Hokebits Assemble Comment Count

Brian

Mike Martin returns. Here's one punch in the solar plexus avoided:

"Yup, I'm staying," said Martin, a junior defensive tackle from Detroit Catholic Central who reportedly considered leaving U-M early for the NFL draft.

I'm pretty sure this was happening in any case, especially after his effectiveness plummeted thanks to his ankle injuries, but w00t nonetheless.

Exeunt Barwis. Devin Gardner has tweeted his goodbyes to Mike Barwis, so that's official then. I will miss the circle of death. I feel like posting a kitten but that seems wrong so via EDSBS here's Neko Case with a sword:

neko-case

Is the saddest part of all of this having to retire the "eeee I'm a little girl for Mike Barwis" tag? Probably. We'll always have the wolf-ridden Yukon tundra.

Staff filling out. According to the local paper Al Borges won't be the only assistant moving with Hoke from San Diego State:

Offensive coordinator Al Borges and running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Jeff Hecklinski have already confirmed they are gone. Offensive line coach Darrell Funk and linebackers coach Mark Smith are expected to follow, which makes sense because both came with Hoke from Ball State.

Two guys are definitely staying and two others—QB coach Brian Sipe and TE/ST coach Dan Ferrigno—aren't definite at SDSU but seem likely to stay. That leaves holes at DC, QB, WR, DL, and DB. Borges was profiled yesterday when his hire was announced; the other guys are just position coaches with no other track record. San Diego State's website is fancy, though, and breaks them down in detail.

Hecklinski is in his mid-30s and came up at some truly obscure schools (including Fort Scott CC, the community college Demar Dorsey signed/set off a bomb at) before landing at Arizona to be the QB coach and passing game coordinator in 2003. Almost as soon as he arrived the Wildcats rose up in insurrection against John Mackovic; the next year he landed at Ball State as the WR coach and recruiting coordinator. He moved to RB coach when the staff went to SDSU. He was a quarterback in college.

Funk is mid-40s and has followed the same route as Hecklinski, working his way up from Muskingum College to Mesa State to Rhode Island and eventually NIU and Colorado State. He played at CSU and got his first student assistant gig there. In his two decades as a coach he's mostly done OL with some moonlighting as a TE or DL coach, and he split four weird years at Rhode Island between offensive line and… defensive coordinator.

Smith is in his 50s. He spent one billion years (22, precisely) as an Indiana State position coach before moving up to be the DC for two years. Hoke hired him when he showed up at BSU and made him his DC, whereupon Cardinal fans were not impressed. When Hoke moved to SDSU he took the opportunity to demote him to LB coach, allowing Rocky Long to come in and install his 3-3-5.

So… yeah. Pretty generic. Hard to have an opinion one way or the other given their nonexistent profiles. Official MGoBlog policy is that RB coaches don't exist except to recruit, anyway. 

Not an option. One name not in the running: Florida assistant and Michigan alum Chuck Heater, who will be Steve Addazio's DC at Temple. Does anyone else double-take when they're reminded Steve Addazio is a head coach somewhere? I bet Orson bursts out in seemingly unprompted laughter several times a day. This differs from two months ago because now people around him understand why.

Comments

jb

January 13th, 2011 at 7:59 PM ^

Not sure if anybody already posted this, but it gives me hope for the future...

I found it interesting the other coaches that OSU interviewed. 

full article http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2001/01/17/osu_coach/

"I had never coached a day as a head coach until I came here," he said. He added that until he actually coached at a major program with the resources of Ohio State, "I don't think anyone knows for sure."

Ohio State's other finalist was Minnesota's Glen Mason, a former Ohio State player and a member of the same Buckeyes coaching staff as Tressel for two years. Mason interviewed earlier Wednesday. Before flying back to Minnesota, he told reporters that his visit went well.

Geiger told Jeff Logan, a member of the advisory committee, that Mason was "devastated" when told that Tressel would be the new coach.

