Profiles In Heroism: Tom Herman
![Y-JP-OSU-2-videoSixteenByNine600[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Profiles-In-Heroism-Tom-Herman_F5AC/Y-JP-OSU-2-videoSixteenByNine6001.jpg "Y-JP-OSU-2-videoSixteenByNine600[1]")
| Offensive Coordinator/ QB Coach Ohio State | |
|---|---|
| Age | 39 |
| Exp. | 3rd year |
| Record | N/A |
| Previous Jobs | |
| OC/QB @ Iowa St | 2009-11 |
| OC/QB @ Rice | 2007-08 |
| OC @ Texas St | 2005-06 |
| WR @ Sam Houston | 2001-04 |
| Playing Career | |
| WR at Cal Lutheran, 1994-97 | |
These again. We're skipping Harbaugh because it's not like you need to be told about Harbaugh. In the event M does hire him, he'll get one.
These are in approximate order of personal preference.
Previously: Dan Mullen, Jim Mora
I know, I know: must be head coach, if not head coach doom doom doom. To me that thinking is excessively narrow when you start talking about guys like Gary Pinkel and Steve Addazio. Many of the standout coaches in college football today started their head coaching careers at Power 5 schools—even major ones.
Here is a list of currently active college head coaches who had never been head coach before their appointment at a Power 5 school, in approximate groupings:
SUCCESSFUL OUTSIDERS
note: "outsider" includes people brought in from the outside as designated successors who went through a coach-in-waiting period like Fisher and Bielema.
Jimbo Fisher (Florida State), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Charlie Strong (Texas via Louisville), Dan Mullen (Mississippi State), Bret Bielema (Arkansas via Wisconsin), Bill Snyder (KSU), Mark Richt (UGA), Dana Holgorsen (WVU), Les Miles (LSU via Okie State), James Franklin (PSU via Vandy)
MEH
Steve Sarkisian (USC via Washington).
GROOMED INTERNAL CANDIDATES
Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Gary Patterson (TCU), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Mark Helfrich (Oregon), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Kyle Whittingham (Utah), David Shaw (Stanford).
WE HIRE THESE GUYS BECAUSE WE HAVE FEW ALTERNATIVES
- Paul Chryst (Pitt), Scott Shafer (Syracuse), Paul Rhoads (ISU), Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech), Kyle Flood (Rutgers), Derek Mason (Vandy), Mike Leach (WSU via Texas Tech), Mark Stoops (Kentucky), Kevin Wilson (Indiana)
---------------------------------
This is biased in favor of good coaches because bad ones get fired, but this list contains 18 names before you even get to the "no alternative" section—approximately half of Power 5 existing head coaches had no experience with a top job when hired.- In addition, there are a number of current head coaches with very brief or almost irrelevant head coaching experience. Before Nick Saban was hired at MSU he had all of one year as a HC at Toledo; Gus Malzahn was at Arkansas State for a single year before Auburn scooped him up; Hugh Freeze was at the same place for a single year and had a couple years at something called Lambuth beforehand.
When you take the guys who were hired based on things other than their head coaching experience you have a collection of assistant-hirin' schools that are amongst the biggest in college: Florida State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Washington, Oregon, Clemson, Wisconsin, Auburn, Ole Miss.
Hiring a hot assistant is a valid option if the right guy is available. And Tom Herman has a case that he's the right guy.
[After THE JUMP: all about that case.]
Xs and Os Proficiency
This is not much in question after Ohio State's third string quarterback blasted Wisconsin even deeper into the stone age in which they comfortably reside. Ohio State had the best rushing game in the country last year; this year they lost their QB, RB, and four offensive linemen and experienced almost no dropoff. In a couple metrics they actually improved!
