Per Sam Webb: Jerry Montgomery leaving for Oklahoma
https://twitter.com/SamWebb77/status/305411332541390848
Apparently, Jerry Montgomery has left for Oklahoma...he was our primary recruiter for our three current commitments.
From the Scout article that isn't paywalled: "Contract details weren’t available at press time, but sources indicate that Michigan offered a competitive compensation package to Montgomery, but ultimately he felt the opportunity at Oklahoma was clearly one he couldn’t pass up."
I'm guessing they made him recruiting coordinator, which is something we couldn't match with Hecklinski here.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^
I'm always shocked when anyone leaves Michigan of their own free will. Good luck, coach, and thanks for your service.
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:36 PM ^
but disappointed he moved laterally and decided to leave this late in the coaching hire process (although who knows how significant a pay raise he got). Why I am not shocked: If you look at Montgomery's resume, he hasn't held a job for more than 2 years, and he was the one coach on the staff who didn't have a lot of ties to Hoke or Michigan. He actually left Indiana after less than a month after being hired to come to Michigan.
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jerry_montgomery_744092.html
February 23rd, 2013 at 5:43 PM ^
We'll find out when this is all said and done that there is more to it than just heading to Oklahoma for the same job. He's been promised something else. You don't leave a rising program that is gaining national recognition and has a chance to start competing for national titles without some other reason...Oklahoma is a good program, but an inferior school and is currently stuck in an unimportant conference.
Somehow--and I don't know how yet--this move benefits Montgomery beyond putting a few more bucks in his pocket.
February 23rd, 2013 at 5:44 PM ^
Great point about him leaving Indiana right after being hired by them.. He's a hired gun.
His coaching will be easily replace since we will still have Hoke and Mattison in addition to his replacement. The recruiting loss might be a little more difficult.
February 23rd, 2013 at 7:12 PM ^
I dunno. It's better that he left after all of the LOIs were signed. If he had left earlier, we might have lost a few commits.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^
Hate to see this! How will this impact Mone?
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^
Just saw this. I hope it doesn't have too much of an impact on recruiting.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^
Not good.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:25 PM ^
Poop. I don't understand it, but to each their own.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:25 PM ^
I'm betting he's getting a hefty raise and more responsibility, but on paper it seems like a lateral move. Punch to the gut.
I don't think it'll have much impact on our on the field play (no offense to Jerry, more of a Hoke, Mattison compliment) but recruiting hurts. We need to find another young guy with energy to fill the void. It wouldn't hurt to hire an African-American coach either. I'm just calling it how I see it and this leaves 65+ Fred Jackson as the only African-American member of our core coaching staff.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
I agree that we need to replace him with another African-American coach. Some people say it doesn't matter, but it does.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:45 PM ^
Roy Manning
2004 graduate. Former Linebacker. Saginaw Native. Current RB Coach at Cinci, and prior defensive assistant. I'm sure he knows plenty about coaching the DL from his experience as a player and defensive assistant. And I'm sure Hoke and Mattision can give him a little help as he "masters" the position.
There's no rumor here. Just one man's opinion on a good fit.
EDIT: Apparently the current RB coach at NIU, as of mid-January. I'm pretty sure we lured Bacari out of WMU weeks after he accepted a job so it wouldn't be unheard of.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:48 PM ^
Well, we hired Jerry Montgomery 3 weeks after he accepted a job at Indiana under Kevin Wilson.
February 23rd, 2013 at 6:03 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
Answer me this: Montgomery was one of the last hires by Hoke, and was coaching at Wyoming prior to Michigan. Do you think we'd be able to hire a better young, up-and-coming assistant coach in 2011 right after the RR era, or right now after we've had all this recruiting success and winning seasons?
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
Isn't this a lateral move? I'll be upset if Dave Brandon let OU out bid us for him, he was possibly our best recruiter
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:35 PM ^
but Greg Mattison is, without a doubt, our best recruiter.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:39 PM ^
Who else is left as a recruiter besides Mattison? Does Hoke even recruit? We're SCREWED!!1!
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:50 PM ^
Always Be Cobbling
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:14 PM ^
You rarely hear about a coach making a better impression than Montgomery. I can't recall who exactly, but I feel like I've heard multiple times that people loved Jerry because he was right up front with them. I seem to recall someone saying to the effect of 'Michigan had better not let him get away' because they were so impressed with him
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:42 PM ^
Is this the real QB Demetrius Brown?
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:27 PM ^
If so, he remains my favorite Michigan QB to this day. He threw such a pretty long ball. '88 was my favorite team. Should have won it all.
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:36 PM ^
i was at the msu game where he threw 7 INTs.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
damn that hurts. Was a nice youthful presence on a staff that is on the older side.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:27 PM ^
Well its certainly not good news, but its still early in the recruiting period to recover. Any ideas on a replacement? Maybe a chance Roy Manning comes back?
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:27 PM ^
this is horrible. we have to be viewed as the last destination. oklahoma? what could they possibly be offering other than money? DB has to step up.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:32 PM ^
For a guy like Montgomery who doesn't have the long ties to Hoke, it makes sense. Oklahoma probably opened up the bank for him, gave him a better title, and like it or not, the Big 12 is a better conference than the Big Ten right now. Hopefully, Michigan starts paying its assistants better and we're able to attract a good replacement.
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:38 PM ^
i highly doubt that, given their recent defections.
February 23rd, 2013 at 8:05 PM ^
You watched the Big Ten this year, right?
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:39 PM ^
So, you're saying the Big 12 is a better conference than the Big Ten (right now).
February 23rd, 2013 at 6:55 PM ^
After last season... it's like comparing a Ford Taurus and a Dodge Neon.
~Herm
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
they offer a quicker route up than we do. Mattison and Hoke are in this for the long haul. That means he'd be waiting a long time.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^
as opposed to stoops? come on.
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^
is definitely not in it for the long haul. i could see him retiring in a couple years. i hope not, but it wouldn't shock me.
February 23rd, 2013 at 5:49 PM ^
Maybe he's not in line for DC job after Mattison.
February 23rd, 2013 at 4:33 PM ^
The "destination" idea applies more to head coaches. Assistants regularly leave. Note that Hoke and Mattison also spend a lot of time with the DL, so it's possible Montgomery was looking for more responsibility.
February 23rd, 2013 at 8:45 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:27 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 6:59 PM ^
I think Mone would be under Hoke since he's primarily a 1 Tech.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:29 PM ^
Here's the short writeup on Scout about it.
http://michigan.scout.com/2/1269030.html#.USkkA6kwoco.twitter
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
I don't know much about Oklahoma's staff, but I wonder if he is making the move so that he has more control over the D-line. Here he had Hoke and Mattison also helping out, and although I'm sure he appreciated it, he learned what he learned and has moved on. I'm wondering how the staff chooses to replace the position on the staff. Another DL coach? A QB coach?
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
makes room for him. Go get him. Hoke can coach the Dline, that's where his passion is anyway.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^
Soup Campbell has got to be in the running. He's in the CFL coaching now (but not a HC). When Hoke first got here, according to Sam Webb back then (if I recall correctly), Soup was his first choice for WR coach. Soup turned him down to stay at Iowa. His answer might be different now.
February 25th, 2013 at 10:14 AM ^
Where would Soup coach? The offense looks fairly completed. We might need a QB coach, but the other positions are filled as well as defense. Only position left open is DL.