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Bronco Mendenhall - Former HC at UVA & BYU
- Thread starter Buffnik
- Start date
This is my theory of why the Sark contract failed. RG tried to get things like this written into the contract and was shut down.
I really don't think it was about keeping certain assistants around.
It was about Sark being given the advice "if CU promises things around admissions, transfers, recruiting, etc - get those promises in writing, don't just take their word."
And when push came to shove, RG couldn't deliver so Sark walked.
Can't say I blame him. He landed on his feet just fine.
If there’s a more dysfunctional program than CU in the PAC 12, it’s ASU. I wouldn’t be so certain Herman would choose them over us. Remember ASU is facing some significant restrictions and they don’t have the cache to blow them off like USC. If CU wants Herman (no idea if they do), then we ought to be able to compete with ASU for him.
It also probably didn’t help that Sark was able to use Colorado’s offer to get a sweeter deal at Bama, Mike Gundy style…
this is depressing. we like this choice because he seems likely to suck less than everyone since gb. and we are looking up at a the possibility of mediocrity and forgotten bowl games and maybe sniffing a decent season every 6-8 years, with no chance at the playoffs.
do i have this all correct?
i am not questioning the logic; i am just trying to get my brain around the potential joy of rooting for average and be able to count on it.
what a world.
do i have this all correct?
i am not questioning the logic; i am just trying to get my brain around the potential joy of rooting for average and be able to count on it.
what a world.
Offgridgopher
Well-Known Member
This would be a freaking steal of a hire .. love the resume...
I like the high floor with him.
His only two losing seasons were when he took over a terrible team that was largely devoid of talent.
He also had success in a P5 conference at a public school with *much* better academics than CU.
Now, he didn't do as well at the P5 level as he did at the G5 level, but there's a possibility he learned some lessons that he'll do differently on a second go round.
This would be a pretty "safe" hire IMO, and it'd be nice to get back to bowl games being an expectation, not a once a decade miracle.
I think the wild card with him is how the last year has "energized" or given him new perspective and motivation to get back in after only one year off. Taking lessons learned at UVA, and viewing the game and CFB landscape from a non coaching lens may be a great thing and something he needed to take the next step as a coach.
How did he recruit at UVA?
He never said it explicitly, but I suspect he and his wife are westerners at heart and the Blue Ridge "mountains" never really felt like home.
lawdogg
Club Member
Been away for a little while, but good to see you guys are still around and in peak coaching hot board form. Like Mendenhall a lot as a candidate, and especially like having heard him say that one of the things he’s looking for in coaching opportunities is a place where he’ll be challenged to rebuild a struggling program. That obviously applies to most schools with coach openings, but certainly does not seem like he’d be scared off by the work needed to turn things around in Boulder.
Herman would be great, but someplace like ASU feels like a more plausible spot for him. Like Grimes a lot as well, though I’d rather see a guy with some recent HC experience.
Herman would be great, but someplace like ASU feels like a more plausible spot for him. Like Grimes a lot as well, though I’d rather see a guy with some recent HC experience.
His Virginia teams never had a class above #43, and he was generally in the middle 50s in total class rank. In my opinion, UVA has a very similar athletic department to CU, perhaps the most similar.
Now, there are two ways to look at the above recruiting. You can say that Mendenhall gets more out of players. You could also say very justifiably that he is not a recruiter.
I go back and forth with what is best at this juncture for CU, and I think a talent developer might make more sense for CU.
Karl Dorrell is both a ****ty coach and a ****ty recruiter, which is what you really don’t want.
There are many similarities. The biggest issue I have: both BYU and UVA have distinct built-in recruiting advantages over a place like Colorado (religion and location, respectively).
It seems like the general consensus among the fans is that, while we have personal preferences, almost no one is going to be upset if it's Bronco, Grimes or Herman.
Herman would be a homerun and I think Grimes/Bronco would be just right behind that.
Yeah but we recycle
They also recycle at UVA, I assure you.
ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
idk still feels like MM with a higher floor, which wouldn't be horrible or anything. Just doesn't get me super excited
what kind of offense did his teams run?
idk still feels like MM with a higher floor, which wouldn't be horrible or anything. Just doesn't get me super excited
what kind of offense did his teams run?
