Why Brady Hoke is even a candidate

Submitted by AC1997 on

Bo Schembechler was a great coach and did countless good things for Michigan football during and after his tenure as Michigan’s head coach.  One of those was the idea of being a “Michigan Man”.*  Now that we regrettably find ourselves embroiled in another coaching search, this topic has been raised again.  In addition to former player Jim Harbaugh (obviously no longer a candidate), former assistant coach Brady Hoke has been mentioned as a potential candidate, in no small part because of his previous ties to the university – he fits the “Michigan Man” requirement in the job description – if you’re someone who puts stock in that.     

* - I personally don’t think Bo ever intended for the “Michigan Man” statement to have the meaning it is now given.  After all, Bo was about as far from a Michigan Man as he could be when he was hired.

Jim Harbaugh’s candidacy spoke for itself as he has turned Stanford into a national power in a short amount of time.*  But Brady Hoke’s candidacy is more controversial .  Brian and many readers of this website don’t feel that Hoke is a worthy candidate at all but the MSM keeps throwing his name out there. 

* - To add to your depression, compare Harbaugh's record at Stanford to that of Rodriguez at Michigan.  They are nearly identical through three years.  Harbaugh just got a fourth year, went 12-1 with his first ever second-year starting QB, and at a time the conference's dominant team was doen.  What might have been......

Here’s the primary reason Hoke is even in the discussion:

Michigan’s Coaching Tree….err, Stump

Bo’s coaching regime at Michigan essentially lasted for 38 years – from the day he was hired in 1969 until Carr retired after 2007.  During that time Michigan was one of the most successful programs in the country.  You would think that a few coaches would have sprouted off of that coaching tree over the course of 38 years – but you would be wrong. 

I started researching assistant coaches over the past 20 years and where they are today.  What I found was pretty startling. From 1990-2007Michigan has employed a total of only 26 different assistant football coaches (the year after Bo retired is as far back as I went with my research since age became a factor).  I think part of the “Michigan Man” mentality also led to a lot of excessive loyalty.  While stability is wonderful, you would expect there to be more turnover than 26 assistants in 18 years.  Putting it in perspective, there are nine assistants per season so a total of 26 assistants means that they only averaged one replacement per season for those 18 years. 

As a result, very few former assistants have gone on to become head coaches.  Of the 26 assistants in that time period, only eight have ANY head coaching experience at this point in time.  And while that number might sound reasonable, a closer look at the list reveals it is actually pretty pathetic:

  • Cam Cameron – Failed miserably at Indiana and for the Miami Dolphins, now a successful OC for the Ravens.
  • Les Miles – Very successful at LSU, despite his grass-eating craziness.
  • Tom Reed – A now-retired coach I have never heard of before who was briefly at Miami (OH) and NC-State
  • Mike DeBord  - A frustrating offensive coordinator for Michigan who was terrible at CMU
  • Kit Cartwright – Someone I couldn’t even find decent google-stalk info about who was briefly the head coach at Butler before getting fired.
  • Brady Hoke – Has been moderately successful at Ball State and San Diego State
  • Stan Parrish – Another of Carr’s favorites who had stints at Ball State, Kansas State, and Marshall but was never successful and at 65 years old is probably retired now after losing his latest job.
  • Ron English – A flaming disaster at EMU so far.

That’s it folks – pretty embarrassing list for a coaching tree.  Aside from Les Miles, the only person with a resume even worth a second look is Brady Hoke – now you know why he’s a legitimate candidate in the latest search. 

Hoping that there were other candidates waiting in the wings, I investigated the other assistants to see where they are now.  Here are some highlights:

  • Jim Herrmann – Was at Michigan for 15 years before wearing out his welcome.  Now the NY Giants LB coach.
  • Fred Jackson – Will probably have the RB Coach job description named after him since he will never leave.
  • Greg Mattison – Had a 6 year stay at Michigan and is now the DC for the Baltimore Ravens.
  • Vance Bedford – A successful DB coach at Michigan for a few years, now the Louisville DC.
  • Erik Campbell – A solid WR coach for Michigan for 13 years, showing the lack of promotional opportunities under Carr.  Currently holds that position for Iowa.
  • Teryl Austin – Was a defensive coach for a few years at Michigan and was Florida’s DC last year.  Rumored to be headed to Texas to take that same position.
  • Andy Moeller – Currently the assistant OL coach for the Ravens.
  • Scot Loeffler – Held the QB coach spot for Michigan for a while and held that same job for Florida last year.  I think he should have been given a shot at OC at Michigan when it became clear that DeBord wasn’t utilizing the NFL talent fully.  Would have been high risk, but would have been worth a shot the last two years under Carr in my opinion.
  • Bill Sheridan – Bounced around the NFL as a defensive position coach, most recently for the Dolphins.
  • Ron Lee – I can’t find any information about where he went after his forgettable two-year stay at a secondary coach for Michigan.
  • Steve Stripling – After Rodriguez let him go he took the DL coach job at MSU.
  • Steve Szabo – Currently the DC for Colgate.