[Italicized years did not feature the coach in question and are provided for comparison. I grabbed the previous two years at OSU to compare the Herman offense to the one piloted by Tressel and a junior Terrelle Pryor as well as the one-off Bollman year.]
| Year | Team | FEI | S&P | YPP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rice | N/A | 69 | 70 |
| 2007 | Rice | 67 | 106 | 72 |
| 2008 | Rice | 7 | 23 | 18 |
| 2009 | Rice | 115 | 118 | 117 |
| 2008 | Iowa State | 74 | 105 | 55 |
| 2009 | Iowa State | 51 | 42 | 78 |
| 2010 | Iowa State | 79 | 83 | 111 |
| 2011 | Iowa State | 82 | 101 | 106 |
| 2012 | Iowa State | 58 | 65 | 100 |
| 2010 | Ohio State | 16 | 12 | 17 |
| 2011 | Ohio State | 65 | 65 | 80 |
| 2012 | Ohio State | 10 | 16 | 32 |
| 2013 | Ohio State | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2014 | Ohio State | 9 | 1 | 4 |
Herman came to D-I after a prolific tenure as Texas State's I-AA offensive coordinator and turned the 2008 Rice outfit into an explosive 10-3 outfit—Rice's head coach is a defensive guy.
That got him a move up to Iowa State, where his offense was kind of okay in year one and then statistically horrible. Iowa State was 90th in scoring offense in Herman's third year, worse in yards per play, and the advanced metrics agreed. His Wikipedia page tries to make it look nice by noting that he put up 41 in an inexplicable blowout of Texas Tech; it does not mention that the next week the Cyclones put up 13 on Kansas and lost to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl with the same number of points.
But Urban don't curr, so he gets hired at Ohio State. He had the twin advantages of not having a true freshman quarterback and not coaching under an interim, so a year-one surge was expected. For Ohio State to get instantly back to par with a very good Tressel offense featuring college superstar Terrelle Pryor was not, and the last two years he's taken OSU's offense into the stratosphere. He won the Broyles in a runaway this year.
Recruiting
![hi-res-0c423ea28c71602c2329976396da7814_crop_north[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Profiles-In-Heroism-Tom-Herman_F5AC/hi-res-0c423ea28c71602c2329976396da7814_crop_north1.jpg "hi-res-0c423ea28c71602c2329976396da7814_crop_north[1]")
Herman has a slightly better QB recruiting record than Al Borges
Data relatively thin what with his existence at Iowa State (no recruiting possible) and Ohio State (the prospects throw themselves at you), but Herman was named the 2013 Rivals Big Ten recruiter of the year. He live-tweeted a recruiting trip when he got caught in the Atlanta ice storm earlier this year; he ended up spending 19 hours in a car. That's some terrific battery discipline.
Herman's been tasked with Texas for the most part and has done major work there:
In the 10 years that Jim Tressel led Ohio State, the Buckeyes attracted the same amount of Lone Star State recruits to Columbus as Herman has in the past 10 months.
Those recruits included five-star LB Mike Mitchell, Dontre Wilson, and JT Barrett; Herman spent a decade coaching in Texas before moving to Iowa State.
CEO Stuff
None so far; he's coordinator.
It is worth noting that Urban Meyer coordinators have been top notch when offered head jobs. Dan Mullen just had a season where Mississippi State contended for a playoff spot; Charlie Strong made Louisville into a powerhouse and is now at Texas; Kyle Whittingham has been impressive in a decade at Utah; even Steve Addazio has done decently in two years at BC, though the jury is still out on him.
That's quite a hit rate, and indicates that Meyer both finds excellent coaches and lets them do their thing.
In addition, Herman is a really smart guy. He loathes the fact that a long time ago he signed up for MENSA and people continually bring this up, but it's true. He does party tricks:
Herman’s interview signified “the most intense 24 hours” of his life, he said. Meyer threw concepts at him to memorize and scolded him for using “should” instead of “will.” He wanted to see how Herman processed and relayed back information. He did not yet know that Herman could call an entire game on offense without glancing at a call sheet. Or that he would dominate on “Jeopardy!” and opine on everything from the Bible to ancient history to pop culture.
