Dave Cecchini has let his staff know he is leaving the program for Bucknell University and will be their new head coach.
Terrible timing. Thanks Dave.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 06, 2019, 09:20:22 AM
Dave Cecchini has let his staff know he is leaving the program for Bucknell University and will be their new head coach.
Terrible timing. Thanks Dave.
Wonderful. Now what happens to all the recruits? Why would Bucknell want a guy with his track record, particularly last year? Wow...
[tweet]1093157767660081156[/tweet]
There's a couple of us who've been PMing about this potential situation since nearly the beginning of last season. Something's been up with the staff since at least that timeframe.
Nothing like having this info released on NSD.
Terrible timing... current recruits really don't sign anything that is binding, no NLI in place
As opposed to the last few coaching changes. I would like to hire within this time.
81 kids in for spring, with 24 signing today, we have numbers and talent. I think its going to come out that the move to Bucknell was Cecchini wanting to be closer to home, looking at their roster and schedule last year it is not a step up other than maybe conference and schedule.
Miran and Moore would both be excellent hires in my opinion. Both very likable guys. I would tend more towards Moore as 1) he has midwest ties in Michigan, 2) He has recruited Indianapolis the past few years. I know defense struggled traditionally but a defensive head coach could change things.
I don't disagree that an internal hire works best for now. My concern is with the age of both guys. They would be very young as a HC although they've been coordinator's for a while and while likeable is an admirable trait for many people, that is not always the case for a Head Football Coach.
I wonder if Valpo doesn't go the interim route for a season. There is also the concern that some or even much of the staff could be pilfered by Bucknell as well.
My guess is that Dave moving on has been an issue for a while and this just finalizes it. It probably is less a surprise to MLB than it is to the public.
Wonder if former Drake Head Coach Rick Fox would enjoy NW Indiana in the fall? Haven't seen anything about a new job. Played at Wheaton and has coached in this general area of the midwest. He proved he could recruit the Chicagoland area and took lots of recruits VU was targeting and got them out to Des Moines.
BTW, part of the fallout is that we also lose our women's tennis coach too.
I'm sure Cecchini will take some assistants with him
For those coaches he doesn't take I would think speaks to his thoughts on their coaching abilities
3 names that immediately come to mind
Miran, Moore, and Kasey Teegardin (IU safeties coach, former assistant, Youngest DC in D2 history at Charelston)
The Cecchini Legacy:
The raw stats:
5 seasons (17 W - 38 L) = 30.9%
3 seasons with 4 or more wins
1 winning season in 5
Beat Butler 3 out of 5 times
Best winning percentage among the 3 last coaches (Stacy Adams, Cale Carlson, and DC)
Most wins (17) since Tom Horne (67 -> 1989-2004)
Non-statistical accomplishments:
New weight room
New locker facility
Upgraded overall recruiting and promoting
Upgraded program's visual profile on social media
PFL Coach of the year 2017
VU record PFL Honor roll members (2017 and 2018)
My Conclusion: He leaves the overall program and Valpo's football reputation better than when he arrived. However, he also leaves Valpo with recovering from a dismal 2-9 2018 record with major questions for 2019 at most positions and an understaffed coaching group remaining to cover the offseason program and recruiting including no strength and conditioning coach..Whatever traction the football program has built over the past five years could easily desolve in the next two months as many 5th year players who were considering returning for 2019 now may take their degrees and leave (for example, Nick Turner).
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 06, 2019, 11:08:52 AM
3 names that immediately come to mind
Miran, Moore, and Kasey Teegardin (IU safeties coach, former assistant, Youngest DC in D2 history at Charelston)
Kasey was probably the most energetic and likable member of Carlson's staff when he was here. He's paid some dues at Indiana having just been added to the F/T staff as safeties coach in 2018. Before that he was a grad assistant and non-position staffer there. Doubt he'd leave the B1G for non-scholarship Valpo though we are .... um.... D-I.
Here's his IU bio:
• Indiana head football coach Tom Allen announced the addition of Kasey Teegardin to the Hoosiers staff on March 2, 2018. Teegardin will coach the safeties.
• "We are very excited for Kasey to join our staff," Allen said. "He earned the confidence and trust of our players as a graduate assistant, and he further developed professionally after leading our on-campus recruiting last year. Kasey loves Indiana and our players, and he brings energy, passion and expertise to our program."
• Teegardin spent the previous four seasons with the Hoosiers, three as a defensive graduate assistant (2014-16) and one as director of on-campus recruiting (2017).
• "I am extremely thankful for the chance to work with an incredible group of young men and staff whom I have gotten to know," Teegardin said. "I believe in Coach Allen, his program and Indiana University. Indiana is home and my wife and I are thrilled for this opportunity!"
• Former IU defensive back Tony Fields (2014-17), the lone player in program history to play in 50 games, could not be more pleased with the announcement.
• "From day one being around Coach Teegardin, I knew that he was a great coach and deserved an opportunity to show what he could do," Fields said. "Coach has always been someone who the players could trust and has always been a reliable source when it comes to football questions. He is a great
man, a great coach and a great hire for Indiana. I am proud to see him get this chance."
• Spent 2012 and 2013 as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Valparaiso University.
• Served as Valpo's NFL and academic liaison as well as the program's community outreach coordinator.
• The NFL liaison at three schools, Teegardin has mentored three players who have received mini-camp invites.
• Coached the secondary at Northwood University in 2011 and was the youngest defensive coordinator in the NCAA (hired at 24) at the University of Charleston in 2010.
• Joined the UC staff in 2007 as a part-time assistant in which he helped with the defensive line, worked as linebackers coach in 2008 and as secondary coach in 2009.
• The 2009 team went 9-2 and ranked 19th in the country and in 2010, Teegardin's defense finished 19th nationally in rush defense.
• Played linebacker at Charleston and was selected a captain his senior season.
• During his first two seasons at UC, Teegardin also was an outfielder and catcher on the baseball team.
• A 2007 graduate from Charleston with a degree in sport management, Teegardin earned his master's degree in business administration in 2008.
• Kasey is married to the former Monica Kirschner.
I'd be shocked if Coach Tee returns to Valpo.
5th year seniors who potentially change their minds could lie in the decision of the respective coordinators to remain at Valpo.
The fallout should begin to become known within the next day or two and, while we'll know about the coaching changes, we may not know about signees who change their minds.
I think the smart thing for Valpo would be to go outside the program. It's not as if the program was a top of the line program in which we need to keep the momentum going. This, of course, all depends on who would be available at this late juncture. Scott Abell was hired at Davidson in early January and his staff was not announced until more than a month later. Davidson was a MUCH improved program last year. Abell was also able to install an option offense seemingly over night which was the talk of the league last year. So it may not be as late as we think in terms of hiring.
To be honest, A lot of Dave's legacy just went out the window with a coaching change on the most pivotal day of college football.
It often takes one kind of coach to turn a program around and another to forge ahead further once the program is back on its feet. Impossible to deny the progress made by DC while at Valpo, but disappointing to see the Crusaders not BUILD on the success they had in 2017. A pass of the baton could be exactly what is needed...
Bring back Carlson!
his twitter page is still up.
https://twitter.com/davececchini?lang=en
definitely not an ideal time to leave. he did a good job at Valpo.
https://twitter.com/nwi/status/1093225722536251392
Quote from: JD24 on February 06, 2019, 12:45:04 PM
I'd be shocked if Coach Tee returns to Valpo.
5th year seniors who potentially change their minds could lie in the decision of the respective coordinators to remain at Valpo.
The fallout should begin to become known within the next day or two and, while we'll know about the coaching changes, we may not know about signees who change their minds.
I think the smart thing for Valpo would be to go outside the program. It's not as if the program was a top of the line program in which we need to keep the momentum going. This, of course, all depends on who would be available at this late juncture. Scott Abell was hired at Davidson in early January and his staff was not announced until more than a month later. Davidson was a MUCH improved program last year. Abell was also able to install an option offense seemingly over night which was the talk of the league last year. So it may not be as late as we think in terms of hiring.
I concur. Can't have a HC-in training either from the current staff or from outside. Need a guy like Abell to come in, optimize what talent we do have for 2019 to remain competitive in the PFL, and then build from there. Timing stinks though. At Davidson, there was at least all of December to sort through candidates. This is a surprise late in the recruiting and pre-season training schedule. This'll be tricky. I don't envy MLB at this point.
Quote from: VU2014 on February 06, 2019, 02:52:06 PM
https://twitter.com/nwi/status/1093225722536251392
Interesting that Bucknell replaced their coach who resigned January 15th after a 1-10 record in 2018 with a coach who had a 2-9 record in 2018.
Let's assume the AD started to think about this possibility once the Lehigh interview was known and has some ideas at least internally.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 06, 2019, 03:07:54 PM
Let's assume the AD started to think about this possibility once the Lehigh interview was known and has some ideas at least internally.
I have it on good authority that MLB has known for quite a while. Cecchini is a good enough person that he wouldn't leave him hanging out to dry THAT much.