While there are some names on that list you might be happy to see as assistants on the Michigan sideline, no one has the resume to take the Head Coaching job.   Maybe you could reach for Austin, but that’s about it. 

Finally, I tried to track down former players (such as Harbaugh) that have gotten into coaching.  That proved to be a nearly impossible effort via the internet if I had any hope of posting this diary in a timely manner.  Here’s what I have so far and could use help adding names if anyone has more info:

  • Jim Harbaugh – You may have heard something about his resume lately.
  • Mike Trgovac – Has been a defensive positional coach in the NFL for years and even a DC at times.  Currently the DL coach for the Packers. 
  • Corwin Brown – Had a mediocre stint as Notre Dame’s DC, now a DB coach for the Patriots.
  • Tyrone Wheatley – Relatively new to coaching, is currently the Syracuse RB coach after having the same job for EMU previously.

I like a lot of the names on these various lists for lower-level positions, but now you can see why Brady Hoke gets mentioned.  If you want someone with a Michigan background who is qualified to be a head coach, he’s one of only a couple options.  I have the utmost respect for Brian and I usually agree on all of his opinions related to Michigan football, but this is one situation where I don’t.  I think Brady Hoke is a serious candidate on Dave Brandon’s list and could potentially be the coach in 2011 – whether that would be as horrific as Brian makes it out to be, I don’t know.

Contrast this coaching “stump” to lowly Eastern Illinois University.  They have produced Sean Payton, Mike Shanahan, and Brad Childress – not to mention all of the coaches on their respective trees.   In nearly 40 years of Michigan football there are only two coaches (aside from Moeller and Carr) who are even close to having a comparable resume as those three – Les Miles and Jim Harbaugh. 

In my opinion this is one of the biggest detriments of Lloyd Carr’s tenure – failure to develop a viable coaching candidate.  Perhaps it was being too loyal to assistants for too long.  Perhaps it was the coaches being too comfortable and not wanting to leave for another opportunity.  Perhaps the conservative game-plan approach limited interest in some of the assistants.  Whatever the problem, it has left us with the prospect of Brady Hoke being a legitimate candidate.    

Comments

NathanFromMCounty

January 9th, 2011 at 5:47 PM ^

>>and Lloyd basically sealed rod's fate when he decided to stop recruiting the last two years.<<

Check where Lloyd's recruiting was in his last 2 years.  It was top 10-15, which is higher than Rod's has been the past 2 seasons (heck, Lloyd recruited 2 of the bigger signings in Rich's first class in Martin and Demens).  To answer all the people whining "Well were are the seniors", the answer?  Elsewhere after Richard rode them off.

scootmcgoot20

January 8th, 2011 at 8:51 PM ^

I really like the idea of getting a coach with a less than big name. 3 years ago we went for the big name and it didnt work. If anything DB should look at the last 3 years, learn from it and incorparate that into his decision. These guys with the lesser names seem to come with a chip on their shoulder and they have something to prove. They seem very driven and willing to work hard. Thats what we need. Remember Auburn fans didnt want Chizick because he wasnt a big name. Last time I looked I think they are playing monday for thechampionship

UMinTroyOh

January 8th, 2011 at 8:54 PM ^

The information certainly followed mty thinking over the last 6 weeks. I hadd trouble thinking of a "Michigan Man" of coaching significance and I attended games with my Dad in the mid-70's. I think Gary M broke the chain of coaching talent at UM with his debacle. I often wonder how the years would have turned out with him at the helm for a decent tenure.

uferfan1

January 9th, 2011 at 12:02 AM ^

The label Michigan Man was used by Fielding Yost first then by Bo. Both men used it in a context of loyalty. I have my choices as so many of us do. GH would be my first choice SH would be the second. The recruiting base would be strong and both have profile nationally. I just want to see some good news soon and a reason to talk about the future.

treetown

January 9th, 2011 at 12:38 AM ^

Thanks for the post. Great insight!

