assistant coaches
mo linguist
george helow
[I edited this from a Cowboys interview that's a year and a week old]

Mo Linguist Named Co-Defensive Coordinator, George Helow Safeties Coach Comment Count

Seth January 20th, 2021 at 7:36 PM

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported this on Tuesday, and we’ve just been sitting on it watching basketball for a few days. Since it’s now been made official, let’s report it.

Mo Linguist has been everywhere, man. He’s a top cornerbacks guy, a good recruiter, and an absolute pro at moving cross-country—I have a Linguist map that covers 7,169 miles in tomorrow’s post. His short stint at Minnesota in 2017 is the only one I’ve scouted thoroughly and that was mostly making chicken salad with his entire starting four injured; that defense finished 32nd in S&P+ against the pass. Ed Warinner was also with Minnesota at the time so Linguist is familiar with someone on staff. Given the situation with Harbaugh this hire is pretty promising.

His recent two-year stay at Texas A&M yielded a couple of amazing recruiting classes, and he’s already gone to work on Michigan’s. Hopefully he can also reel in some impact transfers to help outside.

George Helow was Maryland’s linebackers coach last year, and was an intern or grad assistant for the entire Saban coaching tree. You’ll be happy to hear that safety seems to be his more natural coaching position, including his first official assistant job at Colorado State. He also played safety for Ole Miss in the late aughts, and only two of his many intern/grad assistant years were at linebacker when Locksley wanted to hire him. He was only at Maryland for a year, but he overlaps with co-DC Mike Macdonald on Richt’s staff at Georgia.

I’ll have a more in-depth article on the staff tomorrow.

There is no content after the jump.

Comments

bronxblue

January 20th, 2021 at 9:15 PM ^

It's obviously easier to recruit TX kids to A&M than elsewhere, but in Linguist's 2 years there he signed 4 safeties in the top 100 overall and a smattering of other top-100 recruits.  And his secondary at Minnesota was pretty good all things considered.  

I like that UM seems to be going after coaches with upside and youth vs. trying to trot out retreads.  It may not work out but honestly, I'd rather it flame out with some guys trying to make names for themselves than hoping Derek Mason or Charlie Strong still have it as DCs after mediocre runs as HCs.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171752

Blake Forum

January 20th, 2021 at 8:44 PM ^

The more I learn about Linguist, the more I like this hire. Time will tell how he is as a coordinator, but as a member of staff in general? Absolutely the kind of guy I want around, particularly when there's crootin to be done

Joined: 07/20/2020

MGoPoints: 22180

BrightonB

January 20th, 2021 at 11:49 PM ^

JH is hiring young coaches I think to re-ignite excitement and put energy back into the program.

I have to think this will make a big impact recruiting wise and in practice as these coaches will get on them and make them work and hopefully give the players the boost of energy this program badly needs.  Play full out whistle to whistle boys and good things will happen.

Really hoping this all pans out but I am not truly excited yet because .... well ... been a lot of that and then poof ... let down.  So ..... get it going coaches .... make this team great!

I think we will at least see much better DB play from these guys. 

Joined: 10/04/2015

MGoPoints: 2559

MGolem

January 20th, 2021 at 9:03 PM ^

Kane Wommack (Indiana’s former DC) is a good example of the great young coaches out there waiting to be found. I applaud looking for young, hungry, coaches with new ideas. At the end of the day college football is about recruiting. That seems to be the renewed focus (based on the hires) and that is as it should be. 

Joined: 10/14/2010

MGoPoints: 13592

MGoStrength

January 20th, 2021 at 10:11 PM ^

Mo Linguist has been everywhere, man. He’s a top cornerbacks guy, a good recruiter

George Helow was Maryland’s linebackers coach last year, and was an intern or grad assistant for the entire Saban coaching tree.

Well, this sounds more promising than I had originally expected, albeit a bit better for Mo than George.  We will have a very young defensive staff, which was what I was hoping for.  My guess is we see quite a recruiting bump.  But, I am a bit concerned that we don't really seem to have a single veteran guy with a lot of experience.  Jean Mary appears to be remaining on staff is I guess is the experienced leadership the younger guys will look to?

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 20002

LDNfan

January 21st, 2021 at 5:16 AM ^

What do you mean by 'alot of experience'? Mo seems to have been around a bit. But Maybe Harbaugh will have to be a bit more engaged with these younger guys as the coach of the coaches which could add to his fire too. 

Joined: 09/28/2014

MGoPoints: 10423

MGoStrength

January 21st, 2021 at 8:53 AM ^

What do you mean by 'alot of experience'?

Veteran coach.  Generally you don't think of a guy that is 36 years old as a veteran.  Nua is 39, McDonald is 33, Mo is 36, I'd guess Helow is in his early 30s and Jean-Mary around 45 since he got his undergrad in '98.  By comparison Zordich was 57, Brown 65, & Shoop 54.  As I said, I was hoping we'd go younger and we did.  I think we'll see a recruiting bump.  But, I also assumed we'd bring in a more veteran guy as co-DC if we did that the way OSU did with GMatt and his co-DCs.  Hopefully Jean-Mary can provide some of that veteran leadership to the younger guys when needed.

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 20002

Remember_the_G…

January 20th, 2021 at 11:41 PM ^

Thanks for the post. I was getting the feeling you guys were following Brian’s WTKA rule of not talking about coaching hires. No matter how much better the basketball program is I can just never get as invested as with football. And while this has caused great pain I don’t expect it to change so any and all football content is appreciated. 

Joined: 06/12/2018

MGoPoints: 5447

JFW

January 21st, 2021 at 7:26 AM ^

Mo Linguist has been everywhere, man. He’s a top cornerbacks guy, a good recruiter,

Speak comfort to me Seth. Losing Zordich was a blow. The dude could flat out develop talent; so this makes me happy. 

I'm still wondering about Nua, but maybe the honest to God coaches out there can look at our D line and see development I'm not. 

Joined: 10/20/2010

MGoPoints: 15285

Red is Blue

January 21st, 2021 at 7:49 AM ^

Interesting that Linguist is listed as a defensive backs coach and Helow is a safeties coach.  The department of over analyzation is reporting that safeties are also defensive backs.  

Joined: 05/13/2010

MGoPoints: 23889