A couple years back Gerry DiNardo sat down with Herman after Herman's first season in Columbus to break down some plays; Herman comes off as friendly, eloquent, and totally in command of his material. He veritably radiates head coach.
Potential Catches
How much of his success is Meyer? Same question we asked with Mullen. Herman has steadily moved up the ranks, which speaks to how impressive he is in person, but before his OSU gig his main claim to fame was a single year at Rice. Like Mullen, I think there's a good case that Herman is a big reason for OSU's success here. Meyer was never a coordinator and his OCs call the plays; he provides a structure for the offense. Steve Addazio's tenure provides a counterpoint to people who assume any Urban OC is going to be good, and yeah Brantley is not Tebow but guess who has not recruited any Brantley-like QBs at OSU? The OC/QB coach.
Also, Herman's ability to get Miller, Barrett, and even Cardale Jones to perform over his tenure has been impressive.
But he's never been a head coach. It's a risk. You're fooling yourself if you think that just because head coach X has track record Y that your hypothetical other candidate is not a risk. See: Rodriguez, Rich. All kinds of head coaches move and lose their mojo.
The lack of experience does move Herman behind guys who have an obviously great track record like Stoops, but once you get past the slam-dunk level those advantages dim quickly. In the event that the Gundy/Patterson/Stoops level guys are off the table I'm not looking at Herman's relative lack of experience as much of a problem.
But what about the spread transition? It's a downer, but it's really not that different from what Michigan ran most of this year: inside zone. OSU runs it more vertically than most; it's still the same principles. The main problem is at QB, where there's not an obvious spread guy available. It's an issue. Michigan could scrape by with Morris or Malzone doing the Connor Shaw thing where he keeps 'em honest; it won't be ideal.
A hire like this would be hoping for a 20-year tenure, though, and some early bumps are happening no matter who gets the job unless you think a QB answer is going to pop up next year under a pro-style coach. Honestly, a spread that offers the potential to take hard decisions away from the QB is probably a better spot for Morris than your generic West Coast offense.
THAT WOMAN test. Herman passes; more generally, his demeanor and background fits with Michigan's culture. No one is going to deride this guy as a hillbilly.
Would He Take The Job?
Yes.
Overall Attractiveness
It's a swing for the fences… one I'd be fine with. If you can't beat 'em, steal 'em—Michigan learned that lesson a long time ago. Herman's done outstanding work, has all the recruiting ties you'd need now, and Urban Meyer coordinators have been some of the surest things available in coaching.
He's also on the upside, unlike a lot of the previously mentioned options. I would take him over many names mentioned in this search. Right now my list goes Harbaugh, Stoops, Herman.
December 11th, 2014 at 6:20 AM ^
December 11th, 2014 at 9:15 AM ^
Who are you referring to?
December 11th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
I'm not sure, but maybe Bob Stoops? I'm not sure what that has to do with your arguement directly.
I agree that it's a risk. A risk doesn't mean he's doomed, so saying "Bob Stoops" doesn't refute the fact that he's a risk, because then I can say "Will Muschamp" and we can go on for days. The reality is, elite programs don't hire coordinators who have never been HCs very often at all. Sometimes they do when they feel they have an awesome guy on their staff already, but there's a reason that's not the recommended method. It's risky.
December 10th, 2014 at 10:51 PM ^
Folks, there is a huge difference between being a head coach and a coordinator. I submit to you one Lane Kiffin. We have people saying in one breath, "We need a home run hire or else people won't renew season tickets and the program may crater," then in the next breath saying, "What the heck, let's give this guy a shot, what have we got to lose?" I just don't think Michigan can do that, and I don't think most of us really want them to. Is Herman's track record better than Nussmeier's was before this year? Is anyone listing Nussmeier in their "top 3 lists"? I think Herman would be a huge gamble and has to go way down the list, but that's just me. As others have pointed out, Michigan just may not have very many good options.