Quote from: Valpo89 on February 06, 2019, 03:09:43 PMQuote from: IndyValpo on February 06, 2019, 03:07:54 PMLet's assume the AD started to think about this possibility once the Lehigh interview was known and has some ideas at least internally.
I have it on good authority that MLB has known for quite a while. Cecchini is a good enough person that he wouldn't leave him hanging out to dry THAT much.
With Lehigh apparently at least giving a passing interest to Cecchini when their job was open, it would be pretty negligent on MLB...or whoever is the hirer....to not have considered having to hire another coach and to begin that process. With Bucknell being in the same league as Lehigh, that should have sent up the antenna as well. So my suspicion is that this is no surprise and there's probably already some candidates whether in-house or from outside under consideration.
Seems odd (and unfortunate to us) to announce this on NSD. Perhaps that was advantageous for his new role at Bucknell? I guess it was going to happen eventually, but if he had decided this for some time (and props to him for informing MLB if that's the case), then why announce it today?
Quote from: hailcrusaders on February 06, 2019, 03:49:13 PMSeems odd (and unfortunate to us) to announce this on NSD. Perhaps that was advantageous for his new role at Bucknell? I guess it was going to happen eventually, but if he had decided this for some time (and props to him for informing MLB if that's the case), then why announce it today?
It has not been announced. It has been found out. I'm doing a lot of guessing today but I assume the thought was to wait to make the announcement but word got out today. Bad timing on that.
I also don't know if it was "some time". The deal could have been agreed to last night. Bucknell's previous coach only left Jan 15th or so.
Quote from: JD24 on February 06, 2019, 03:54:22 PM
I also don't know if it was "some time".
Well I may have heard something on Saturday, so I'm sure MLB knew before then. :)
Quote from: JD24 on February 06, 2019, 03:54:22 PMQuote from: hailcrusaders on February 06, 2019, 03:49:13 PMSeems odd (and unfortunate to us) to announce this on NSD. Perhaps that was advantageous for his new role at Bucknell? I guess it was going to happen eventually, but if he had decided this for some time (and props to him for informing MLB if that's the case), then why announce it today?
It has not been announced. It has been found out. I'm doing a lot of guessing today but I assume the thought was to wait to make the announcement but word got out today. Bad timing on that. I also don't know if it was "some time". The deal could have been agreed to last night. Bucknell's previous coach only left Jan 15th or so.
Paul Oren tweeted a few things that looked like official announcements to me. Was this done on a post-hoc basis once word leaked? It may be a moot point after all, once word of something like this gets out, the damage is done.
Announcement on Bucknell's twitter page:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DywaAsuXcAAH1zI.jpg:large
Quote from: hailcrusaders on February 06, 2019, 04:26:49 PMQuote from: JD24 on February 06, 2019, 03:54:22 PMQuote from: hailcrusaders on February 06, 2019, 03:49:13 PMSeems odd (and unfortunate to us) to announce this on NSD. Perhaps that was advantageous for his new role at Bucknell? I guess it was going to happen eventually, but if he had decided this for some time (and props to him for informing MLB if that's the case), then why announce it today?
It has not been announced. It has been found out. I'm doing a lot of guessing today but I assume the thought was to wait to make the announcement but word got out today. Bad timing on that. I also don't know if it was "some time". The deal could have been agreed to last night. Bucknell's previous coach only left Jan 15th or so.
Paul Oren tweeted a few things that looked like official announcements to me. Was this done on a post-hoc basis once word leaked? It may be a moot point after all, once word of something like this gets out, the damage is done.
A report in the newsmedia or social media is not an official announcement. It's possible both schools wanted to hold the news until after the completion of NSD but word leaked early.
Valpo story:
http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2018-19/18816/valpo-football-coach-dave-cecchini-accepts-position-at-bucknell-university/
I wish Coach C all the best. he was here 5 years and we all know this job was a stepping stone for him. He cleaned up a huge mess and made it better, not good but better. We went from pathetic to bad under Cecchini, but I think he did a good job.
Quote from: usc4valpo on February 06, 2019, 06:12:07 PM
I wish Coach C all the best. he was here 5 years and we all know this job was a stepping stone for him. He cleaned up a huge mess and made it better, not good but better. We went from pathetic to bad under Cecchini, but I think he did a good job.
Agreed he inherited the worst D1 team in the nation. He leaves a much better situation though we have a long way to go
For any potential candidate for the position there is a nice carrot out there. Dave extracted some financial concessions and investments to come here and then to sign an extension. He got some good stuff done, but fell short in a number of places. The next coach, in order to build on what Dave left behind, has some leverage in asking for additional investment in the program. What that might be I have no idea, but if Valpo is reluctant to amp it up a bit, we will be in deep sneakers going forward.
No complaints on my side. I said when he was hired that if we consistently have HFCs who stay 4-5 years, and leave for a better job, that is a good model for our school in football. It would mean that they are successful, and their success would continue to lead up-and-coming HCs to consider Valpo as a stepping stone.
Quote from: valpotx on February 06, 2019, 08:42:36 PM
No complaints on my side. I said when he was hired that if we consistently have HFCs who stay 4-5 years, and leave for a better job, that is a good model for our school in football. It would mean that they are successful, and their success would continue to lead up-and-coming HCs to consider Valpo as a stepping stone.
On the other hand, I have some complaints — but not big ones. Over his five years the team earned some solid wins, but they also lost many games they could have won or been at least in the game near the end. There were some calls and personnel decisions that had me SMH. Most of my recollections were on the defensive side of the ball and involved giving up game winning scores or just not stopping people. Dave did not evolve (broadened his knowlegebase across the whole breadth of the game) over his 5 years as much I would have hoped.
Regardless, he will be a better HFC at Bucknell than he was here if he looks back and is honest with himself about his approach to the game as, now, an experienced HFBC. I certainly thank him for what he did here and wish him well at Bucknell.
Do we get a couple of basketball home games out of this or at least a series? I mean the move cost us two coaches. It's the least Bucknell could do.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 06, 2019, 11:10:02 PM
Do we get a couple of basketball home games out of this or at least a series? I mean the move cost us two coaches. It's the least Bucknell could do.
I'm sure Nathan Davis would be upset to hear that he must take his Bison basketball team to the ARC to play Valpo just because their AD decided to hire away Valpo's football coach.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 06, 2019, 11:10:02 PM
Do we get a couple of basketball home games out of this or at least a series? I mean the move cost us two coaches. It's the least Bucknell could do.
That would be a great series. Bucknell is consistently in the 75 to 200 range in KenPom ... a huge step up from the UC Riverside and SIUE types currently on the schedule. With the move to the MVC, we should start seeing home and home series with teams like Bucknell.
My sister graduated from Bucknell the year before I graduated from Valpo. I would LOVE to have a rivalry game with the Bisons. I already gave her some whatfor after the announcement came. She did half-heartedly did apologize.... lol.
I wonder if part of the deal would be a home-and-home for the football team ala Bryce and Vandy. Interestingly enough, Bucknell's biggest rival is Lehigh, which is Dave's Alma Mater.
So we have no head coach, the potential to lose other coaches and no strength coach for the off season conditioning. Not ideal...it now makes sense why we didn't file the coaching vacancies.
Wonder if Bob Brooks will be asked to put in some extra time with the FB team until a new S&C coach is found?
Coaching staff updates...
Coach Moore (Def Coord) serving as Interim HC during transition;
Coach Miran and Coach Giacalone to Bucknell with Cecch;
Is Moore ready to be a head coach? Will he be a legit contender?
Not disputing the info but, as of this moment, twitter and the valpo athletics site still have valpo locked in the dungeon in restraints. Dilly Dilly!
Regarding any current valpo staff member moving to head coach....I'd go in a different direction.
He's got a new Twitter feed.
[tweet]1093695237879484416[/tweet]
Miran and Giacalone have been removed from the shackles of the Valpo Athletics site. We're now down to Coaches Moore, Greiner and Smith.
Valpo now has to hire a new coach. the coach has to hire a nearly completely new staff. Spring Ball has to be scheduled and that typically begins a week or two after the return from spring break. That's maybe 5 weeks away. A very short time to prepare.
There's also usually some recruiting occurring which goes on through the Spring Game. One recruit, IIRC, who committed that late after a visit was Seewald. So it's a big deal and I can't figure getting a recruit to show up right now or introducing him to the "Head Coach" looks all that great for the program.
In short. A complete mess.
Quote from: JD24 on February 08, 2019, 10:41:37 PM
Miran and Giacalone have been removed from the shackles of the Valpo Athletics site. We're now down to Coaches Moore, Greiner and Smith.
Valpo now has to hire a new coach. the coach has to hire a nearly completely new staff. Spring Ball has to be scheduled and that typically begins a week or two after the return from spring break. That's maybe 5 weeks away. A very short time to prepare.
There's also usually some recruiting occurring which goes on through the Spring Game. One recruit, IIRC, who committed that late after a visit was Seewald. So it's a big deal and I can't figure getting a recruit to show up right now or introducing him to the "Head Coach" looks all that great for the program.
In short. A complete mess.
There are two factors working against each other in our current scenario as I see it.
