Bielema to take Arkansas job

[Funketown]

The way college coaches are moving between NCAA programs this offseason is pretty similar to how players move up the ranks in the English Premier League and other European soccer leagues. If you're on a mid-table club and have one or two good years, you'll probably be transferred to a stronger club. The SEC is the biggest fish in the pond right now and I don't think anybody doubts that.

 

Look at where coaches go after a good year. Larry Fedora lead Southern Mississippi to a 12-1 season in 2011. This season Carolina hired him as their head coach to a 7-year deal. He went 8-4 and put together a top 20 recruiting class last season. Reports say that yesterday he interviewed for Tennessee's head coaching job. Chuck Strong, who just lead Louisville to a BCS appearance, was also interested in the position, but signed an extension at Louisville yesterday. It's rumored that Gundy (Ok St.) was also offered the Tennessee position.

 

You expect to see guys move from non-BCS schools to major conference schools (NIU and Kent State's coaches just took jobs at NC State and Purdue). I just don't ever remember seeing BCS coaches bolt to other major conference programs (okay, SEC) like we're seeing now.

[Lucroy fan]

Hey guys I just blogged about 8 guys I'd really like to see considered by Barry. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Warning: A lot of NFL names are on this list, because I believe its a huge recruiting advantage in the 21st century. I mean if Bill O'brien can outrecruit Wisconsin in his first year with massive sanctions attached to Penn State its obvious recruits care deeply about playing on Sundays. A lot of names have been discussed but some that I think deserve serious consideration are:

Kliff Kingsbury (Texas A&M OC)- Helped mold Case Keenum and "Johnny Football" could bring top caliber Qb's to WI

Joe Lombardi (Saints QB Coach)- My personal pipe dream

Josh McDaniels (Patriots OC)- Would be a bit of risk. At times looked like Bill O'Brien and other times like Lane Kiffin

 

Explanations and other candidates can be seen on the link

 

http://bennylips.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/8-choices-that-could-have-wisconsin-playing-in-the-national-title-game-in-4-years/

[patrickgpe]

i'm warming up to the idea of bevell in the last 24 hrs. probably doesn't help in recruiting though.

[Lucroy fan]

i'm warming up to the idea of bevell in the last 24 hrs. probably doesn't help in recruiting though.

I don't know about that. He coached Favre and Wilson in the pros thats got to be more marketable then playing for Canada as far as recruiting offensive players

[patrickgpe]

the problem is that i am assuming if you wanted to hire him you would have to wait until after the playoffs is done for the seahawks. recruiting is going on right now and it puts the badgers at a big disadvantage to the other 11 schools in the B1G.

[MJLiverock]

Is it possible he had some sort of falling out with Barry Alvarez? I can't believe he couldn't have come back and said "Hey, I got this offer from Arkansas, can you match it?" and Barry wouldn't have if something wasn't going on.

 

This morning a co worker whom I know knows a number of former Badger coaches and has some decent connections in the athletic department said he was hearing there was a bit of a falling out, mainly over assistant coaching salaries. He said he heard that BB was tire of losing people to other programs for bigger dollars and then trying to replace them on a shoestring budget. The effort of replacing the 6 guys last year and missing out on targets over money was a problem, and that the O-Line coach was sort of forced upon him by BA as an example of a guy who would come here for the money that BA liked. Since he was a BA guy and not necessarily a BB guy this is why he was let go so quickly and replace with essentially a grad assistant. Guys like Bostad were gone even if Chryst hadn't left because the money was too much elsewhere for him.

 

This jibbed with a Tweet I saw from the Cleveland Plain Dealer about the the money being raked in by the B10 needs to spread around to the assistants who make about half what SEC counterparts do.

 

Now I see after work today that there are quotes from Bielema that assistant pay was a problem. A Wis. State Journal article also says Bielema could have gotten a bigger bump in base pay but he wanted to be sure there was a good pool of money to pay assistants.

 

All of this leads me to believe my friend's comments are getting close to the mark for at least some of the reasons for his leaving.

 

As far as leaving before the bowl game, this is standard practice for any college coach, the new school wants them on campus and recruiting ASAP as do they because signing day is in late Jan./early Feb. The old school wants them gone so they can get the new coach on campus to try and hold together whatever verbals they have and salvage something of a recruiting class. This is my big fear, defections will come fast and furious leading to a bad class and then taking the new coach a couple years to get his act going unless he already has a big name or contacts so there isn't a lull in recruits which snowballs into WI being back to just another mediocre school competing with MAC schools for talent.

 

I also saw on blogs that Arkansas offered the Boise State Coach and the TCU coach deals but were turned down so I think you can cross them off the list. Peterson at Boise is rumored to be just waiting for Chip Kelley to leave Oregon and he will head there while the TCU coach may just want to stay in Texas or has eyes on the UT job if Mack Brown gets canned soon.

 

As for the Bevell comments I just don't see any excitement for that hire. He may have been on the staff when Favre was QB but I don't think he was coaching him. Seattle's offense now is either run or have Wilson do a sandlot scramble to make something happen and isn't exactly consistent or viewed as high powered.

[burnzy24]

I also saw on blogs that Arkansas offered the Boise State Coach and the TCU coach deals but were turned down so I think you can cross them off the list. Peterson at Boise is rumored to be just waiting for Chip Kelley to leave Oregon and he will head there

 

 

Apparently there is mutual interest between UW and Petersen.

[mothershipconnection]

I really don't follow college football, but watching Bielema's play calling, I was often befuddled. I saw multiple games where his line could impose their will upon the defense and run like crazy, but they'd get cute and go to the air too often and drives would stall out. The TCU game stood out as particularly poorly-managed. When the defense knows you're running and still can't stop you, keep running.