December 10th, 2014 at 11:52 PM ^
I really like Herman.
He's my No. 2 behind Harbaugh, because if Michigan is going through another painful transition anyway, then it might as well get a young guy who's really competent on the X's and O's and a kick ass recruiter.
Herman's best QB was Chase Clement at Rice, especially the jump in performance in 2007 and 2008, when Herman was OC/QB coach:
It's rigodammneddiculous:
As for rushing, about 10 attemps a game for Clement. Not a lot but enough to keep opposing defenses honest, which is what you want.
FWIW Chase Clement was 6'-0" and 215 lbs. Malzone is 6'-1" and 203 lbs and not a statue.
Lastly, this whole pro-set vs. spread philosphy argument is interesting, but getting kind of tiresome.
It's the one thing I'm actually not looking forward too with Harbaugh. But even Harbaugh's Stanford Cardinal ran some zone read out of the shotgun.
When Bo came to Michigan he brought with him the FullHouse T backfield and Power I sets (also 3 back) and not a whole lot of passing. Michigan football emulated its enemy Ohio, the most successful Big Ten team in the 1960s (51 wins, only 14 losses) in almost every aspect of the game (offense, defense, punting, fullbacks).
So with this, I mean, don't look now but Urban freaking Meyer is 24-1 vs. Big Ten opponents in 3 years doing one thing: Spread and shred. Twenty-four and one.
Even venerated Woody Hayes, who hated passing with a passion, had 10 Big Ten losses in his first 3 years as HC.
Hayes and Schembechler both embraced the option series that was sweeping the nation thanks to Emory Bellard, Darryl Royal, Bill Yeoman and Mal Moore, and Ohio and Michigan decimated opponents with it, with mobile QBs and their big OLs.
So I just don't understand the traditionalist Pro-Setters at all in the context of Michigan football, other than recency bias.
Bo had more wins than Mo and Lloyd combined by 1986. Michigan didn't run a pro-set that year either, and Harbaugh was the freaking QB.
It seems to me that if anything Michigan football ought to look at what Ohio has been doing offensively and just copy that. It's not original, but it's also not that hard. And FWIW, JT Barrett, spread option quarterback, just threw for 2,800+ yards and 34 fucking touchdowns as a true freshman. So would we really care how a Michigan QB achieved that? I think not.
December 11th, 2014 at 12:34 AM ^
December 11th, 2014 at 12:36 AM ^
Agree. Harbaugh is the only tolerable pro set guy. If we miss out on him I think we need to go spread. One of the reasons I like Herman over Mullen is that Mullen seems to be hooked on TEs disguised as QBs running ZR QB dives or off tackle half the time (Tebow/Prescott). That's great if you can keep them healthy, but what if you get down two scores? Meyer/Herman's offense can beat you on the ground and the air while something like Miss St gets real ugly when you are trying to throw your way back into a game. I think that scheme fit will be an initial issue with any spread guy, but I think Herman would be better right off the bat than Mullen.
December 11th, 2014 at 12:38 AM ^
Someday, Tom Herman might prove to be a very, very successful head coach. He might even end up being a better success in the long-term than whoever Michigan hires soon, but right now, he's not the right man at Michigan.
In justifying the hiring of an assistant coach at a power 5 school, Brian tosses out a number of names to try to support the notion that we might not necessarily need an experienced head coach. The analysis is surface level at best, and doesn't reflect our situation at all. Michigan has struggled the past two hires, yet still has had one of the most electric players in college football (Denard) and has a BCS win in the midst of a mediocre stretch of football. Translation: we never became irrelevant. Michigan football is still big news, and if the wrong hire is made, we will sink further and really, really become irrelevant, not to mention continue futility at the hands of OSU. The new coach needs to be ready to handle the realm of being a head coach. In fact, it's one of the biggest knocks against Brady Hoke - that he wasn' head coach material at a major program, and this isn't a job of on the job training. The next coach needs to come in and win quickly, needs to be savy with the media, and needs to do things the right way. He can't come in and shred documents, screw up paperwork leading to an NCAA rules violation, or anything like that. He has to be pretty damn near flawless. It's just the way it is.