(1) To mitigate the mess as soon as possible and give the program a chance to get off life support in the shortest time possible, MLB has got to put a new HC in place immediately and round out the staff quickly.
(2) To avoid a catastrophic hiring error that could set the program back years and to ensure progress and improvement in the program over the next few seasons, MLB needs to carefully vet and select the next HC making sure he is well qualified and fits into the Valpo culture.
That's the definition of being between a rock and a hard place. Unless MLB already has a couple of great targets on his interview list to meet objective #2, he will be forced to either stick with Coach Moore for one interim season or do a less than adequate search and hire a new coach with less than the greatest of confidence and roll the dice on football's future at Valpo.
I certainly do not envy what MLB has sitting in front of him.
Every good AD should have a short list of potential candidates for head coaching positions for every sport in the program ready at all times. Whether you need to make a change because someone chooses to leave or you need to let someone go, the AD should never be without some idea of who would be a good replacement.
As someone said previously, DC's flirtation with the job at Lehigh starting immediately after the end of 2018 season, should have but some things in motion for MLB.
The short time frame my provide some leverage for a new hire... salary, asst. pool, or other program benefits may be on the table if MLB wants to get it right.
Quote from: NWIGuy on February 09, 2019, 03:45:35 PM
Every good AD should have a short list of potential candidates for head coaching positions for every sport in the program ready at all times. Whether you need to make a change because someone chooses to leave or you need to let someone go, the AD should never be without some idea of who would be a good replacement.
As someone said previously, DC's flirtation with the job at Lehigh starting immediately after the end of 2018 season, should have but some things in motion for MLB.
The short time frame my provide some leverage for a new hire... salary, asst. pool, or other program benefits may be on the table if MLB wants to get it right.
Are there any other hires in athletics during this winter/spring that are ongoing? (Other than WTennis of course)
If not I suppose we should be thankful MLB gets to dedicate his limited resources/time on football solely (as far as new hires go). This could have been MBB, WBB, Football and WTennis all at once ...
Hire Ted Karras or Tony Karras for head coach position!
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on February 09, 2019, 04:46:11 PMAre there any other hires in athletics during this winter/spring that are ongoing? (Other than WTennis of course)
As others mentioned, WTennis will probably be filled after the conclusion of that season. The guess is that the family stays in Indiana until school (kids school that is) is out and then follows Dave to Pennsylvania. Of course, we could all be wrong as well and they may have scattered like the rats they are.
I always accept change well! ;D
Quote from: JD24 on February 08, 2019, 10:41:37 PM
Miran and Giacalone have been removed from the shackles of the Valpo Athletics site. We're now down to Coaches Moore, Greiner and Smith.
Valpo now has to hire a new coach. the coach has to hire a nearly completely new staff. Spring Ball has to be scheduled and that typically begins a week or two after the return from spring break. That's maybe 5 weeks away. A very short time to prepare.
There's also usually some recruiting occurring which goes on through the Spring Game. One recruit, IIRC, who committed that late after a visit was Seewald. So it's a big deal and I can't figure getting a recruit to show up right now or introducing him to the "Head Coach" looks all that great for the program.
In short. A complete mess.
You have to believe that Coach Moore was guaranteed an interview. Given that he will miss out an any openings elsewhere is he the DC if he isn't named head man?
Tomorrow marks 1 week since DC left and Valpo has been without a football coach. Hoping that MLB has an update coming soon...
I got an email reply from MLB a few days ago in which he mentioned that there is a lot of interest being shown by potential candidates in the HC opening. That's good thing. The fact that it came as a surprise so late in the typical fall sports annual cycle coupled with having to vet some new possibilities means to me that it'll take a while to sort this thing out. So I doubt we'll hear anything until a hire is made and that could take a while (as much as a month, maybe?).
Bucknell's coach stepped down (at least reported) Jan 14/15. It took about 3 weeks to announce a replacement. That's probably an accelerated search timeline. It's possible that the Lehigh search earlier in the off season helped Bucknell with their search in getting Cecchini.
The Lehigh search seemed to provide significant information as to candidates. The last Valpo search there was little to no news until Dave's name came up about a day before I saw any news either official or unofficial.
You are always going to have a bunch of candidates interested in the position. Of course, the question is if any of them are qualified.
It was exactly a month between Carlson's firing and Ceccini's hiring under a bit different circumstances....season still going on being one of them. I'd guess a slightly shorter timeframe here unless there is no one acceptable.
I'm in agreement with uscvalpo in that MLB's comment that there is interest is fairly meaningless since I wouldn't expect him to say anything else unless he had no resumes on his desk or contacts to make.
"Good Lord! No one wants this job!!" would certainly be more entertaining though.
Quote from: JD24 on February 13, 2019, 11:47:48 AM
It was exactly a month between Carlson's firing and Ceccini's hiring under a bit different circumstances....season still going on being one of them. I'd guess a slightly shorter timeframe here unless there is no one acceptable.
I'm in agreement with uscvalpo in that MLB's comment that there is interest is fairly meaningless since I wouldn't expect him to say anything else unless he had no resumes on his desk or contacts to make.
"Good Lord! No one wants this job!!" would certainly be more entertaining though.
Almost regardless of the job, any assistant would want to be the head guy, unless you are an assistant at, say, Clemson, and making ten times the head coaching salary at Valpo.
As a result, there is little doubt that there is significant interest, at a minimum, and for many a very high desire to get the position.
Quote from: JD24 on February 13, 2019, 11:47:48 AM
It was exactly a month between Carlson's firing and Ceccini's hiring under a bit different circumstances....season still going on being one of them. I'd guess a slightly shorter timeframe here unless there is no one acceptable.
I'm in agreement with uscvalpo in that MLB's comment that there is interest is fairly meaningless since I wouldn't expect him to say anything else unless he had no resumes on his desk or contacts to make.
"Good Lord! No one wants this job!!" would certainly be more entertaining though.
That was November this is middle of February...huge difference. A month would not be a good thing.
We need quality not quantity of candidates. Who knows - maybe Carlson is ready for a return.
I heard there were two interviews today of highly qualified candidates. One in particular had an excellent interview. He had an excellent record at an Indiana non-scholarship school.
Non scholarship in Indiana means D-III, right? That's because NCAA D-II and NAIA schools do award FB schollys.
Excellent Record in D-III. Hmmmmmmmm.... There are 9 D-III football schools in Indiana. Three conferences are represented among them with the HCAC having 7 teams, the MIAA having one and the NCAC having the other.
Of the nine, the following have shown consistent winning performances in the last decade or so:
DePauw - HC Bill Lynch (43-17)
Franklin - HC Mike Leonard (124-50), 11 HCAC championships since 2003)
Rose-Hulman - HC Jeff Sokol (53-28), NCAA playoffs in 2016, never had a losing season
Trine - HC Troy Abbs (33-10) 2 consecutive MIAA conference championships the past two years
Wabash - HC Don Morel (25-5, 73-64 overall)
Interesting karma....
In 2010 and 2011 our Dale Carlson-coached Crusaders lost consecutive games to D-III Franklin 42-7 and 49-35.
Trine was the place where Dale Carlson got started
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 14, 2019, 04:57:59 PMNon scholarship in Indiana means D-III, right?
....or stealing Jeff Voris from Butler ;D
VULB62 gets the board research award for the day!
Trine owes Valpo one. Bring in Troy Abbs.
Quote from: usc4valpo on February 13, 2019, 04:34:45 PM
We need quality or quantity of candidates. Who knows - maybe Carlson is ready for a return.
Yes, and the return of the Joel Osteen, not related to Claude Osteen, quotes. I miss usc's reaction to those Osteen quotes the most. ;)
If any of the guys on the list in my previous post are considering the job, they should know that this is a complex situation.
First of all, they have to change recruiting gears. At the PFL level we recruit the kids who might not be FCS scholarship talent but just might be. The kids these guys have been recruiting, generally but not always, are not in that conversation.
Next, some of these D-III institutions have football facilities much better than Valpo. Whoa, come down.
Then, there is the pressure to not just compete, but strive for championships. Many of the D-III schools in Indiana have held onto their HC regardless of record. One is 0-50 at this point.
On the attractive side is the much higher profile and the fact that success at Valpo could translate to even better offers at a national level that people actually follow - few keep track of all the D-III schools that go to the NCAA playoffs. And you seldom ever see any D-IIIs on the ESPN crawler.
Also there is the PFL national schedule. The travel is really cool - coast to coast. Plus the body bag games that all PFL teams schedule result in some extra cash and extra notoriety and personal exposure. Cases in point: Valpo giving Montana a run for its money, Butler beating YSU, Stetson beating Brown.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 14, 2019, 04:57:59 PM
DePauw - HC Bill Lynch (43-17)
Franklin - HC Mike Leonard (124-50), 11 HCAC championships since 2003)
Rose-Hulman - HC Jeff Sokol (53-28), NCAA playoffs in 2016, never had a losing season
Trine - HC Troy Abbs (33-10) 2 consecutive MIAA conference championships the past two years
Wabash - HC Don Morel (25-5, 73-64 overall)
It would seem that a move to Valpo might be considered a lateral move for the majority of these head coaches, at the time they coached at these schools.