 

Tressel was expected to sign a multiyear contract paying him in excess of $1 million a year. His Youngstown State contract, which was to run out in June, gave him a base salary of $88,500 and a $20,000 annual stipend to also serve as athletics director. For winning a national championship, Tressel received an extra $5,000.

Others who either interviewed or spoke with Ohio State officials about the job included Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, current Buckeyes assistant head coach Fred Pagac, former Ohio State and NFL linebacker Chris Spielman and Stanford head coach Tyrone Willingham

beerhauler

January 13th, 2011 at 9:24 PM ^

From Michigan's Facebook page:

How do you top Brady Hoke's first day on the job? Announce that Denard Robinson has decided to stay at Michigan. Oh, and longtime Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson will be back too, according to Detroit News beat writer Angelique Chengelis.

Right on... GO BLUE!

mgoharter

January 13th, 2011 at 11:13 PM ^

This is great news!  I think it shows there is already a "buy-in" affect... even though nothing has been done on the field, the comments from the players (Koger) and the recruits (Hayes) is nothing but positive in a thus far craptacular 2011.

 

GO BLUE!

hammertime

January 14th, 2011 at 10:08 AM ^

Hoke doesn't move Denard to WR or something like that.  If he develops DR's throwing game, it needs some work obviously but I think he has a lot of promise to be more than a direct-snap RB.  Make defenses respect the passing game and DR won't get beat up so badly.

ppoenicke

January 13th, 2011 at 9:57 PM ^

Brian, great piece: it spoke to my frustrations as a Michigan fan, my hopes for RichRod, and my frustration with the Hoke hire.

To be sure, the Hoke hire represents a return to the old ways, the "Michigan ways" on offense and defense. Do you think it possible that Hoke could advance the program through pragmatism? Rich Rod brought the spread-n-shred to Michigan, and started to recruit players for his offense. Hoke has been flexible in his previous stints, and he must be flexible to be successful with this Michigan offense. He may want the classic Michigan pro-style, but he must use a hybrid of that style--at least the so-called "Gulf Coast" offense--to use the outstanding athletes (Denard) he has for the next two years.

What are the chances Hoke's offense in 2014 is another hyribd of the Gulf Coast, this time with some of spread-n-shred DNA from RichRod? I'd like to hear your opinion on this possibility of gradual evolution. A great Michigan man, Fielding Yost, wove punctuated equilibrium into Michigan's football heritage. Perhaps Hoke can gradually improve the program through his pragmatic attitude (and of necessity).

Icehole Woody

January 14th, 2011 at 7:49 AM ^

Good luck to Mike Barwis in his future endevours!  I'm sure he will be in high demand and will be able to write his own ticket.  Coach Barwis has certainly improved the physical conditioning of the Michigan football team over pre 2008 days but the results on the field, increased stamina, reduced injuries, etc. never lived up to the hype.  This is not Coach Barwis' fault, but rather those that spin unrealistic expectations for us poor fans.   I'm sure there are other less glitzy strength and conditioning coaches that can maintain and build on Coach Barwis' results.

I was really hoping Michigan would hire Jim Harbaugh as head coach.  But that did not happen for whatever reason.  Now that I've seen, heard, and learned more about Coach Hoke I am very pleased with the hire.   The more I hear the internet paparazzi belly ache about Fitzgerald, Gruden, and other glitter and rhinestone laden coaches that were not offered, not offered enough, or passed over desipe thier efforts the more I smile about Hoke. 

Go Blue!

GBOD79

January 14th, 2011 at 10:55 AM ^

Completely off topic but Neko Case is pretty hot. I have heard her music before but I have never seen a picture of her. I dont know, maybe its the sword haha

Der Alte

January 14th, 2011 at 11:00 AM ^

Sorry to see Mike leave. He was one of the few bright lights in the otherwise shadowed and foggy Rodriguez era. Oh, and for those who care about such things, Exeunt Barwis should be Exit Barwis. Exeunt is the plural form, as in "exit all."