When you look at the list that Brian provided that supposedly supports the idea that assistants with no head coaching experience can be successful it seems solid. But lets look at most of the supporting evidence to see that it isn't.
Bob Stoops: Bob Stoops had been a high level assistant coach under two legendary, highly successful coaches Bill Snyder (1989-1995) and Steve Spurrier (1996-1998) at programs that became high profile. Oh, he also was a GA and position coach under one Hayden Fry. That's an impressive group to learn from. In addition, he took over a storied program, Oklahoma -but one in a much different situation than Michigan is in now. Barry Switzer left after 1988 with the program beset on all sides by trouble. Oklahoma burned through three coaches in between, Gary Gibbs (44-23-2 - no higher than 3rd in a conference), Howard Schnellenberger (5-5-1) and John Blake (12-22 no higher than 4th in the B12 SOUTH). That's 11 seasons with no better than 4th in the conference. 11 years, and this after Switzer had gone 55-5-1 over the prior 5 years with 1 MNC and 3 top 5 finishes. So clearly, Oklahoma was desperate and beyond a cross roads. There crossroads were set. If Stoops failed, well, it was par for the course at this point. We've struggled, be we're not that bad ...
Charlie Strong: Experience as a DL coach at Notre Dame in the 1990s, then worked as a DC under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer in the SEC (South Carolina and Florida). So he had significant experience in major programs (ND and UF) and worked for multiple high profile coaches. Then, he got head coaching experience at ... the 'Ville. That's right, Louisville, a Big East school. This wasn't a pressure cooker. The school was in the Big East and Kragthorpe hadn't been successful there ... but the resources and ability to dominate a post Miami/BC/Syracuse/VT Big East wasn't too hard. So he learned at a middle of the road Power 5 conference school. Winning immediately and facing huge scrutiny wasn't necessarily one of his challenges. Let's see how this plays out at Texas.
Jimbo Fisher: QB coach at Auburn (undefeated season to boot), OC at LSU under Saban and Miles, OC at FSU under Bowden. That's 4 major programs and 3 pretty successful coaches. High pressure situation to succeed at FSU, but he'd been there.
Bielema: Had a very successful program at Wisconsin and was groomed for that job. He also was a DC under Hayden Fry at Iowa and Alvarez at Wisky ... so yeah, he had big time experience under two very, very successful coaches (and a bit under Ferentz). Not similar to our situation either during the hire. Keep big OL, a mobile QB and fast running backs and you'll win.
Bill Synder: Groomed under Hayden Fry and walked into a situation where he had nothing to lose. If he lost big - well everyone did that at KSU. He milked JUCO's out of Kansas' very successful JUCO system, played cupcakes and as Oklahoma and Colorado weakened, he filled the void to contend with post Osborne Nebraska. But how would he have done in a pressure cooker instead of a no lose situation.
Richt: A decade of amazing success at Florida State, working with two Heisman winning QB's and a number of other high profile gunslingers. A few national titles, and walked into Georgia. Yeah, not the same pressure cooker situation, nor the need to win immediately with all the attention.
Tom Herman: 3 years OC at Ohio State under Urban Meyer. Prior - no experience with other high profile coaches. No other power 5 schools. Pressure cooker at Michigan - about as high as you can get.
If you don't see how he doesn't compare favorably to the other elite assistant coach to top Power 5 school hires, well, you just don't get it. He doesn't have the pedigree nor long term exposure to big time coaches and big time schools to make it worth the risk. Find me an assistant with exposure to multiple big time coaches at multiple major programs and then turn down the heat at Michigan and I might be interested in an assistant coach with no HC experience.
