Mlive: Nuss, DG, and the O-line.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:17 AM ^
Couldn't edit my typo in Melanie MaxWell's name, so you've given me an excuse to post her other Chesson picture. I obsessed about which to choose. Chose the one above because it seemed to show his surprising linebackerish strength and power. But love this photo, capturing his expected athleticism. (Or is that "athletic-ness?")
August 31st, 2014 at 12:32 PM ^
August 31st, 2014 at 1:03 PM ^
If the results continue to be impressive throughout the season, i would be nervous he bolts after this year. No matter what i don't see him staying longer than 3 seasons tops.
August 31st, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^
it means Nuss has succeeded. And if I, too, can speculate, maybe his next job is a HC position somewhere he can prove himself and then a chance to step up to the job as Hoke's successor at Michigan in 8-10 years or so .
August 31st, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^
Assuming that Brady Hoke is still here three years from now, I don't think replacing Nuss will be a problem. He has shown a remarkable ability to attract talented players and coaches to the organization. It is entirely justifiable to say "What about Al," but I think his track record with personnel has been strong. Even with Al, he was loyal to a fault, but made the decision to change coordinators when something better became available.
August 31st, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
He wants to be a head coach, so he will leave sooner or later. As long as he has a significant part in picking his successor at Michigan, I'll be happy. Game recognize Game.
August 31st, 2014 at 2:00 PM ^
A few things:
- First thing's first. We creamed App State. Yes, in the manner in which we WANTED to--getting holds in the OL and on the ground, but it's still App State. As others have said, we could also beat ND and we really won't know much until Penn State and MSU.
- If this does bring a new era of success at Michigan, and Nuss is in fact a major part of that, then good for him and us. If another program poaches him for a HC spot in a few years because Michigan is now suddenly a national power and in the 4 team playoff, then that's a high class problem for us to have. As others have said, I think Hoke could develop a reputation of attracting young coaching talent, giving them room to succeed on their own, thus creating a launching platform/pipeline for future HC's around the country. That would not be a bad thing. Maybe Nuss gets poached by, say, a Purdue or Northwestern as a HC, and then in 8-10 years Hoke steps back and we bring Nuss back as the next HC.
- Ideally though, this is what I'd love to see---we experience a return to greatness under Hoke. Other programs come sniffing around for Nuss in 2-3 years, and we essentially lay out a 5 year plan. Don't even let Nuss get off campus because there's no guarantee we would ever get him back. He's got three young kids in grade school or younger. Make the sales pitch that rather than being a journey man coach, he should stick around Ann Arbor--a GREAT place to raise a family--at least until his kids are grown and out of the house. Make Nuss one of--if not the--highest paid coordinators in college football, and add the title of Assistant Head Coach to his job description so he starts seeing the other elements of the team in a more holistic way. Mattison has no designs on ever being a HC, so essentially make Nuss the heir apparent. But do it WITH the explicit understanding that Hoke would be stepping back in another 5 years (7-8 years from now). It wouldn't be some vague promise. Hoke would be in his mid-60's and you'd obviously have to get buy-in from him. Dave Brandon will have completed his massive $$ raising and infrastructure building campaign, so much of the difficult-yet-necessary-work will have been already done. At some point he'll want to leave to run for governor or US senator or something anyway. The athletic facilities will be set for a generation, and yet the student & season ticket holders will need some serious fence-mending once Brandon is gone. Hoke is known as a "player's coach", so you get him to step back and become a "fan's AD" to basically rebuild the goodwill of the fans. People say one of Hoke's greatest assets is just being a giant cheerleader for Michigan. I could see him being an excellent "peace ime" AD for the school.
But this was App State. Things are looking about as well as we would have expected in the most perfect scenario. Only time will tell, but it is fun to fantasize/speculate about being at the dawn of a successful era of Wolverine Football.