ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Norvell isn't the play caller at FSU. Hasn't been since he's been there.
I like Grimes. Doesn't have the HC experience, but big name stop after big name stop on that resume says a lot to me.
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Ryan Walters - DC Illinois
- Thread starter Mb2658
- Start date
I like Grimes. Doesn't have the HC experience, but big name stop after big name stop on that resume says a lot to me.
Norvell is an offensive guy who is the HC. If we are going to discount Walters because he's the DC under a defensive HC, then why are you putting all the blame on Dillingham for mediocre offense under an offensive HC. Re Dilly, quit focusing on just his FSU time. He is running his own show at Oregon and thriving. He's going to get a shot, possibly this cycle.
ahoelsken
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. I'd rather it not be here, and I don't think its going to be.
My money's on him going to ASU.
SINKRATZ
PhD in Analogy
Embree and Dorrell had no business being candidates for any HC job. The problem with those guys wasn’t that they had CU ties, it was that their CU ties trumped the fact that they were completely unqualified.
Walters is different, I don’t view him as a potential candidate ONLY because he’s an alum. He’s rising in the coaching world and getting noticed for his actual coaching ability - something you couldn’t say about Embree or Dorrell.
Discounting Walters entirely because he’s an alum would be just as short sighted as hiring him only because he’s an alum.
Yeah. Multiple successful years as a P5 coordinator with his defense ranked right at the top this season.
That sounds like a guy you legit kick the tires on no matter where he went to college (unless it was Nebraska).
Is anyone questioning Wisconsin not even having a search for their next HC and essentially handing the job to Leonhard?
1. I feel like you know something I don't. McIntosh said at Chryst's firing he was doing a national search. AFAIK, that's taking place. what are you reading?
2. given where the team was when PC got fired, JL is pretty much kicking ass.
SINKRATZ
PhD in Analogy
Not really. This seemed like the move they wanted to make when they fired Chryst in part to prevent losing Leonhard to a HC job elsewhere. A little cold to Chryst but I suspect they ultimately decided better to part with him early if they felt like his replacement was ready.
The foregone conclusion is that Chryst was fired in order to give Leonhard an audition so they wouldn't risk losing him to another job in the offseason. The disappointing start to the season under Chryst allowed them to do that. Of course they are going to say they are conducting a national search, but that's mostly window dressing.
Exactly.
This is Leonhard's resume - 40 years old - DC for the current #24 defense in the country (has coordinated multiple top 10 defenses)
This is Walters' resume - 36 years old - DC for the current #1 defense in the country
I don't see a much separation between the two, and would bet most here would be over the moon if Leonhard was the hire at CU
Remember when Alabaster Yak (whatever name he was going by) was dumber than a sack of hammers? I'm convinced that about five years ago somebody kidnapped him and took over his account.
SINKRATZ
PhD in Analogy
I guess the difference is that Wisconsin has seen Leonhard’s performance up close for the past 6-7 years so they probably feel really comfortable about his abilities, whereas Walters hasn’t been around CU in a while so he feels riskier for us than Leonhard might be for Wisconsin.
The bigger issue with Walters seems to be that he was ever around CU at all.
For sure. Wisconsin knows him, he's "in the family" like they've pretty much done with every hire, and he's legitimately a really good coordinator.
Who would CU choose right now to be the HC?
SINKRATZ
PhD in Analogy
Maybe this is unfair but my perception is that Leonhard has delivered more consistently and over a longer period than Walters so I feel like he can build and sustain a really good defense. And he’s done it at a place not in fertile recruiting grounds and where his teams are not lining up superior talent every week.
Honestly if Walters had played at USC or Texas I don’t think people would be nearly as hesitant about him and I’m guilty of that bias too.
My concern about Walters is recruiting mindset. Only 4* he's ever been attached to signing was a St. Louis kid who chose in-state Mizzou.
Ryan Walters All Time Recruits
247sports.com
What would we be getting besides X's and O's + player development? Baked into hiring a very young HC is that he'd be learning on the job all that goes into being the head of a program. That has been successfully offset by the relatability and energy getting a lot of dudes. He's got to do a lot of selling on what his recruiting plan & philosophy would be.
Walters has been DC at Missouri and Illinois. Basically two bottom feeding programs in their respective conferences, and definitely not as respected as Wisconsin.
Leonhard took over a defense at UW that was coordinated by Justin Wilcox the year before and Dave Aranda the year before that. Leonhard didn't build anything, but you're right, he did maintain a well oiled machine.
I think Walters has shown the ability to succeed in vastly different environments, under different HCs.
I 100% agree that had he never been associated with CU, people would be signing a different tune
Norvell was still the OC at FSU, Oregon is his first time being OC behind a defensive minded HC and is killing it.
Defensive equivalent? Walters might be a bit green but he's got the best scoring D in CFB and is likely less talented than other B1G teams. If Walters hadn't gone to CU but had an equivalent resume I doubt the same concerns exist about it being B4L.
Not the direction I'd go, but I would not be upset if Walters was the move.
A multi-year successful P5 coordinator in the SEC and B1G for teams that are probably in the bottom third of their conferences on overall program resources & brand. He has proven his chops at the highest level while usually outgunned.
Big thing here would be his ability to communicate a complete football organization & operations plan while showing he has a clear idea of what he wants to do on offense and that he has the network to hire a great staff.
On the staffing side, one guy I found interesting is DeMontie Cross. He was Co-DC with Walters at Mizzou when Walters was first elevated. Now Director of Player Personnel at TCU. Would be a potential Chandler Dorrell replacement or even a consideration for DC under Walters. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMontie_Cross
A multi-year successful P5 coordinator in the SEC and B1G for teams that are probably in the bottom third of their conferences on overall program resources & brand. He has proven his chops at the highest level while usually outgunned.
Big thing here would be his ability to communicate a complete football organization & operations plan while showing he has a clear idea of what he wants to do on offense and that he has the network to hire a great staff.
On the staffing side, one guy I found interesting is DeMontie Cross. He was Co-DC with Walters at Mizzou when Walters was first elevated. Now Director of Player Personnel at TCU. Would be a potential Chandler Dorrell replacement or even a consideration for DC under Walters. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMontie_Cross
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Also - I'd get a lot more comfortable with Walters if we had a new AD who would give a first time HC everything he needed to succeed without meddling. My reservations around Walters are not really about him but about the situation at CU for a first time HC while Phil is still Chancellor and Rick is still AD.
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He would need a massive amount of support for it to work, but has the potential to be a very high ceiling hire. I just question his recruiting as that has been mostly minimal with average results.