December 11th, 2014 at 1:25 AM ^
This analysis of Tom Herman is very perceptive. I know. I live 20 minutes from Ohio Stadium and raise my Buckeye flag on every gameday. I always thought that Brady was superior to Urban only in his likability. But Urban wants to be king and show the world his great football acumen by finding assistant princes to beat Saban at the greatness race. His ultimate race is with Saban, and he has handpicked Herman to be his Bo--and like Woody his idol--to join him in the legends circle. Saban is only about Saban and his statue. Urban wants his status to infiltrate and be mirrored on teams throughout college football. Where is Saban's coaching tree? Urban's has roots in big programs everywhere. Tom Herman will be a superstar coach in the future. And old Urban Meyer will "modestly" nod when he's introduced as a former OSU assistant. Herman would be perfect for Michigan. He would bridge both the academics and bloggers because he is funny, intellectual, charismatic, and like Meyer, driven. Unfortunately, the Harbaugh obsession has blinded Michigan fandom to a quick fix for the pain. The perfect choice is the one who will never be hired. Which is good, I suppose, because Urban never stays put very long, and I suspect the plan is already in place to have Tom Herman take over when he and Saban exit the stage. Then Ohio State keeps humming and desperation takes over in Tuscaloosa. You see, Urban always plays the long game and has the patience to wait until he is declared the final winner. He gets hosed in Week 2 by Virginia Tech, a dreadful team, and now waits, according to the SEC fanatics, to be obliterated by Nick and Alabama in the playoffs. His team was also the underdog at Wisconsin. He thrives on these challenges and deficit predictions. And he and his Prince Herman challenged the defense to match the quality offense. And the mediocre Luke Fickell, just like Cardale, stretched their own limits and produced remarkable results. They were both developed. Urban's ego is about development. He's the ultimate teacher--and Tom Herman has been his star pupil.
December 11th, 2014 at 2:29 AM ^
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December 11th, 2014 at 7:10 AM ^
I just threw up everywhere reading that bullshit...
December 11th, 2014 at 8:12 AM ^
Good analysis, troll. Ugh.
December 11th, 2014 at 2:59 AM ^
You could say he's a success off the field as well...
December 11th, 2014 at 7:11 AM ^
Solid 7.5
December 11th, 2014 at 8:33 AM ^
RUN to your local optometrist!
December 11th, 2014 at 9:15 AM ^
Walk around an SEC tailgate and she's probably a 5...
December 11th, 2014 at 7:08 AM ^
We are already paying a guy with MORE experience... Doug Nussmeier...
2003–2005 MSU (QB)
2006–2007 Rams (QB)
2008 Fresno State (OC)
2009–2011 Washington (OC/QB)
2012–2013 Alabama (OC)
2014–present Michigan (OC)
I'm NOT saying Nuss should get the job, but let's get real here...
Why would we want someone with even less experience than a guy we already have??
December 11th, 2014 at 9:09 AM ^
December 11th, 2014 at 9:12 AM ^
What actual data proves Herman better than Nuss??
December 11th, 2014 at 7:42 AM ^
Thanks for the write up. I thought I read somewhere on this blog that the OSU co-offensive coordinator was offered the job at Kansas. For all the love that Herman gets, I was surprised that he would not get an offer before the other guy.
December 11th, 2014 at 9:29 AM ^
So let me see if I have this correct...
-Herman has been a hugely successful OC under one of the great coaches in the game, Urban Meyer.
-Mcelwain was also a hugely successful OC under one of the great coaches in the game, Nick Saban.
-Both Saban and Meyer have a proven track record of developing future head coaches.
-Herman might get more credit for having success with multiple QBs but Mcelwain had his success in the SEC, which is a much better conference than the Big Ten.
-The only difference between the 2 is that Mcelwain has 3 years of head coaching experience turning around a perennial doormat in CSU and Herman has...nothing. No head coaching experience and no success away from Urban Meyer.