Quote from: bbtds on February 14, 2019, 07:33:09 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 14, 2019, 04:57:59 PM
DePauw - HC Bill Lynch (43-17)
Franklin - HC Mike Leonard (124-50), 11 HCAC championships since 2003)
Rose-Hulman - HC Jeff Sokol (53-28), NCAA playoffs in 2016, never had a losing season
Trine - HC Troy Abbs (33-10) 2 consecutive MIAA conference championships the past two years
Wabash - HC Don Morel (25-5, 73-64 overall)
It would seem that a move to Valpo might be considered a lateral move for the majority of these head coaches, at the time they coached at these schools.
Some of these guys are still pretty young (graduating in the late 70s- early 80s). Might still have that upward mobile gene still at work and, though it is non-scholarship (just like DIII), it is a move up in the NCAA hierarchy. Instead of massed among 300 or so DIII schools, the number is more like 100+ FCS.
Oh, and I believe Valpo would pay a bit better than a lot of DIII schools. And they would pay assistants better as well which could come into play in terms of pulling together a staff that is in lock step with the HC.
One more thing. I may be wrong about this, but I believe DIII Coaches cannot recruit off campus. Meaning, there is no travel budget to visit kids in their respective high schools. Someone correct me if this is incorrect. Valpo has a recruiting budget that flies coaches to the 4 points of the compass and flies recruits in for visits. Big difference.
I did not say a current coach at one of those schools. None of those names are the name I heard. It's a former coach at one of them though.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 14, 2019, 07:48:09 PMOne more thing. I may be wrong about this, but I believe DIII Coaches cannot recruit off campus. Meaning, there is no travel budget to visit kids in their respective high schools. Someone correct me if this is incorrect. Valpo has a recruiting budget that flies coaches to the 4 points of the compass and flies recruits in for visits. Big difference.
Div III coaches recruit similarly to Div I and II....or are certainly permitted to. If a particular school has no budget for travel, that obviously plays into things. On the other hand, Div III recruits have unlimited official visits unlike Div I and II which have limitations.
Quote from: Valpo89 on February 14, 2019, 09:24:32 PMI did not say a current coach at one of those schools. None of those names are the name I heard. It's a former coach at one of them though.
Two names would be Erik Raeburn who's currently free from duty after 3 down years at Div II Savannah St. He had a great record at Wabash. 78-13 (54-6 in conference. 5 of 8 years in Div III playoffs.
The other is Mike Land of Trine. He's their AD currently but had a solid record prior to Abel taking the job. Much less likely in my view.
No other logical choices (my logic) and therefore can't POSSIBLY happen! ;D
Quote from: Valpo89 on February 14, 2019, 09:24:32 PM
I did not say a current coach at one of those schools. None of those names are the name I heard. It's a former coach at one of them though.
OMG, does his last name begin with...... Carlson?
Quote from: JD24 on February 14, 2019, 09:50:17 PM
Quote from: Valpo89 on February 14, 2019, 09:24:32 PMI did not say a current coach at one of those schools. None of those names are the name I heard. It's a former coach at one of them though.
Two names would be Erik Raeburn who's currently free from duty after 3 down years at Div II Savannah St. He had a great record at Wabash. 78-13 (54-6 in conference. 5 of 8 years in Div III playoffs.
The other is Mike Land of Trine. He's their AD currently but had a solid record prior to Abel taking the job. Much less likely in my view.
No other logical choices (my logic) and therefore can't POSSIBLY happen! ;D
Savannah State has been at the FBS level in the MEAC now heading back to D2. Honestly not sure why you would leave Wabash for that disaster of an athletic department.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 15, 2019, 01:18:44 AMQuote from: JD24 on February 14, 2019, 09:50:17 PMQuote from: Valpo89 on February 14, 2019, 09:24:32 PMI did not say a current coach at one of those schools. None of those names are the name I heard. It's a former coach at one of them though.
Two names would be Erik Raeburn who's currently free from duty after 3 down years at Div II Savannah St. He had a great record at Wabash. 78-13 (54-6 in conference. 5 of 8 years in Div III playoffs. The other is Mike Land of Trine. He's their AD currently but had a solid record prior to Abel taking the job. Much less likely in my view. No other logical choices (my logic) and therefore can't POSSIBLY happen! ;D
Savannah State has been at the FBS level in the MEAC now heading back to D2. Honestly not sure why you would leave Wabash for that disaster of an athletic department.
A guess of mine would be that he wanted a chance to play with scholarships.
Looks like Cecchini chased the entire coaching staff except for the special teams coordinator. Miran announced as OC. Former VU Assistant Manalac is the new DC. Giacalone will be named something.
Erik Raeburn is one heck of a thought, he recruited me ran an excellent ship at Wabash
Not surprised Cecchini took staff, coaching trees is how college football works. Congrats to Miran, Giacalone, and Manalac. I have heard job is now down to seven candidates. I did not get any names.
I think the Crusaders will be just fine having time to think on things. Dave got a new locker room, jerseys, and weight room all comparable to our conference. He brought the overall talent of the roster up and I hear we are getting new turf this year.
It looks like one recruit did flip but the rest are fully buying into the University. Wabash and Valparaiso are very similar in cost, demographic (except Valpo has women) and academics. With his relationship with local high school coaches it is almost a no brainer.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 15, 2019, 12:01:14 PMLooks like Cecchini chased the entire coaching staff except for the special teams coordinator. Miran announced as OC. Former VU Assistant Manalac is the new DC. Giacalone will be named something.
Done deal as soon as the offensive staff (what remained) was removed from the Valpo website. Manalac was a good hire by Bucknell. Better choice, in my opinion, than Valpo's current DC.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 15, 2019, 02:43:34 PMHe brought the overall talent of the roster up and I hear we are getting new turf this year. It looks like one recruit did flip but the rest are fully buying into the University.
The problem currently is that the recruiting class is 18-19 players when the numbers leaving are nearly that number. We also don't know if the roster loses more from the committed list and/or the thought to be staying list because of the coaching change. In addition to that, this is typically a time when Valpo is picking a few recruits up and I haven't seen anything indicating that this has happened. I'd imagine the remaining staff is just trying to hold on to what they have at this point. They may also be more focused on their own careers and spending time on contingency plans if/when they are not retained. It's a tough spot for them.
In terms of the talent of the roster, I'd argue any talent upgrade was marginal at best over what they inherited.
I think the the quality of the men improved more so than the talent did. Coach definitely picked academically stronger kids and those that were better fits and had better attitudes than the prior coach did but I don't know if the talent really jumped up. I think what we saw more in improvement was just a better coach and better men vs a drastically better recruiting class year over year.
Quote from: Valpo89 on February 14, 2019, 09:24:32 PM
I did not say a current coach at one of those schools. None of those names are the name I heard. It's a former coach at one of them though.
Does he have a son that wears a super bowl ring?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hopefully we hear something by mid-week.
Giacalone and Matt Ford who was with Valpo 2 seasons ago were officially hired by Bucknell. OL and TEs respectively.
So...... with DC hiring Miran(OC), Manalac (DC) , Giacalone, and Ford, five (at least) out of 9 key position coaching slots are filled by former Valpo staff. Although not precisely a match, it will, in the future, provideus somewahat of a barometer of where Valpo was over the previous 5 seasons: same guys, different place. If DC and company turn Bucknell around fairly fast it validates what DC did here to an extent. I certainly hope he does very well so that our improvement gains a little traction.
However, if not, maybe not -- especially when you consider that ....
> Bucknell has tons more money (Bucks, get it? ;D ),
> A beautiful stadium that seats. 13,100 https://bucknellbison.com/facilities/?id=5 (check out the photos)
> A coaching slot just for strength and conditioning (no position work identified)
> They, like all Patriot Teams since the 2016-17 academic year, can award 60 full equivalent football scholarships
Some other background;
Bucknell's UG enrollment is 3,650
Endowment is $801 million (4th in the PL - But #1 Boston University does not play football - their hockey program is pretty good thoiugh
Bucknell offers 11 men's and 13 womens sport tieing them with Lehigh and Holy Cross for #1
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 18, 2019, 01:40:24 PM> A beautiful stadium that seats. 13,100 https://bucknellbison.com/facilities/?id=5 (check out the photos)
Named after Christy Matthewson who could probably wake from the dead and help Valpo as a punter.
Quote from: JD24 on February 18, 2019, 02:46:11 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 18, 2019, 01:40:24 PM> A beautiful stadium that seats. 13,100 https://bucknellbison.com/facilities/?id=5 (check out the photos)
Named after Christy Matthewson who could probably wake from the dead and help Valpo as a punter.
Matthewson is certainly an interesting story.
'Christy Mathewson is exactly the kind of role model we should be holding out to student-athletes,' he said. 'He achieved at an entirely different level.'
So a few hours before Saturday's kickoff against Dartmouth, Bucknell will christen its 65-year-old football field Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
Mathewson starred in three sports at Bucknell before joining the New York Giants in 1901. However, he left a legacy few college athletes today could match.
