Landon Fox has coached his last game at Valparaiso. AD Hosmer announced that his contract will not be renewed. Big shakeup on the way for a football team that was already losing a majority of starters to graduation.
I was just getting ready to post something about this, when I saw it pop up on the right under Latest Posts. He was in that spot that a rock and a hard place meet. Consider all the turmoil and administration he had to work with in his 6 years, from LaBarbara retiring, Heckler retiring, Small being hired, and then resigning, and Padilla coming in, and losing all confidence from the faculty and staff around campus. The transfer portal probably made him feel more like a general manager than a head football coach, plus all the coaching changes he had to make or endure because of the lack of money to be able to invest in seasoned veteran coaches who knew the game.
Who do we go looking for with this agency we hired to help narrow down the selections? A seasoned veteran head coach who doesn't want the mess of FBS anymore, or a younger guy with years ahead of him? I thought Fox was going to be great because he understood coaching in the non-scholarship ranks, but that was before the transfer portal and NIL started to run things. Where are we going from here?
I see 2 paths.
Path 1. You get a proven colligate coach that would be hired at a premium price, and still eat the difference on an OC hire.
Path 2. You get a high school coach with a proven track record in the high school format, pay significantly less than hiring a proven colligate head coach. And spend the difference on hiring an OC.
Given the situation, I thought Fox did as well as one would expect. I am having difficulty understand who Valpo can get as an upgrade. Maybe something internal is going on.
Paul just posted to twitter that there is a nationwide search taking place to find a new coach. I can only hope that this nationwide search is also attempting to find an OC as well.
Landon Fox loved Valparaiso and the team. He wanted to stay at Valparaiso. He led Valpo to the most conference success in 22 years. He had a winning record against lower division opponents.
Whoever , presumably a brand new AD, made an absolutely horrible call here. The offense finally had building blocks (which we can probably say goodbye to Caron / Givens)
Fox reached to alumni. Completely brain dead decision unless they are cancelling football. Which would be another brain dead decision.
how one does that 24 hours after the perseverance the team showed against Davidson. Absolute BS
I guess the last think admin wanted to see as a final game was a miracle finish.
Fox was neither a must go or must keep. So I can't get particularly emotional about it either way.
Rez: It’ll be a whole new staff (depending on who they hire, of course). Any new guy will, at minimum, bring in his favorite OC and DC. But the search cannot drag on for months. Any chance of keeping the better players we have evaporates as time wears on. Letting Fox go at this point without a plan and resources for a cash infusion and upgrades to the FB program will only result in the program’s downward trajectory. I seriously wonder if a turnaround is possible with the support level we have witnessed over Fox’s tenure.
I was surprised but, like 24, not shocked. I also see a lot of truth in what 16, stated. The timing of the decision totally negates the excitement over that miracle win. It’s like it didn’t even happen. Fox will quickly sign onto a DC job at a respectable full scholly FCS program. He’s too good at what he does not to.
Fox may have been good with PR and the fanbase/alumni, but in recent years, that success seemed to falter. You can be a really nice and approachable guy, but if you aren't producing wins on the field, why are you going to keep that guy? Also idk where this success is, but looking at the records going back to 2005. I cannot find a whole lot of 5+ win seasons let alone seasons with "success". At least, according to Valpo's website with archived information that is.
Sure, he may have been a really good guy, for players, and fans to like, but at the end of the day, the hard truth of any sport is, if you aren't winning, the top brass isn't going to view you in high regard. I've had my fair share of really good coaches as well, always willing to lend a hand.
I don't blame Fox for his lack of success entirely, he was dealt bad hand after bad hand after bad hand, but in the eyes of the media, the top brass, and the fans, the head coach always seems to handle the brunt of the blame regardless of who is at fault.
I know a large contingent of us are bears fans, but with offensive woes, no one blamed Shane Waldron, no one Blamed Luke Getsy, the brunt of the blame fell upon Fluss and Nagy. Its an evil world the role of a head coach. Certainly Fox is a good guy, but he simply didnt see a whole lot of happiness in the win column. Wish him all the success he rightfully deserves with a team that has deeper pockets.
As someone that played under Coach Fox, he is someone that embodies the definition of “Football Guy.” He lives and breathes football. The news today is unfortunate as his record does not reflect the true impact he had on the program.
It has become evident over the last few seasons that he is not getting the same amount of resources as most of the other PFL teams. You can hold that against him for not getting more out of what he has available, but that’s the situation that was handed to him.
This is a really big gamble by Hosmer. Hopefully it pays off and they don’t lose too many key contributors to the Transfer Portal.
Fox withstood Covid and kept a non scholarship roster in tact. Take out the first 1-11 season (which that roster was ripped to the studs on offense). Fox was 20-31.
take out 7 pay games from 19-24 Fox was essentially 20-24 after his first season against like talent
the Margin for error in football at a school like Valparaiso with its resources is absolutely minimal A .500 record there with the pay games and college football landscape is borderline winning the Super Bowl.
Fox A) was a lifer at Valpo and B) found a way to make us extremely competitive on the defensive side of the ball. (Last game led LEADING rushing attack in FCS to lowest yardage output).
It is easier for us to slip back into Carlson ranks than it is to win a PFL championship. A PFL championship with Valpos current commitment is laughable.
this is as bad as it gets to be honest.
Not happy about this. The results make this a 50/50 proposition but I would have leaned the other way.
Fox was really emotional during the press conference yesterday I wonder he already knew.
Fox withstood Covid and kept a non scholarship roster in tact. Take out the first 1-11 season (which that roster was ripped to the studs on offense). Fox was 22-30.
If you look at only his PFL conference record from 2020 to 2024, he went 16-21 (0.432). Obviously not ideal, but it’s still a significant improvement over the past few coaching regimes.
The amount of one score games he was in was also fairly significant. If he had even an average level PFL play caller, they likely win a few more games.
This screams new AD trying to make a splash
While I don't really follow Valparaiso football all that much, this seems like a curious decision. Success has been so hard to come by at Valpo, and Fox seems to have done an admirable job given the massive challenge. I think Purdue fans would love to send Ryan Walters up north! Lol.