[RockCoCougars]

Call me crazy, but I'm starting to get a hunch that Alvarez is coming back for at least a season, especially if the reports of his coaching the Rose Bowl are true. He could do so under the guise of easing the transition (there would probably be fewer defections, etc.) and doing a thorough search (also buying another year for Chryst). His ego is certainly big enough, and he's not really that old....heck, he's a young kid compared to Snyder.

[MJLiverock]

I really don't follow college football, but watching Bielema's play calling, I was often befuddled. I saw multiple games where his line could impose their will upon the defense and run like crazy, but they'd get cute and go to the air too often and drives would stall out. The TCU game stood out as particularly poorly-managed. When the defense knows you're running and still can't stop you, keep running.

 

Chryst was the play caller not BB.

[MJLiverock]

RockCoCougars, you may be right about BA but I really hope he doesn't come back for 1 season, the Rose Bowl game, fine but not a one year and name a coach in waiting thing again. For whatever reason a certain segment is to up in arms about not posting the job according to State rules, like it was an opening at the DMV counter. I just don't want to listen to that lame gripe anymore.

 

I really hope they stay dynamic and avoid the guys like Childress, his offense was run Dayne 40+ times a game and not real imaginative, he was lucky he had a once in a lifetime back that could carry that load. At MN wasn't he viewed as kind of a joke as a coach? Not a lot of control and or good game management?

[Hitman_Hart]

What about... [sarcasm]Tressel[/sarcasm]?

 

http://thestartingfive.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/tressel.jpg

[trwi7]

You have it in blue but I'd take Tressel in a second.

[Hitman_Hart]

I'd take Tressel too, it's blue because there's no way he, Alvarez, and their egos could coexist.

[fondybrewfan]

I would also take Tressel in a heart beat. Tressel vs. Meyer year in year out for the Division title would be great.

 

It probably will end up being one of these 4 guys

 

Paul Chryst

Mel Tucker

Al Golden

Darell Bevell

 

The money still has to be on Chryst but I wouldn't really object to any of the other guys. Al Golden is very intriguing to me. We will get the big horses no matter who we hire; I want someone that can recruit and develop the skill positions.

[brwrsfan]

From cnnsi...about Alvarez and about the Petersen rumor...

 

When in doubt, call in a legend. University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez will coach the football team in the Rose Bowl, the State Journal has confirmed. A source close to the UW football program said the team's captains reached out to Alvarez and asked him to coach the team. ... Another source close to the UW Athletic Department said Alvarez has been in contact with Boise State coach Chris Petersen and an interview could happen as early as Monday. Both UW sources spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they have not been cleared to speak publicly on these issues. Petersen, 47, is the winningest active coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, with an 83-8 record (.912 winning percentage) over seven seasons.

[fondybrewfan]

Sounds like BA won't even interview Chryst as he would feel guilty about taking him back after only one year at Pitt.

 

Peterson would be a great hire; I am pretty skeptical about us actually getting him though. With Chryst out of the picture I really have no idea who Option #1 is going to be; although BA did say he wants someone with head coaching experience. Peterson or Al Golden sound great to me.

[brwrsfan]

Petersen would be great - he recruited great players and won at a place like Boise State...can't imagine what he would do at Wisconsin. That being said....I'm not sure I'm buying it. He's had numerous other offers and has never left. What would we have that would be the tipping point? I don't think he's from around here or anything?

[fondybrewfan]

I think it is kind of funny that Alvarez had a potential replacement in for a talk not 5 minutes after Bieliema told him he was leaving. Part of that is coincidence but Alvarez obviously had some names in mind if Bret ever bolted. I would be curious to know who Barry called literally right after he heard the news? Quite a few interesting tidbits in the presser today. Doesn't have to be a WI guy but he will only be looking at guys with head coach experience at first. So that rules out Bevell unless he doesn't find anyone with experience first.

[MJLiverock]

I have been hearing that Alvarez knew Bielema was gone after the season, just didn't know where, from multiple people with connections to the program so I am not surprised he was quick with names and ideas, not to mention they all keep a short list of guys for such occasions.

 

Peterson would be a pretty impressive get, but as others have said he has turned down offers before and may be biding his time for something bigger like Oregon, USC, Texas. I have my doubts WI would get him and even then be able to keep him for very long unless they are willing to really open up the pocketbook for he and assistants.

 

As for Tressel I believe he has a "show cause" from the NCAA attached to him, meaning something like that the sanction Ohio State got follow him to any school that hires him for X amount of years unless the school can show cause as to why they shouldn't. I seriously doubt Barry wants to bring in a new coach that causes a bowl ban for a couple years and scholarship restrictions.

[PeaveyFury]

Seems unlikely that Barry would have known anything considering how big a deal he made about lack of protocol and not being told until it was a done deal.

[LouisEly]

Great discussion - would love to see more of you over in Lambeauleap.net:

 

http://forum.lambeauleap.net/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=1803&start=20

[fondybrewfan]

Word is that Peterson is in for an interview early this week.

 

Back up the truck.

[JJHardy7]

BB's in-game coaching left something to be desired...it was pretty horrible IMO. He can recruit, but I think he's in for a rude awakening in SEC country. The blunders he makes will be all the fans will talk about...especially if he's losing.

[MJLiverock]

As of this morning the BSU AD said Peterson hasn't informed the he is interviewing anywhere and is still in Boise. I think he is still a big longshot.

 

I also saw Mel Tucker said he is not interested at this time.