The Factoryville, Pa., native was a straight-A student. He was class historian and president of his junior class. He sang first bass in the glee club and played bass horn in the band. He was a member of the Euepia literary society, the Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity and Theta Delta Tau honorary society.
'Those are aspects of his career we would hope any athlete or any student would try to emulate,' Sojka said. 'Literally, he was a scholar, a singer, a musician, a writer, a leader -- the whole works.'
And Mathewson was an athlete. He was the basketball team's starting center. In his sophomore year, his only season on the baseball team, he compiled a 7-3 record. His biggest success came at football, where he played fullback and kicker. In three seasons, Mathewson scored 13 touchdowns and kicked eight field goals.
A 48-yard field goal from a difficult angle against Army in 1899 so impressed Walter Camp that the legendary coach proclaimed Mathewson the 'greatest drop kicker in intercollegiate competition.'
The facility was originally named Memorial Stadium in honor of wartime veterans in the Bucknell community. As a war veteran, Mathewson is already listed on a plaque in the stadium.
'The stadium is being dedicated to Christy Mathewson, but it remains dedicated to those people it was previously dedicated to,' Tufts said. 'We want this to continue to honor him and all those who served their country.'
Tough fighting the long history of those darned eastern schools.
Have heard that coaching search is down to five John Snyder, Ernest Moore, Erik Raeburn, Ted Karras, and i did not get a name for the last one
Side roster notes:
Freshman Center Riley Edgerton is transferring to University of Indianapolis (D2)
Freshman Tackle Adam Meyer has left team
Meyer had a good frame but was a project, Edgerton was a shoe in for the backup center role and showed promise last season on scout team
Interesting list...
- Sure would like to know that final name
- Any one know what Karras has been doing since leaving Walsh in 2016?
- Snyder seems like the player's choice, but is he connected enough to assemble a staff?
- Is Moore ready to the face of the program, recruit nationally, etc.?
- Still trying to figure out why Raeburn thought SSU was a good fit. I understand the lure of the FBS, but nothing about his previous successful experiences transfer there. Valpo seems much more in line with his previous experience.
I'd have to believe that 1 or 2 of these guys will be on campus this week....
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AM
Side roster notes:
Freshman Center Riley Edgerton is transferring to University of Indianapolis (D2)
Freshman Tackle Adam Meyer has left team
Meyer had a good frame but was a project, Edgerton was a shoe in for the backup center role and showed promise last season on scout team
Meyer was a 215 LB Offensive lineman he was way too light. I was surprised they didn't make him a TE. Edgerton is a loss.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 19, 2019, 11:16:52 AMQuote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AMSide roster notes: Freshman Center Riley Edgerton is transferring to University of Indianapolis (D2) Freshman Tackle Adam Meyer has left team Meyer had a good frame but was a project, Edgerton was a shoe in for the backup center role and showed promise last season on scout team
Meyer was a 215 LB Offensive lineman he was way too light. I was surprised they didn't make him a TE. Edgerton is a loss.
I think Meyers was the guy talked about on this board as hoping he could catch so he could play TE because of his weight. Edgerton going to Indy is disappointing. He may have even played this upcoming season if plans on some of the OLmen who have initially indicated they'd come back as 5th year seniors change their mind(s) particularly with the coaching change. Indy has a very good program.
Quote from: NWIGuy on February 19, 2019, 10:43:38 AMInteresting list... - Sure would like to know that final name
- Any one know what Karras has been doing since leaving Walsh in 2016?
- Snyder seems like the player's choice, but is he connected enough to assemble a staff?
- Is Moore ready to the face of the program, recruit nationally, etc.?
- Still trying to figure out why Raeburn thought SSU was a good fit. I understand the lure of the FBS, but nothing about his previous successful experiences transfer there. Valpo seems much more in line with his previous experience.
I'd have to believe that 1 or 2 of these guys will be on campus this week....
Without knowing who the final candidate is, Raeburn would be my choice based on his past.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AM
Have heard that coaching search is down to five John Snyder, Ernest Moore, Erik Raeburn, Ted Karras, and i did not get a name for the last one
Raeburn had a very solid winning record at D-III Wabash (78-13) and Coe College (57-26) before that. Jumping to the FCS MEAC conference to take the SSU job was a scratch my head kind of decision, but he did some good things before being fired after only his third season at the helm. He was 8-23 there and 6 of those losses were body bag games against FBS schools like UAB, Miami (FL), Appalachian State, GA Southern and Southern Miss. He won more games in only three years than that program won in the previous six (5).
I checked his three year record (2016-2018) against the team's record from 2010 to 2015 before he arrived. Although 2018 was counter to the previous two seasons, they still were very competitive in conference games but lost some close games. It's apparent he made over the program and his firing was a shock to him. Here's a link to the article: https://www.savannahnow.com/sports/20181207/football-coach-erik-raeburn-i-had-no-idea-savannah-state-firing-was-coming
Raeburn2018 - 2-8, 1-6
2017 - 3-8, 3-5
2016 - 3-7, 3-5
Predecessors2010 - 1-10 overall , 0-0 conf)
2011 - 1-10, 1-7
2012 - 1-10, 0-8
2013 - 1-11, 0-8
2014 - 0-12, 0-8
2015 - 1-9, 1-7
And I concur with JD24. This guy can coach.
Just checked out the SSU coaching staff page. Raeburn is still listed and pictured as the HFBC if you can believe that. I also noticed that a few of the assistants were there only a couple of seasons (hired by Raeburn) and they also may be on the street with the coaching change. Wouldn't be surprised if they wind up at Valpo if Raeburn gets the job.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2019, 02:40:08 PMQuote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AMHave heard that coaching search is down to five John Snyder, Ernest Moore, Erik Raeburn, Ted Karras, and i did not get a name for the last one
Raeburn had a very solid winning record at D-III Wabash (78-13) and Coe College (57-26) before that. Jumping to the FCS MEAC conference to take the SSU job was a scratch my head kind of decision, but he did some good things before being fired after only his third season at the helm. He was 8-23 there and 6 of those losses were body bag games against FBS schools like UAB, Miami (FL), Appalachian State, GA Southern and Southern Miss. He won more games in only three years than that program won in the previous six (5). I checked his three year record (2016-2018) against the team's record from 2010 to 2015 before he arrived. Although 2018 was counter to the previous two seasons, they still were very competitive in conference games but lost some close games. It's apparent he made over the program and his firing was a shock to him. Here's a link to the article: https://www.savannahnow.com/sports/20181207/football-coach-erik-raeburn-i-had-no-idea-savannah-state-firing-was-coming Raeburn 2018 - 2-8, 1-6 2017 - 3-8, 3-5 2016 - 3-7, 3-5 Predecessors 2010 - 1-10 overall , 0-0 conf) 2011 - 1-10, 1-7 2012 - 1-10, 0-8 2013 - 1-11, 0-8 2014 - 0-12, 0-8 2015 - 1-9, 1-7 And I concur with JD24. This guy can coach.
One assistant at Wabash is now HC at Wabash. Doesn't appear that he took anyone from Wabash to SSU.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 19, 2019, 11:16:52 AM
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AM
Side roster notes:
Freshman Center Riley Edgerton is transferring to University of Indianapolis (D2)
Freshman Tackle Adam Meyer has left team
Meyer had a good frame but was a project, Edgerton was a shoe in for the backup center role and showed promise last season on scout team
Meyer was a 215 LB Offensive lineman he was way too light. I was surprised they didn't make him a TE. Edgerton is a loss.
I'll have to stop by UIndy and see what Valpo lost in Edgerton.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2019, 02:56:04 PM
Just checked out the SSU coaching staff page. Raeburn is still listed and pictured as the HFBC if you can believe that. I also noticed that a few of the assistants were there only a couple of seasons (hired by Raeburn) and they also may be on the street with the coaching change. Wouldn't be surprised if they wind up at Valpo if Raeburn gets the job.
Just checked another page at the SSU site-- Staff Directory. Only 4 football coaches remain listed: Shawn Quinn (Interim HC), Russ DeMasi, Glenn Davis, Thomas Simms.
Gone are:
Bill Rychel - former OC/OL -- Mount Union UG and Coe PG (in tune with Raeburn's alma mater and coaching travels)
Nathan Scola - former running back coach - Wabash grad '14
Anthony Neymeiyer - former TE coach - Wabash grad '09, EMU Masters and OL coach at EMU
Paul Humphries (no bio on the website)
SSU is transitioning out of FCS and going back to NCAA D-II starting in 2019.
Quote from: bbtds on February 19, 2019, 03:33:02 PMQuote from: IndyValpo on February 19, 2019, 11:16:52 AMQuote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AMSide roster notes: Freshman Center Riley Edgerton is transferring to University of Indianapolis (D2) Freshman Tackle Adam Meyer has left team Meyer had a good frame but was a project, Edgerton was a shoe in for the backup center role and showed promise last season on scout team
Meyer was a 215 LB Offensive lineman he was way too light. I was surprised they didn't make him a TE. Edgerton is a loss.
I'll have to stop by UIndy and see what Valpo lost in Edgerton.