Can someone explain to me how Brian thinks the Mcelwain hire was "underwhelming" but that Tom Herman would somehow be a home run hire for us?
December 11th, 2014 at 10:02 AM ^
There is no rational explanation for it... No one will be able to explain that thought process...
Nuss is equally qualified and has more experience than Herman and we are already paying him...
December 11th, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^
"Can someone explain to me how Brian thinks the Mcelwain hire was 'underwhelming' but that Tom Herman would somehow be a home run hire for us?"
I don't think that's what Brian is saying. He's saying it's "a swing for the fences," which is not nearly the same as a "home run" hire. A lot of swings for the fences get caught at the warning track.
December 11th, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^
But he did say that he wanted Herman but not Mcelwain. Why? It's very clear Mcelwain has the better resume.
December 11th, 2014 at 10:01 AM ^
Brian, I am with you in that I am really high on Herman. But, if your profiles-in-heroism series is in approximate order of preference, I am curious as to why this guy is above Les Miles, who has an insanely impressive track record. Seems like if we are looking at high ceiling, high floor, big name hires, after Harbaugh and Stoops (who I guess is unlikely), wouldn't Miles be preferable to Herman and even Mora?
December 11th, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
Read Brian's portion of yesterday's "This Week's Obesssion" -- he answers your question.
December 11th, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^
December 11th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
We would all love to land one of those two. But what if we can't? I think that Brian's post is (1) in the event that JH says no, and (2) that the Patterson / Saban / Malzahn candidates are not leaving their current jobs. It's easy to say "we need to go out and get one of the 5 best coaches in the world, but I take these posts to be: "assuming that we don't get one of the 5 best coaches in the world, who are our realistic candidates.
December 11th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
I'd add one more catch though, for any type of coordinator: How will they handle the other side of the ball?
This guy has lived and breathed offense his entire career. If he's good enough to get a good DC and it works out, we'd be okay. If he's too offensive minded and the defense suffers, we maybe take baby steps forward by being able to win shootouts with Indiana, but still getting whacked by OSU/MSU, etc.
December 11th, 2014 at 10:56 AM ^
Bronco Mendenhall?
December 11th, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^
The very fact that Mike DeBord is involved in this coaching search process leads me to conclude that Tom Herman is not going to be considered as a candidate, because you know, we tried the spread once and it doesn't work in the Big 10....
...and my head explodes.
December 11th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
I truly hope Hackett isn't relying on guys like this or former player committees or whoever else thinks they have a say in it. I hope is letting them have their say to let them feel important and experss their views, but he needs to be the one calling the shot. The more people who are involved in this the more I don't feel confident.
December 11th, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^
If Harbaugh turns us down. Then I would like Miles, Bob Stoops, Mullen then I would go Herman over Mora.
December 11th, 2014 at 12:16 PM ^
and I suppose that he's a good plan C but let him do it the traditional way by HC a MAC School first (or maybe even a lower tier Big Ten school like Indiana or Purdue).
December 11th, 2014 at 2:21 PM ^
In all seriousness, while I guess Herman could develop into a top HC, I want to believe that Michigan doesn't need to train someone to be a HC...and take the risk that he can't do it.
Herman might be Willy E. Coyote Super Genius, but excellence in one or more areas (recruiting, calling plays, etc.) may not translate into the organizational, motivational and leadership qualities that I believe make a great head coach.
I don't need my HC to be/have been a great position coach or coordinator...he needs the best staff possible so that he can delegate play calling and technique training to them if need be.
The HC sets the tone, chooses the direction of the program and gets everyone to march in time. I believe that Michigan needs to pick a candidate who has done that on a consistent basis with continuous success as the result.
That's my guy. I just don't know what his name is, yet.
December 11th, 2014 at 6:39 PM ^
Herman would be a great hire off of Ohio States staff.
He has been inthat program for three years and knows the offense inside and out.
Plus it knocks your rival down a notch.
January 8th, 2015 at 6:30 PM ^
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