coaching changes
jay hopson
corwin brown

Goodbye: Jay Hopson Comment Count

Brian

This qualifies as big enough news.

obi-ezeh-smoked    

The twitters are reporting that linebackers coach Jay Hopson is expected to get the defensive coordinator job at Memphis. Dienhart:

Michigan LB coach Jay Hopson has been tabbed to be Memphis defensive coordinator.

Bruce Feldman is also reporting it.

Instant reaction: good luck with that, Memphis. This site's patience with Hopson ran out two plays into the Notre Dame game this year when Obi Ezeh failed to diagnose a screen and Armando Allen ran for 20 yards. That was Notre Dame's longest run of the year by 20 yards. (ZING!)

After that game I laid out a bunch of facts that pointed to a post-season exit:

Mouton and Ezeh belong to Jay Hopson, and the inside backers are the only guys who belong to Jay Hopson, and they're playing terribly. As far as recruiting goes, Hopson got shut out of Mississippi last year and was the guy responsible for recruiting both defensive tackles who bolted on Signing Day. …I don't recall any recruit mentioning Hopson this year. This blog's even got a tag about Mississippi because of it, and Michigan has shifted its focus away from all the places Hopson has connections. The number of kids they're recruiting in Mississippi is zero, and I can't recall anyone they're seriously involved with who's in the deep south.

Unless the two inside guys get radically better over the rest of the season, I wouldn't be surprised if Hopson was replaced.

After the Wisconsin debacle:

Wisconsin's passing game was almost exclusively zingers over the middle to incredibly open receivers 20 or even 30 yards downfield. On every damn one both MLBs were vastly out of position and the throws were easy. The pair was also very poor in run support: Graham and Martin combined for 21 tackles. They [Ezeh and Mouton] combined for eight!

These are returning starters and redshirt juniors. They have gotten so much worse this year, and it's obvious to everyone from Bret Bielema to stupid bloggers with charts. There is not quite enough data to outright support the ouster of a coach but I find it hard to believe that Jay Hopson could be any good. Maybe he just got stuck with mugs, but Jesus these guys can't even scrape to the right hole when Wisconsin is literally running the same play to different sides of the line four times in a row. Is this a defensive scheme change? I don't think so. Run to the damn hole.

Now that he's actually gone, it's no sugarcoat time: Hopson failed at all aspects of his job at Michigan. At least Tony Gibson can point to the walk-ons and whatnot when attempting to explain what went wrong with his section of the defense; Hopson had two redshirt juniors with three years of starting experience between them. They went backwards, and the big-time recruit backing them up also proved unready.

Meanwhile, a—possibly the—primary reason Michigan lacks depth on the defensive line and might have to turn down a couple of recruits who want to come was Hopson getting "commitments" from two defensive tackles who eventually went to Arkansas and Texas Tech on signing day. Arkansas and Texas Tech! It's not like Florida or Oklahoma or LSU swooped in on these guys.

When Michigan pulled out of any area Hopson had recruiting connections in and the linebackers imploded, this was a matter of time. Hopefully Michigan takes the opportunity to pick up a coach with serious experience or established recruiting chops. Michigan fans will immediately turn their eyes to Corwin Brown, who killed Michigan as Notre Dame's DB coach/DC, but he's an awkward fit because neither he nor Tony Gibson has ever coached linebackers. If Michigan hands the linebackers to Greg Robinson they might be able to use Gibson and Brown as ninja recruiters who split the secondary. I have no idea if that's possible; Robinson's last job as a position coach was a stretch as a DL coach for the Jets from 1990 to 1993. Since then it's been coordinator or head coach.

This makes Rodriguez 0/2 on his new hires since coming to Michigan, with Greg Robinson currently sporting an incomplete. If Rodriguez doesn't make it at Michigan the guys he picked to run his defense will be a primary factor.

Comments

markusr2007

December 23rd, 2009 at 3:21 PM ^

I know. Preposterous. He's already got a sweet DC job at WVU and probably would take over once Bill Stewart leaves. Casteel is a maniac at coaching linebackers and defense in general. He's also a pretty decent recruiter. How he'd ever take to working under Greg Robinson, well, it's impossible so I'll shut up now.

Joined: 10/21/2008

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mgovictors23

December 23rd, 2009 at 4:49 PM ^

I feel sorry for Memphis, have fun with your terribly coached defense next year. I don't really know any good linebacker coaches out their hopefully we get a guy that teaches good technique and at least has some recruiting ability.

Joined: 05/03/2009

MGoPoints: 99

los barcos

December 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 PM ^

thing he took a "promotion" so i didnt have to cheer a man losing his job. now our rise from the ashes can begin. the only question is, whose the new guy? as a good dr. once said, whats the scorehere, whats Next?