Edgerton's hometown is close enough to Indy that maybe being able to be either closer to home or being able to commute may have played a factor in his departure.
Quote from: JD24 on February 19, 2019, 04:53:06 PM
Quote from: bbtds on February 19, 2019, 03:33:02 PMQuote from: IndyValpo on February 19, 2019, 11:16:52 AMQuote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2019, 07:52:58 AMSide roster notes: Freshman Center Riley Edgerton is transferring to University of Indianapolis (D2) Freshman Tackle Adam Meyer has left team Meyer had a good frame but was a project, Edgerton was a shoe in for the backup center role and showed promise last season on scout team
Meyer was a 215 LB Offensive lineman he was way too light. I was surprised they didn't make him a TE. Edgerton is a loss.
I'll have to stop by UIndy and see what Valpo lost in Edgerton.
Edgerton's hometown is close enough to Indy that maybe being able to be either closer to home or being able to commute may have played a factor in his departure.
I hadn't noticed the hometown of Martinsville. It's near 25 minutes from my house.
Hearing that Erik Raeburn is the guy, announcement may come as early as Thursday
If that is true.......... Not knowing some of the other candidates (especially mystery guy 5) I still think that he might be the best choice and he's certainly well qualified. Coach Snyder and Coach Moore were good candidates but lacked the pedigree Raeburn would bring to the program. Coach Snyder left at the end of the season, so I assume he will not return in an asistant's role. Coach Moore, is a good guy and liked by his players. He might not continue in the DC role under a new coach, but he might stick around. If he's the guy, I wish I knew more about Raeburn's offensive system and defensive philosophy.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2019, 05:26:17 PM
If that is true.......... Not knowing some of the other candidates (especially mystery guy 5) I still think that he might be the best choice and he's certainly well qualified. Coach Snyder and Coach Moore were good candidates but lacked the pedigree Raeburn would bring to the program. Coach Snyder left at the end of the season, so I assume he will not return in an asistant's role. Coach Moore, is a good guy and liked by his players. He might not continue in the DC role under a new coach, but he might stick around. If he's the guy, I wish I knew more about Raeburn's offensive system and defensive philosophy.
The interim HC at Savannah was their DC so there may be an opening for Moore here.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2019, 05:26:17 PMIf that is true.......... Not knowing some of the other candidates (especially mystery guy 5) I still think that he might be the best choice and he's certainly well qualified. Coach Snyder and Coach Moore were good candidates but lacked the pedigree Raeburn would bring to the program. Coach Snyder left at the end of the season, so I assume he will not return in an asistant's role. Coach Moore, is a good guy and liked by his players. He might not continue in the DC role under a new coach, but he might stick around. If he's the guy, I wish I knew more about Raeburn's offensive system and defensive philosophy.
Raeburn's offense appears to be a read option offense. His QBs appear to carry the ball a significant amount in addition to being pretty good throwing the ball as well. I only looked at his last 3-4 years at Wabash which covered a few QBs so he may be flexible in gearing his offense to the personnel but it appears this is what he'd like to recruit to. I checked him out a few days ago when his name first came to mind. I'll look a bit more into it over the next few days and see if I can detect any trends. With current personnel, Seewald would be less of a factor. Duncan would have been more of a factor and Markoff should have stuck around. However we'll see.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 19, 2019, 07:00:08 PMQuote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2019, 05:26:17 PMIf that is true.......... Not knowing some of the other candidates (especially mystery guy 5) I still think that he might be the best choice and he's certainly well qualified. Coach Snyder and Coach Moore were good candidates but lacked the pedigree Raeburn would bring to the program. Coach Snyder left at the end of the season, so I assume he will not return in an asistant's role. Coach Moore, is a good guy and liked by his players. He might not continue in the DC role under a new coach, but he might stick around. If he's the guy, I wish I knew more about Raeburn's offensive system and defensive philosophy.
The interim HC at Savannah was their DC so there may be an opening for Moore here.
Hate to be negative but that's not necessarily a good thing. I've thought a change was needed there for a while.
If Raeburn believes in a certain defensive scheme/philosophy it will be up to his DC to install it and run it. And after so many successful seasons using the stuff he likes, I'm sure he knows exactly what his defense will be. If Raeburn is the guy and he interviews Ernest to see if he can do what he, ER, wants, and Ernest can go with it, I think he stays. OTOH, If ER wants a specific DC, then it will probably be Ernest's decision to stay in a position role or leave. There is something to be said for some carryover from staff to staff.
On another tack, it seems odd that Dave did not take Ernest with him and hired Manalac, who worked under Moore, as his new DC. If Dave was not happy with the defense here at Valpo, he should have made a leadership change. But he didn't.
I read that Raeburn's salary at SSU was $125,000.
That is correct, 72, according to newspaper accounts I also read. That's what they hired him in with. Don't know with annual increments and possibly some incentives, what it was when they fired him. But I have to believe that is in teh Valpo balllpark, no?
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 20, 2019, 04:15:06 PM
That is correct, 72, according to newspaper accounts I also read. That's what they hired him in with. Don't know with annual increments and possibly some incentives, what it was when they fired him. But I have to believe that is in teh Valpo balllpark, no?
I would think so. Obviously the basketball coach makes a lot more but the head guy in football should be around that number at least to start.
Take it for what it's worth, but... a friend of a friend says he heard that there is an HC candidate on campus today at Valpo. Did not have a name for me...
Year Team W L PPG PAPG NET
2018 Savannah St. 2 8 13.4 29.3 -15.9
2017 Savannah St. 3 8 19.5 31.6 -12.1
2016 Savannah St. 3 7 14.3 30.8 -16.5
2015 Wabash 12 1 38.9 11.9 27
2014 Wabash 10 2 38.3 14 24.3
2013 Wabash 9 1 46.6 11.3 35.3
2012 Wabash 8 2 29.7 13.1 16.6
2011 Wabash 12 1 31.9 12.9 19
2010 Wabash 8 2 33.8 14.3 19.5
2009 Wabash 9 2 38.8 14.7 24.1
2008 Wabash 10 2 39.4 18.3 21.1
2007 Coe College 7 3 22.5 14.9 7.6
2006 Coe College 7 3 28.1 16.1 12
2005 Coe College 9 2 30.1 15.2 14.9
2004 Coe College 7 3 24.4 19.3 5.1
2003 Coe College 5 5 29.2 24.4 4.8
2002 Coe College 10 2 30.7 14.4 16.3
2001 Coe College 6 4 21.3 16.2 5.1
2000 Coe College 6 4 27.8 19.6 8.2
#1 SR. K Dimitrios Latsonis is transferring according to his twitter
So we're going for it on 4th down and for 2 points every time now without a punter and a kicker.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 21, 2019, 12:38:22 PM
#1 SR. K Dimitrios Latsonis is transferring according to his twitter
The first job of the new hire should be to contact the punter and kicker and rerecruit them. Both are currently without a new home.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 21, 2019, 03:41:37 PM
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 21, 2019, 12:38:22 PM
#1 SR. K Dimitrios Latsonis is transferring according to his twitter
The first job of the new hire should be to contact the punter and kicker and rerecruit them. Both are currently without a new home.
Will Latsonis graduate this spring? If so, he can do the grad transfer thing and I'll bet there are scholarship schools that wpoul;d scoff him up in teh blink of an eye.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 21, 2019, 03:41:37 PMQuote from: valpofb16 on February 21, 2019, 12:38:22 PM#1 SR. K Dimitrios Latsonis is transferring according to his twitter
The first job of the new hire should be to contact the punter and kicker and rerecruit them. Both are currently without a new home.
With both players having clear sailing to the fulltime job, it would appear that they just don't want to be on the Valpo football team or at the school or both...for whatever reason.
I just find it amazing that every school within a 100 miles can't be sent an email to find a kicker and punter who has the wherewithall to attend Valpo and have it be successful in finding a couple of players. There have been years when punter and kicker both go 3 deep in the not too distant past.
Agreed Carlson felt the need to have 5-6 specialist on team while Cecchini has trimmed that number to 2-3, It really comes down to not recruiting any for last class as I am sure they felt they were set for the near future.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 22, 2019, 03:36:03 PMAgreed Carlson felt the need to have 5-6 specialist on team while Cecchini has trimmed that number to 2-3, It really comes down to not recruiting any for last class as I am sure they felt they were set for the near future.
Being "set" should never have occurred to them. There was a game a few years ago, IIRC, in which Catrine ended up punting.
As an aside, Valpo's now 2 1/2 weeks without a HC, the interim HC on twitter begging for recruits and the program getting commitments from 6'4" 190lb "linebacker"s.
The good news? Assuming a coach is hired next week, he'll have just enough time to shake the hands of the players as they leave campus for 2 weeks for spring recess. Upon their return they'll be a week or so for the new coach to prepare the team for spring ball and ultimately the spring game.
Quote from: JD24 on February 22, 2019, 09:48:50 PM
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 22, 2019, 03:36:03 PMAgreed Carlson felt the need to have 5-6 specialist on team while Cecchini has trimmed that number to 2-3, It really comes down to not recruiting any for last class as I am sure they felt they were set for the near future.
