CC - Where we stand - Part VII (Pruitt and Foster)

Submitted by Ron Utah on

 

      

Foster just beat Meyer; Pruitt has the Dawgs defense among the nation's best

You could do a lot worse than this pair of defensive coordinators.  Pruitt is the young, up-and-comer who has been dynamite, but has done it with top talent at 'Bama, FSU, and now Georgia.  Foster is the uber-loyal Beamer disciple who has demonstrated sustained success with meh talent.

Jeremy Pruitt, DC Georgia

  • Track Record: B. Hard to say here. He was at 'Bama from 2007-2012, and coached the DB's, which is where Saban injects himself the most. He probably learned a ton, but how much of the success is his? Then he went to FSU and won a championship, taking over the #6 scoring defense and making it the #1 scoring defense (they've dropped to #35 without him). Now he's at Georgia, the #19 scoring defense vs. #79 last year. Looks pretty good, for a limited sample.

  • Michigan Ties: D. Was the DB coach at 'Bama for Nuss' first season as the OC. Other than that, nada.

  • RecruitingB. Was the recruiter of the year in 2012. Could not be better here, but his expertise is in the south.

  • Chances/Loyalty: C. A southern guy who has build a network and recruiting empire along I-10, he probably fits best as a coach down there. But he clearly wants his own program, and U-M is one of the best jobs out there, and is, in many ways, the U-M of the south.

  • Demeanor: B. 40. Presents well. Extremely demanding, high-energy coach who pushes his players for 60 minutes. Admires Richt's character, and that bodes well for his ability to meet Michigan's morality standards.

  • Three Phases: C+. Never been a HC at any level. Purely a defensive guy...my first question if we interview him is, “Who is your OC?” Might bring good friend and Georgia O-Line coach Will Friend.

  • Roster Fit: B-. Georgia runs a multiple offense not dissimilar to Nuss' system, and FSU runs a passing spread. 'Bama runs manball. Uses multiple defensive strategies. I do think U-M has the personnel to run a 3-4, FWIW.

  • OVERALL GPA: 2.43 (C+/B-). Pruitt is a fast-rising DC that will run his own program someday, and I think he could be very good. But he's probably best fitted to the south, and I'm not sure he'd stay at Michigan. That said, it's hard to find things not to like about him.

 

Bud Foster, DC Va. Tech

  • Track Record: B+. Has done more with less talent than almost any DC in the country, and he's done it for a long, long time.

  • Michigan Ties: D. Raised in Nokomis, IL. Has been at Va Tech since 1987, before that was at Murray State, which is in Kentucky, so...D seems about right.

  • RecruitingB. Very strong recruiter that has reeled-in some top defensive talent.

  • Chances/Loyalty: C+. Bud is 55, and if he wants his own program, Michigan would have to be attractive. The athletes are already there for his defense. Would he go back to Va Tech when Beamer retired? Maybe, but not if it were 5 years down the road, IMO.

  • Demeanor: A-. Polished presenter, and players love him and play hard for him.

  • Three Phases: C+. Another purely a defensive guy. Would need an established OC to be a good fit...and would probably bring Loeffler. On the plus side, Va Tech's special teams are some of the best in the business, so hopefully he's learned from that.

  • Roster Fit: B-. Michigan has the athletes to run his defense, and Loeffler's offense is another multiple scheme that has lots of similarities to Nuss' system.

  • OVERALL GPA: 2.61 (B-). Foster used to be talked about everytime there was an opening, and has said he'd like his own program. He's also said his dream job is HC at Va Tech. If he would commit to Michigan long-term, there are many, many worse options out there. His defensive gameplan vs. Ohio State this year was magic, and hiring a guy who just beat Meyer might please the fanbase.

Comments

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

October 22nd, 2014 at 4:24 PM ^

Bud Foster, polished?  Uh, no.

Granted, I'm speaking from a position of incredible bias here.  But there are problems with Foster.  He's interviewed at a number of places - UConn, Pitt, Clemson, Auburn perhaps - and come away empty every time.  Given his track record (which should be more like an A than a B+) you'd think he should've been hired at some point.

Internetz rumorz abound as to why he hasn't.  Absolutely terrible interviewer, goes one story.  It's even possible to find a Hokie fan who presented this story: Frank Beamer keeps sabotaging him by bringing up a severe drinking problem every time he's called for a reference.  God knows where that came from or whether it's anywhere from 1% to 100% true.

As far as I can tell, Foster does want his own program (but only a major one or else the Georgia States of the world would've been all over him - he's paid much better now than he would be in the Sun Belt anyway) and has tried to get it, only to fall short every time.  Given the speed at which teams were willing to give guys like Will Muschamp a shot, there must be something to this.  The general feeling is that Foster would be an HC somewhere already if he were hire-able.

And he's anything but polished.  If you thought the snobby grumpity-grumps reacted badly to Rich Rod.....

P.S. Foster favors a 4-2-5 defense with the fifth defensive back being labeled a "whip linebacker."  Foster's very, very picky about who he puts in that role and much of his defense hinges on having a really good player there.  VT's defense has declined of late and it's directly correlated to not being able to find a fit at that position.  I'm not sure we have one.  Chase Winovich seems a possibility, athletically, but it also depends on his ability to read plays because the whip has to be everywhere on the field.  When VT's defense is at its best, you get incredibly sick of hearing the whip's name.  When they can't settle on someone, the defense suffers badly.

Mr Miggle

October 22nd, 2014 at 6:42 PM ^

I find Pruitt the most intriguing. I'm looking for a detail oriented coach that's going to push his assistants. One question with coordinators is what kind of staff they will assemble. He could address the lack of recruiting connenctions in our region there. No matter who's coaching next year I expect to see Roy Manning on the staff. He's poised to take Fred Jackson's role.

I don't see Bud Foster geting a high major HC job. By this point you really have to wonder why no else has hired him. What AD is going to risk finding out the hard way?

 

MaizeJacket

October 23rd, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^

Is it a concern that Pruitt' expertise in recruiting is in the South? That's what a program like Michigan needs.  They can't compete nationally with just midwestern kids.  The athletes are in the south.

 

Pruitt is probably way too young at this point.  Plus, if he goes from Alabama, to Florida State, to Georgia, to Michigan, the concern about only ever having top talent shouldn't be, because he will have never dealt with a lack of it.

 

About Foster:

  • Track Record: B+. Has done more with less talent than almost any DC in the country, and he's done it for a long, long time.

  • RecruitingB. Very strong recruiter that has reeled-in some top defensive talent.

This does not make sense.  I don't get the part about doing more with less; VT has ALWAYS producted NFL players, especially in the secondary.

 

If you've watched VT football the past several seasons, their special teams have gone to hell, so I disagree with their special teams being "some of the best in the business".

 

I think too much is being put into VT beating Ohio State.  They got them Week 2 when Ohio State was breaking in Barrett.  Their defense is good, yes, but if they played Saturday, would we get the same result?  Plus VT lost to Georgia Tech (average/decent team)at home a couple of weeks later and has looked horrible since then save their UNC road win.