Joined: 03/27/2009

MGoPoints: 10797

M.I.Sicks

December 23rd, 2009 at 5:40 PM ^

Bring in CHUCK AMATO!!! There is so much going on right now within the Seminoles program. No sooner had Bowden's retirement announcement become official, Jimbo Fisher, the head-coach-in-waiting, began taking action. He began overhauling this coaching staff, as expected. He told four coaches they would not be retained. The group includes executive head coach Chuck Amato, who coached linebackers; running backs coach Dexter Carter; defensive ends coach Jody Allen and strength coach Todd Stroud, who came to Florida State with Amato after Amato was fired at North Carolina State.

Joined: 03/06/2009

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wishitwas97

December 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 PM ^

you're wrong that Hopson is a terrible coach. He was highly regarded defensive coach and he still is. If you look at Southern Miss, they consistently were in the top 15 in defense. It was completely different system than what Michigan runs. They were quick, relentless and an attacking defense. Hopson coached out of position and he's more of a DB coach than a LB coach. Memphis got a hell of a DC IMO. I would not be surprised to see Memphis defense among the top in the country in the not so near future.

Joined: 01/29/2009

MGoPoints: 91

Beavis

December 23rd, 2009 at 6:09 PM ^

That's great dude. Doesn't change the fact that our LB play this past year was awful, it was inconsistent in 2008, and Hopson's recruiting was rather... dreadful. But keep on telling yourself that Hopson will be a true asset to Memphis.

Joined: 07/28/2009

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wishitwas97

December 23rd, 2009 at 11:33 PM ^

til you eat your words about Hopson as a DC. He was a great DC at Southern Miss. He will be a big asset for Memphis. I know that and IMO, RR should've hired Hopson to be a DC rather than as a LB coach. You loved the defense that Hopson have at Southern Miss. They run 3-3-5 but it's not like Casteel defense. It's aggressive, attacking defense that can blitz from every angle possible. Our LBs were never real good to begin with. We have two converted MLB in Ezeh and Mouton but no true LBs. It wasn't like Ezeh and Mouton was a great LB at Michigan. Our LB talent were terrible and it is still the biggest weakness of the defense.

Joined: 01/29/2009

MGoPoints: 91

aaamichfan

December 23rd, 2009 at 7:24 PM ^

He is a terrible recruiter, and his coaching made two established LBers (Ezeh, Mouton) look like true freshmen. That being said, there is a lot to love about the guy...(sarcasm)

Joined: 10/23/2009

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wishitwas97

December 23rd, 2009 at 11:30 PM ^

if not next to impossible to land recruits from the deep south to come up to the north. Florida is not considered to be part of the deep south. When I'm taking about the deep south, I'm taking about Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisana, etc. Michigan would be lucky to land a true sleeper stud from that area because most of them tends to stay in the south. Hopson was never a LB coach. He coached a position where he shouldn't be coaching. He's more of a DB coach than a LB coach. There are coaches from the coaching circle holds Hopson in high regard, much, much higher than you think. He will be a great DC or a head coach down the road.

Joined: 01/29/2009

MGoPoints: 91

Brian

December 24th, 2009 at 12:04 PM ^

That is wrong. Hopson's USM defenses were 73rd, 30th, and 48th in total yardage. http://mgoblog.com/content/jay-hopson-dissected And the internet's most prominent USM fan's take was this: "Michigan fans will not like this, but Hopson’s defenses seemed to suffer from complete paralysis, mental and physical, against offenses that require more discipline than baseline reading and reacting." http://mgoblog.com/content/jay-hopson-further-dissected There is zero evidence that Hopson is anything other than mediocre.

Joined: 05/26/2008

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bleedzblue

December 23rd, 2009 at 6:51 PM ^

Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Hopefully we will see our LB's make some plays next year. There's no where else to go but up. Cheers to new and improved LB's next season.

Joined: 09/03/2009

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aaamichfan

December 23rd, 2009 at 7:19 PM ^

Thank God. I can confidently say Hopson was at least 75% responsible for the defense being terrible. This is the best news regarding Michigan Football in a long time.

Joined: 10/23/2009

MGoPoints: 14362

uminks

December 23rd, 2009 at 7:36 PM ^

I wonder if RR hinted to Hopson that he better find another job and quick! I can give Gibson some slack since the talent in our secondary was much lower, But Hopson had some talent that failed to perform under his coaching reign. I hope our next LB coach is as tough as nails as well as being a good coach. This defense needs to hit harder and tackle better!

Joined: 11/10/2009

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wishitwas97

December 23rd, 2009 at 11:36 PM ^

told, nor hinted to Hopson to find an another job. They wanted him back for '10 season. Gibson is a terrible DB coach but is an great recruiter. It would have been better if Hopson can move to coach DB, move Gibson to help coordinate recruiting and then hire a LB coach. The DB techniques is pretty bad and they really don't turn their head to look for the ball. Gibson does not do a good job of teaching CBs on jamming routes.

Joined: 01/29/2009

MGoPoints: 91

wiscwood

December 23rd, 2009 at 9:12 PM ^

Now that it has been identified that UM needs a good LB coach, let's go get one. How can you not have good coaches and not know until season's end? Move forward please Michigan!