Being "set" should never have occurred to them. There was a game a few years ago, IIRC, in which Catrine ended up punting.
As an aside, Valpo's now 2 1/2 weeks without a HC, the interim HC on twitter begging for recruits and the program getting commitments from 6'4" 190lb "linebacker"s.
The good news? Assuming a coach is hired next week, he'll have just enough time to shake the hands of the players as they leave campus for 2 weeks for spring recess. Upon their return they'll be a week or so for the new coach to prepare the team for spring ball and ultimately the spring game.
Moore's post on Twitter is no different from last years recruiting coordinator posts. In fact he recently put a similar post about Bucknell.
Yeah, that's standard recruiting operating procedure along with posting stuff about graduation rates, job placement ratios and how great the engineering department is, etc. So at least the recruiting to-do list is being follwed while we are in the HC vacuum. But JD24 does point to the awkward timing cycle we are in due to the vacancy not being filled yet. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that spring ball is pushed as far into spring as possble to allow for the transition to the new coach and his staff. Checking Bucknell twitter, DC is still completing his staff. Our new guy, whoever he may be, has to work fast.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 23, 2019, 10:21:27 AM
Yeah, that's standard recruiting operating procedure along with posting stuff about graduation rates, job placement ratios and how great the engineering department is, etc. So at least the recruiting to-do list is being follwed while we are in the HC vacuum. But JD24 does point to the awkward timing cycle we are in due to the vacancy not being filled yet. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that spring ball is pushed as far into spring as possble to allow for the transition to the new coach and his staff. Checking Bucknell twitter, DC is still completing his staff. Our new guy, whoever he may be, has to work fast.
[/b
But, as with DC, the new guy will in all likelihood, bring a bunch of coaches with him, right?
Betcha some of his SSU guys who are no longer listed on teh SSU site are primed and ready to come over (oops! I divulged my preference ::) ) Thinking the new guy will just have sort out the guys DC left behind and see how it all comes together. So much to do this spring We are starting from scratch!
Quote from: vu72 on February 23, 2019, 11:16:04 AM
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 23, 2019, 10:21:27 AM
Yeah, that's standard recruiting operating procedure along with posting stuff about graduation rates, job placement ratios and how great the engineering department is, etc. So at least the recruiting to-do list is being follwed while we are in the HC vacuum. But JD24 does point to the awkward timing cycle we are in due to the vacancy not being filled yet. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that spring ball is pushed as far into spring as possble to allow for the transition to the new coach and his staff. Checking Bucknell twitter, DC is still completing his staff. Our new guy, whoever he may be, has to work fast.
[/b
But, as with DC, the new guy will in all likelihood, bring a bunch of coaches with him, right?
Rarburn's top assistant (OC/OL) is the new HC at St Thomas Fla who is starting football. Between who he make plus the SSU holdovers there may be none left.
Quote from: IndyValpo on February 23, 2019, 05:23:06 AMQuote from: JD24 on February 22, 2019, 09:48:50 PMQuote from: valpofb16 on February 22, 2019, 03:36:03 PMAgreed Carlson felt the need to have 5-6 specialist on team while Cecchini has trimmed that number to 2-3, It really comes down to not recruiting any for last class as I am sure they felt they were set for the near future.
Being "set" should never have occurred to them. There was a game a few years ago, IIRC, in which Catrine ended up punting. As an aside, Valpo's now 2 1/2 weeks without a HC, the interim HC on twitter begging for recruits and the program getting commitments from 6'4" 190lb "linebacker"s. The good news? Assuming a coach is hired next week, he'll have just enough time to shake the hands of the players as they leave campus for 2 weeks for spring recess. Upon their return they'll be a week or so for the new coach to prepare the team for spring ball and ultimately the spring game.
Moore's post on Twitter is no different from last years recruiting coordinator posts. In fact he recently put a similar post about Bucknell.
I'm aware of that. That wasn't the main focus of the post....or shouldn't have been.
At this point, it's probably best to hire the HC and have him focus on his offensive assistants initially and maybe go through spring ball with the current leftovers from the defensive staff and make any changes during the offseason. My concern is that the first choice was not able to agree and we're moving down the list. There should have been enough time to interview 1 and interview 2 candidates and hire from the moment Cecchini left assuming Valpo was really prepared for the situation which Valpo should have been.
For grins and something to do on a Saturday afternoon, if that is the case (couldn't come to agreement), I wonder what the deal breaker(s) would be.
+. Salary? - proabbly not, cuz I think DC was in the 6 figures range and, as we mentioned earlier, if it was Raeburn, we know what he made at SSU and the thought was that it was in the ballpark.
+. Number of years? - should be a minimum of 4, no?
+. Buy-out clause? - too onerous, after losing DC so abruptly?
+. Family moving costs? - don't know if that is part of the bargaining process in collegiate athletics.
+. Number of and salaries of assistants? - could be an issue if the staff size was a hang up point and the guy knew he couldn't get who he wanted at the salaries offered.
+. Recruiting budget? - that's an unknown
+. Facilities improvement promises? - although new turf is going in before the 2019 season, perhaps upgrading of offices or replacementof the grandstand/pressbox to make the venue look more like a college stadium than a mid-sized HS facility.
Anything else that coiuld be a show stopper?
We'll also never know who the first choice was leaving all of those questions unanswered whether the first choice is hired or not.
......... unless this is one of those protracted negotiations with #1 that has lots of PIA detail that needs to be ironed out. This is frustrating.
[Man, I hope Raeburn is still in play].
What I know is Raeburn was there Thurs-Fri
The fifth unknown name was Landon Fox, Daytons defensive coordinator
I know they were close with Raeburn to the point of players meeting with him
I think Snyder, Moore are out
That leaves Raeburn, Fox, Karras
An extremely interesting Raeburn side note,
He utilized the heck out of his JV team at Wabash, I believe this is something that by definition could come back. Valpo had JV teams under Stacey Adams, the rule is you have to have one for non scholarship football if you bring over 110 kids into camp (don't quote me on that)
The problem was with Adams is how do you convince a kid to choose Valpo over competing D2's, several other non scholarship schools in more ideal locations, and then turn around and play JV football against D3 schools for a year (which eliminates a redshirt)
I would actually be for this as it has proven to work at other non scholarship schools, lets us have higher overall amount of players, and gets kids game reps as soon as possible
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 25, 2019, 11:39:26 AM
An extremely interesting Raeburn side note,
He utilized the heck out of his JV team at Wabash, I believe this is something that by definition could come back. Valpo had JV teams under Stacey Adams, the rule is you have to have one for non scholarship football if you bring over 110 kids into camp (don't quote me on that)
The problem was with Adams is how do you convince a kid to choose Valpo over competing D2's, several other non scholarship schools in more ideal locations, and then turn around and play JV football against D3 schools for a year (which eliminates a redshirt)
I would actually be for this as it has proven to work at other non scholarship schools, lets us have higher overall amount of players, and gets kids game reps as soon as possible
Given our success rate on keeping 5th year seniors this does make sense if it could be pulled together
Along with Dayton's DC I have heard Rick Fox from Drake did apply for the job late as well which may have rearranged the hiring process
Rick Fox did a superb job with Drake. He would be an excellent fit here.
Paul
Whoa. Rick Fox is in the mix to? That's a game changer and understandably the process drags on. MLB has some quality candidates to chose among. That's good. I think part of the reason these guys are showing interest is that DC showed that Valpo could be a viable program.
Quote from: 78crusader on February 25, 2019, 02:19:31 PM
Rick Fox did a superb job with Drake. He would be an excellent fit here.
Paul
He did have a good run as Drake HC.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/drake/drake-bulldogs/2018/12/10/drake-football-bulldogs-rick-fox-brian-hardin/2273635002/
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 25, 2019, 01:39:34 PMAlong with Dayton's DC I have heard Rick Fox from Drake did apply for the job late as well which may have rearranged the hiring process
One of those situations in which they have to determine how much his heart was into it. He basically walked away from Drake. The other issue would be whether he's still under contract with Drake and what would be the machinations for him satisfying that contract to take another with a league program.
Quote from: JD24 on February 25, 2019, 02:58:38 PM
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 25, 2019, 01:39:34 PMAlong with Dayton's DC I have heard Rick Fox from Drake did apply for the job late as well which may have rearranged the hiring process
One of those situations in which they have to determine how much his heart was into it. He basically walked away from Drake. The other issue would be whether he's still under contract with Drake and what would be the machinations for him satisfying that contract to take another with a league program.
I think you have hit on part of the problem with a speedy hire. Contracts. Mark and the candidate just don't shake hands and he starts tomorrow, unless it is someone on staff and even then, a head coach's contract is by its nature a lot more complicated than your typical employee. Those negotiations have to be run by ones lawyer, who may be in another state and, lawyers being lawyers would want to review the state laws governing the contract and advise accordingly. That could take some time. There could even be an investment advisor involved, who knows.