There's a lot in common, imo, with that Dino Babers/ Sean Lewis style. Dual threat QB, preference for more run heavy but will go pass heavy if that's the QB's skill set. Quick search found a couple articles for you or others who might be curious:
What offense will UVA run in 2016?
Breaking down Robert Anae's approach, and which QB it favors
www.streakingthelawn.com
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tucker gave me hope -- he had a plan and a vision and landed some guys at the top of his classes. he had more upside than some of the other choices that could have been made. kd is inexplicable and indefensible. i'd take grimes, bronco, or tom herman for sure. if any are willing to take us.
the higher floor/lower ceiling thing on bronco might be correct but we are in shambles again maybe even worse than when mm was hired. so, yeah, stability and a plan and a good coach... i think i can buy this.
the higher floor/lower ceiling thing on bronco might be correct but we are in shambles again maybe even worse than when mm was hired. so, yeah, stability and a plan and a good coach... i think i can buy this.
I don't think he necessarily has "this is what I run," as much as "we run what enables our players to succeed."
It's a fine line between not having and recruiting to a particular system, and being flexible enough to adapt to the talent you have, not the talent you hope to have.
I feel like bronco navigates that line fairly well.
As an aside, the above is why I like Marion's go-go offense so much. It's very easily adaptable to your team's talents.
Marion is my "high risk, high reward" preferred candidate.
Bronco is my "low risk, nearly guaranteed moderately good return" candidate.
Which one I prefer depends on how much I've been drinking.
Marion is my "high risk, high reward" preferred candidate.
Bronco is my "low risk, nearly guaranteed moderately good return" candidate.
Which one I prefer depends on how much I've been drinking.
Until we do a QB Sneak on 1st down, we are not worse than the JE team that went 1-11. And that single win was more of WSU trying to lose more than us trying to win.
But yes, this is terrible.
You know, we always bring up how dysfunctional things were by bringing up the QB sneak on 1st down because it's funny as sh!t.
But nothing defined the Embree (+EB) regime like working in secret all offseason to install the Oklahoma State Oregon-style offense complete with sideline flash cards... and then ditching it by halftime of the first game, never to be seen again.
Coach Leopold at Kansas was the kind of hire I'd rather see. I know what Bronco's ceiling is and it's "competent" but that's it.
Leopold won Natty's at a lower division, then moved up to FCS and drastically improved the Univ of Buffalo. Moves to KU and they've beaten WVU, Houston and are 3-0. I don't know his ceiling. That's exciting. We didn't know Bill McCarthy's either until we did.
He's not available to us (or the Huskers) but that's the kind of proven success I like to see. And it's over years, and you peel the onion, and it's not like the Hawkins situation where he rode Chris Petersen. This guy has hired and fired and built staffs in 3 different places. He's got a system that works.
And I know some would say they want a guy from a big time program. You still have to recruit and develop at EVERY level. Recruit recruit develop develop. It's the same at UW-Whitewater as Univ of Buffalo as Colorado as Alabama. You just get pretty dates.
Leopold won Natty's at a lower division, then moved up to FCS and drastically improved the Univ of Buffalo. Moves to KU and they've beaten WVU, Houston and are 3-0. I don't know his ceiling. That's exciting. We didn't know Bill McCarthy's either until we did.
He's not available to us (or the Huskers) but that's the kind of proven success I like to see. And it's over years, and you peel the onion, and it's not like the Hawkins situation where he rode Chris Petersen. This guy has hired and fired and built staffs in 3 different places. He's got a system that works.
And I know some would say they want a guy from a big time program. You still have to recruit and develop at EVERY level. Recruit recruit develop develop. It's the same at UW-Whitewater as Univ of Buffalo as Colorado as Alabama. You just get pretty dates.
lawdogg
Club Member
Mendenhall has been doing a weekly podcast (think they’re up to four episodes now) talking about why he stepped away from coaching, why he’s ready to get back into it, and a lot about his philosophies for building and running a program. The first episode is included below…interesting listen.