1. Football coaching is an evolving field. Can't become stagnant. Regularly infusing new people, new ideas and new concepts should be part of every program. Always doing things "our way because that is the way we do things here" is the recipe for long term failure.

2. A great excuse for spending time on this site - justified because of this insight - applicable to business and other professions!

JCM26

January 9th, 2011 at 12:41 AM ^

"...though my hope is that Brandon will take a real chance and go after someone young and innovative."

My thoughts exactly!  I have a young man in mind who, though I concede is a high risk, I find is very alluring when you think of the plus he brings to the table.

Josh McDaniels is young, energetic, and chock full of ideas on how to design plays to destroy defenses.  He served as QB coach and also as OC for the New England Patriots before taking over as the Denver Broncos HQ - though recently fired.  He has major ties to the mid west and Ohio in particular.  His dad - Thom McDaniels - is considered a HS football legend in Ohio, which would be a huge plus in recruiting Ohio.  JM is a film room addict who prepares a game plan yet tweaks it. makes game time adjustments as needed, and he is super organized.

Though as intriguing as this is there are negatives, such as: 1) The Charle Weiss factor (also a former Patriots OC - but with a gigantic ego and overblow sense of self); 2) Not a proven recruiter;  3) Fired from his first NFL HC job (but so have several successful college HCs) ; 4) He might be too young and unseasoned. 

elhead

January 9th, 2011 at 2:16 AM ^

is that he is one of the only people out there in coaching land, at least that I have heard about, who has come out and stated that Michigan is his "dream job" or something like that. Plus he does come from the Carr stump, as so wonderfully pointed out in this post. So naturally the press will be on him like white on rice, speculating about the possibility of getting the HC job.

Eye of the Tiger

January 9th, 2011 at 4:01 AM ^

I think he's worth interviewing for DC, if not for HC.  

If he could bring in someone from Meyer's/Mullen's staff to coach the offense, we could keep Denard and use what we have, plus hopefully upgrade the defense significantly.  

Torgoman

January 9th, 2011 at 4:39 AM ^

With respect to:

 

To add to your depression, compare Harbaugh's record at Stanford to that of Rodriguez at Michigan.  They are nearly identical through three years.  Harbaugh just got a fourth year, went 12-1 with his first ever second-year starting QB, and at a time the conference's dominant team was doen.  What might have been......

Had Rich Rod won 2 (or even 1) game against Ohio St with a clearly inferior team (even if he didn't say "What's your deal?") he'd still be the coach.  If only that had been...

GoBlueMatt

January 9th, 2011 at 10:19 AM ^

My god you are naive. You honestly think that harbaugh's teams and RR's teams were equivalent just because they had similar records? Over the last two season there has been little improvement at all, and you can make the case that the team regressed. Sure, they won 7 games, but all was against inferior competition. Good teams pounded us this year, and if you really thought that this Michigan team was primed for a 12-1 run next year and some sort of BCS Bowl game, re-evaluate your comments. RR did not get the job done as simple as that, and the fan base needs to quit whining about RR not getting any more chances. He had the chance to succeed and did not get the job done. Do us all a favor and quit posting garbage about "what could have been".

AC1997

January 9th, 2011 at 11:12 AM ^

GoBlueMatt -

In no way was I trying to say that the firing of Rodriguez (while Harbaugh got a 4th year) was not justified.  What I was trying to illustrate was just how much of a fine line there is in college sports.  If Rodriguez wins just 1-2 more games he probably keeps the job (for better or worse) and we see what happens with a junior Denard.  Likewise, if Carr stays another year and goes 5-7 with the Steven Threet led squad we suddenly have a lot more patience for the next coach. 

The statement was meant more to illustrate just how little difference there is from being the hottest coach in the country and someone everyone is ready to get rid of, nothing more.

maizedNblued

January 9th, 2011 at 9:29 PM ^

...if in 60 years, there's going to be a coach at a struggling but once mighty program and after a tough loss of 48=14....he'll be asked a question about what is wrong with the team and his answer will be, "we're young, we just didn't execute and heck...I don't think Rich Rodriguez could have helped this defense out today.".............weirdddddddddd