Good to see a D guy, Landon Fox, in the running. So MLB can chose between two Foxes and a Raeburn. ;)
I'd prefer that it be between the two guys with winning HCing records: Rick Fox or Raeburn. Ted Karras has an overall 72-72 record but had losing records in two of the three HCing jobs he held at the college level.
Comparison:
Raeburn: TOTAL HC SEASONS: 18 --- 7 seasons @ Coe College (57-26, two NCAA playoff appearances); 8 seasons @ Wabash (78-13, 5 NCAA playoff appearances); 3 seasons @ SSU (8-23 -FCS)
R.Fox: TOTAL HC SEASONS: 5 --- 5 seasons (33-22 overall), (28-12 PFL). PFL Finishes: T-3rd, T-4th, 3rd, 2nd, T-2nd
Karras: TOTAL HC SEASONS: 13 --- 3 Seasons @ Rose-Hulman (14-16); 6 season @ Marian (48-23 - NAIA National Champion in 2012); 4 seasons @ Walsh (10-33 record)
VULB#62 mentioned that VU could be a viable program.
This is going back a ways, but a VU alum named Jim Wacker once coached at Texas Lutheran (and later was the HC at TCU and then Minnesota). His team played VU in 1974. (I remember that game, since it was the homecoming game my freshman year.) We played a good first half and then got pummeled the second half. Texas Lutheran had a couple of jackrabbits who ran all over the field -- we simply could not match their speed.
After the game Wacker had supper with some VU profs. He told them privately that VU had a LOT of potential to become a really, really good football program. He rubbed his hands together when he said this -- sort of a "boy, what I could do here" kind of attitude.
I think that is still true, and DC was able to bring the program up several notches. I am optimistic the new HC will be able to deliver a very solid program within a short time.
Paul
Based on what I've learned on the PFL site, it seems that Rick Fox is a very religious man who wears his faith on his sleeve. I don't know if this is accurate, but religion may have been a factor in his sudden departure from Drake. Drake people do not feel there are any strings remaining on his contract. Additionally, Lurking Dog on the PFL site worries that if he gets the Valpo job that he will steal their best Chicagoland recruiter and bring him to VU.
I don't want to make RFox sound like a freak. He isn't. Take a look at where he went to school and what he studied,,,he is exactly what ypu would expect.
And for the record, I thpught Fox was Drake's best Chicago recruiter. He later delegated that turf to someone else.
Hire the Fox from Dayton! ;)
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 25, 2019, 09:40:36 PMBased on what I've learned on the PFL site, it seems that Rick Fox is a very religious man who wears his faith on his sleeve. I don't know if this is accurate, but religion may have been a factor in his sudden departure from Drake. Drake people do not feel there are any strings remaining on his contract. Additionally, Lurking Dog on the PFL site worries that if he gets the Valpo job that he will steal their best Chicagoland recruiter and bring him to VU.
The faith aspect is what I read, somewhere, that was a determinant in Rick Fox leaving Drake. My concern, and what should be Valpo's, is what has changed over the last 3 months. This is all assuming that the reports that he's interested are true. I don't think a situation in which Valpo is essentially attempting to talk him into taking the job would be good for Valpo.
Quote from: Lurking Dog on February 25, 2019, 10:37:17 PM
I don't want to make RFox sound like a freak. He isn't. Take a look at where he went to school and what he studied,,,he is exactly what ypu would expect.
And for the record, I thpught Fox was Drake's best Chicago recruiter. He later delegated that turf to someone else.
Hire the Fox from Dayton! ;)
Thanks for the clarification LD. Your point about RFox being a Wheaton grad is noted. LFox is a good candidate, but I'm holding out for a proven HC guy. DC was our hire-a-hungry-assistant step. Now we need to move to the next level with a guy who isn't learning on the job.
I guess the biggest question for Lurking Dog is...
Were you disappointed that RF resigned at the end of the season? Would you have preferred him to stay and continue as HC?
Quote from: NWIGuy on February 26, 2019, 11:32:01 AM
Were you disappointed that RF resigned at the end of the season? Would you have preferred him to stay and continue as HC?
I was trying to avoid answering that one. Lol.
I was not disappointed. The talent in the Drake coaching staff lies with three former Fox assistants. One is the new head coach at Drake, and I could see at least one of the other two as a future DU head coach.
Fox has frustrated many by not having his team ready to play at the beginning of the year (see '16 and '17 in particular). He often refers to the first three (non-league) games as "the preseason." Fox once scheduled a 12th game (and got a press release issued on it), only to have the entire Internet remind Drake that 12 games weren't allowed in FCS that year. Not always sure the lights are on with him.
I appreciate his work at Drake. Anyone who saw the Iowa State game knows he can motive kids. But I'm happy that Drake wasn't in a rush to extend his contract. I expect the Bulldogs will ultimately be better without him.
Hmmmmmmmmmm ........
Is there any chance that Rick Fox is not a candidate at all? Maybe never even applied? Word gets out that a "PFL coach" with the last name Fox is a finalist and maybe we all just assumed/hoped it was the Drake Fox...?
Landon Fox was on campus today. Raeburn was there last week. My guess is that coached gets named in 24 hours and meets with team on Thurs. just before the boys head home for Spring Break.
Timing makes sense if it's indeed down to LFox and Raeburn.
Quote from: NWIGuy on February 26, 2019, 03:15:48 PM
Is there any chance that Rick Fox is not a candidate at all?
Maybe it was Samantha Fox.
(http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/persons/698729/698729_v9_bb.jpg)
Or is it Red Fox coach Jim Parady that is being considered? That would be a sly JPFox move.
(https://goredfoxes.com/images/2017/6/28/parody.jpg?width=1440&quality=80&format=jpg)
Quote from: NWIGuy on February 26, 2019, 03:15:48 PMIs there any chance that Rick Fox is not a candidate at all? Maybe never even applied? Word gets out that a "PFL coach" with the last name Fox is a finalist and maybe we all just assumed/hoped it was the Drake Fox...? Landon Fox was on campus today. Raeburn was there last week. My guess is that coached gets named in 24 hours and meets with team on Thurs. just before the boys head home for Spring Break.
Any student with any sense of adventure would make sure he makes arrangements with his instructors to get out of there as early as possible. I bet by tomorrow afternoon the campus is pretty empty. So some hirin' and shakin' needs to happen pretty quick. Now into the 4th week of search.
If Mark Labarbara does not name a coach before spring break, having since February 3rd to do so. It will be an extreme failure for him as an AD. Spring practice is supposed to begin the week after spring break. Can you imagine kids going home for two weeks without any direction for the program. I would have to imagine several players and their families would be concerned and begin viewing alternatives.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 28, 2019, 09:03:56 AMIf Mark Labarbara does not name a coach before spring break, having since February 3rd to do so. It will be an extreme failure for him as an AD. Spring practice is supposed to begin the week after spring break. Can you imagine kids going home for two weeks without any direction for the program. I would have to imagine several players and their families would be concerned and begin viewing alternatives.
Bucknell completed their resign to hire in a little less than 3 weeks. Valpo's now nearly a week beyond that. Not sure how prepared Bucknell was for the resignation of the coach but it appeared they had a gameplan in place to replace that coach in an efficient manner. The way things have gone with Valpo's search it appears there was no plan in place when their clearly should have already been some action based on the Lehigh situation.
I didn't understand the week difference between one coach coming to campus and coach #2 coming to campus. Does that mean #1 turned them down?
At this point, even if the coach was named later today, the players are probably gone and would prefer not hanging around to meet the new guy.
If the preferred window is closed due to spring break, I would assume that a newly appointed HC would be extended the opportunity to set his own calendar (especially when spring practice would kick off) in conjunction with the time necessary to assemble and orient the new staff as well as start player meetings/interviews and familiarization. That could push spring ball into April. That should still be feasible, no?
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 28, 2019, 02:24:59 PMIf the preferred window is closed due to spring break, I would assume that a newly appointed HC would be extended the opportunity to set his own calendar (especially when spring practice would kick off) in conjunction with the time necessary to assemble and orient the new staff as well as start player meetings/interviews and familiarization. That could push spring ball into April. That should still be feasible, no?
Spring ball practice patterns typically are 3 or 4 days per week. i.e Mon, Wed, Fri and maybe Saturday. Spread out over 5 weeks and goes to the 3rd week of April already. I'll guess that they use that schedule. The good news is that the track meet Valpo has hosted since the track was installed has been pushed back a week into May. So it gives an extra Saturday to play with as far as an actual game or scrimmage day is concerned.
At this point Spring Ball is less of a concern than why anyone hasn't been hired to this point. It has all the makings of at least one coach turning them down but we'll see.
Tomorrow !!!
Quote from: football1960 on February 28, 2019, 06:14:47 PM
Tomorrow !!!
Yes, it comes after Today!!!. ;D
Seriously, do you have even a lttle bit of insider info or are you trolling?
I can back up football1960 heard that announcement is coming today, I have also heard Landon Fox is the front runner. I had confirmation Raeburn was the guy last week, if he ended up turning down Valpo due to final offer, the timeline would indeed make sense. They waited another week to bring in Fox because they thought they had their guy.
Speculation on the latter half, hopefully Marky L pulls through today.