6 was the lines’ fault? Or, in the 4th Q, he stood in the pocket with no pressure and overthrew an open receiver for an interception was the lines fault?

Jim I’m not say Z is a good QB, I agree with you he needed to sit on the bench, but we need to do a lot better up front this online has played poorly the first two games as well