Joined: 07/24/2009

MGoPoints: 31

V.O.R.

December 23rd, 2009 at 9:15 PM ^

Coach Rod has got to let Greg Robinson hire Hopson's replacement. It would help at least in a few ways: 1) Since coach GR knows defense better, then he should be able to better evaluate the proper staff qualifications for that position. 2) It gives GR some additional ownership of the defense and what happens. If it's his guy then he takes the flack for it. At the current time, coach Rod put this defensive staff together and maybe for the wrong reasons(?). 3) With a better linebacker coach that has a greater skill set, it should transfer to the players. The rule of thumb is, that you can't teach what you don't know. The linebackers for their part, needs to know how to make rapid adjustments on the field of play, and make better decisions. 4) I've gotten the impression somehow that Hopson was never really happy here. Maybe he felt out of place, I don't know. If he's not recruiting well, it's difficult to convince recruits to come to a place that you yourself is not sold on.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: 13

UMxWolverines

December 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 PM ^

Maybe this is a good thing? I mean the linebackers can't play any worse than they did this past year can they? Hell I don't think the defense could be any worse next year either.

Joined: 03/01/2009

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Deli Cuts

December 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 PM ^

Maybe I am way off base here but what do you guys think about hiring Chris Speilman if he was interested? He was a hell of a linebacker in college and the NFL, has roots in Ohio (which has produced some solid LB recruits over the past few years) and Michigan (played and later did radio broadcast for the Lions), and as an NFL broadcaster is obviously very eloquent and charismatic which should make him a good recruiter.

Joined: 12/01/2009

MGoPoints: 44

Poster Nutbag

December 24th, 2009 at 12:17 AM ^

I think there would be a contract out on him if he did that, given what he means to osu and all that he has done for the university. Don't get me wrong, if it were to happen that would be awesome because he was a great player and would be an amazing coach and recruiter!

Joined: 07/02/2008

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wiscwood

December 24th, 2009 at 1:31 PM ^

What some people don't know is that Chris Speilman wanted to go to Michigan as a lad. His father forbade him going "up North", something about being cast out of the family forever. Yea, it is just that serious in this rivalry. Speilman would, but politically for him it would not work. He respects the traditions of cfb. One person that I think people overlook is a friend of mine, Ron Simpkins. He has the most tackles in Michigan History (571 since 1966). He was one of Bo's boys and he was a MLB. Ron is a UM ambassador. He knows the Detroit area very well. I think he coaches high school players in the state of Michigan. He also is an occasional guest analyst on Rival's The Wolverine.com website.

Joined: 07/24/2009

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maizenbluenc

December 24th, 2009 at 8:58 AM ^

So this writing was on the wall for a while. Possibly since the signing day debacle. All season Kiper has been projecting Obi as a decent draft pick. I'm sorry Obi, but it must be projecting, because it didn't show on the field. And then there was my frustration every game when the DB or the linemen made the tackles - never the linebackers. Even my son in pop warner knows if you want tackle stats, you want to be the linebacker ... I think when Rich Rod evaluated last season and ousted Shafer as a non-fit personality wise. He held onto Hopson to anchor the two recruits. That didn't pan out, and in year two the spotligt glaringly focused on Hopson, who couldn't make ends meet with projected NFL talent. Rich didn't just come to this, if we saw it, he certainly did. This was a firing in a nice way. (Kind of like Corwin Brown being kicked upstairs and moving Tah-Noo-Tah in as DC). Well good luck to Jay in the new job. Maybe it really is a better fit for him. GERG, go get us someone who can coach linebackers! Go Blue!

Joined: 07/21/2009

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jamiemac

December 24th, 2009 at 11:44 AM ^

Right now, I am LOLing at Brian's "vacation" News never takes a break. I'm not sure what to make of this, its easy for all of us amateurs to dins a scapegoat. that said, its a wonderul opportunity to bring somebody high caliber in to the program.....here's hoping Rodriguez actually interviews people for the position, unlike how he handled filling the DC position when he arrived in town. Frankly, we're still chasing that lack of foresight.

Joined: 06/30/2008

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OregonWolverine

December 24th, 2009 at 4:31 PM ^

I can't say I know for sure how good an LB coach Hopson was. But I hope, from my own selfish point of view, that he was really, really terrible. Because, other than his replacement, I don't see much room for optimism about next year's D. Anyone care to talk me down from that?

Joined: 12/19/2009

MGoPoints: 402

readyourguard

December 25th, 2009 at 6:40 AM ^

In 86, Gary Moeller was moved to OC and Lloyd Carr was made DC/LB coach. Carr never played nor coached LBs up until that point. He turned out guys like JJ Grant, John Milligan, and Erik Anderson. Not bad for a guy who had no prior experience at the position. I mentioned it a few weeks ago, but I think Mike Mallory is a guy worth looking in to. He was a M LB, coached the position at the collegiate level, and is currently as assistant special teams coach in the NFL. I'd like to think the allure of an assistant coach's position at his alma mater would be more attractive than his current job.

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