OT - Arizona offers Ken Niumatalolo EDIT: Not So Fast?

Submitted by Couzen Rick's on
Edit, looks like UA officials are pumping the brakes on prior reports. Link: https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/2018/1/12/16885818/arizona-footb…

Arizona is rumored to be offering their open HC job to Ken Niumatalolo of Navy, a proponent of the triple option offense. He's an understudy of former Navy/current Georgia Tech HC/Option Guru Paul Johnson.

I'm interested to see how this offense would perform in the spread heavy Pac 12, especially given the existing talent from Rich Rod's Spread Offense. Arizona would also seemingly be an easier place to recruit to vs GT and the service academies.

link: http://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/football/navy-s-ken-niumatalol…

 

crg

January 12th, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^

Not sure he would leave Navy now since he could have left for BYU a year or two ago and turned it down. Not sure if BYU could match the Ariz money, but it was a nearly perfect fit for him. I think he's happy a navy.

FauxMo

January 12th, 2018 at 7:27 PM ^

Geez, what did I say? I mean, it's a fact that the Navy is full of seamen going all over the world. It's a problem that most of them are caucasian, and not terribly bright or quick. But that's a conversation for another time. For the moment, let's just all admit that the Navy is full of thick, white, dense seamen shooting all over the place. 

TIMMMAAY

January 12th, 2018 at 6:05 PM ^

But, he has a very stable gig, and it's not like dude is making chump change now. Some people prefer to have a stable home, and life in general. Not saying I know anything about this situation, but a lot of people seem to think that money is the end all for everyone, which isn't true. Thankfully. 

Mpfnfu Ford

January 12th, 2018 at 4:48 PM ^

It's just hard for triple option guys to get that kind of look. There's a huge stigma on it that "it can help you be competitive if you've got nothing as a program, but you can't win a title with it"

Also BYU ain't Arizona. The big itch for him is proving he can win at a P5 school with his offense. Signing up to go coach at BYU with their weird failing attempt at Notre Dame independence isn't an enviable coaching move, which is why Bronko left and why they didn't exactly have people knocking down the doors for the gig when he did.

 

Rabbit21

January 12th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^

As an Air Force fan...

Please let this happen, please let this happen, please let this happen and get him out of Navy.

Niumatalolo is a really good coach and frankly Arizona needs something different(ala the RichRod offense).  I like this move for them and while I know Tate doesn't want to run the triple option he'd be great at it.  

DrMantisToboggan

January 12th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^

His record at Navy is a palindrome, so this is the perfect time to leave and lock that in.

 

If, as a Mormon himself, he didn't leave for BYU last year, I doubt he will leave for Arizona now. He has been at Navy for 16 years now (plus an earlier 2 year stint so 18). He's the winningest coach in Navy history. Probably staying in Annapolis.

MichiganMan_24_

January 12th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^

The QB Khalil Tate is kind of annoying, tweeting that he didnt come to run a triple option and pushing for the DC to get the gig..I get it that its your future and all but Zona is not hiring a coach for you and 2 years..Im sure they want the right guy for several years..Let them make the hire and if you hate it then transfer but you dont have much leverage, kid.

WorldwideTJRob

January 12th, 2018 at 5:35 PM ^

Smh...how quickly we forget! Kid was the best offensive player we had In Ann Arbor by a mile in the past decade. He led a team to the most wins Michigan has had since ‘97 and holds multiple records. Was he the greatest passer? No, but if we had him at QB this year with that defense we definitely end the season with double digit victories

TIMMMAAY

January 12th, 2018 at 6:13 PM ^

Still not a qb. Denard couldn't make reads, full stop. Just couldn't do it. Doesn't matter that he had a half way decent arm, that's less than half of what it takes to play qb. He could not play qb in this offense, regardless of what he did in RR's. That offense was designed so that he didn't have to make reads, basically ever. That is not what we do now. 

I'd love to have another Denard type player, but as an rb, or slot receiver, not qb. 

WorldwideTJRob

January 12th, 2018 at 6:57 PM ^

He played in a pro style offense with Hoke when he won 11 games. I hope Harbaugh would be smart enough to adapt the offense to his skill set. What made Denard so special was that he touched the ball on every play, and was a threat to score every time he had it in his hands. If you switch his position, he becomes less effective as we saw when he returned from injury during his senior year and with the Jags. You also seem to forget that our QB’s this year were not great making reads either. Yet, they all lacked what shoelace had...when everything broke down around him, he could take it the distance from anywhere on the field(plus an infectious smile to boot). I would trade that in a heartbeat from what we had playing QB this year.

JonnyHintz

January 13th, 2018 at 9:40 AM ^

Didn’t say he wasn’t a great player. I said he’s not a QB in this offense. He played in a “pro style offense” (Hoke kept plenty of spread concepts to accommodate the roster talent) and he completed just 55% of his passes for 20 TDs and 15 picks in the year they went 11-2, and 53% of his passes for 9 TDs and 9 picks in his Senior year. Kid was electric, he was fun to watch. But he’s not a QB. He’s a running back or slot receiver.

JonnyHintz

January 13th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^

Best offensive player doesn’t mean he would be a good QB. Denard is the Michigan career interceptions leader. That’s pretty much the only QB record he holds. He has below average completions percentage (55% and 53% in his two years in a “pro style” offense).

“Most wins since ‘97.” Sure if you ignore the 2006 season. And let’s forget the 6 other years that the team had a better conference record and the 9 other years with the same conference record.

Would love Denard on the team. Not at QB. Michigan was a good QB away from beating OSU, likely Wisconsin and potentially MSU as well. Denard is not a good QB. He’s somewhere between O’Korn and Peters in terms of QB ability. He wasn’t winning us any games at QB.

MichiganMan_24_

January 12th, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^

Im not Hitler..I would never say he cant tweet his opinion..His opinion and the way he keeps pushing it comes across as if he feels he is bigger than the University and his demand for the DC to be hired or else he is gone feels as if he sees himself much larger than he really is in the picture of Zona hiring their coach.

Im sure Zona would rather get the right guy for the long haul than appease a solid QB who had a good season running the football..Im no judge but in my opinion, it feels like he may have let a decent season swell his melon a bit, my opinion.

Mr Miggle

January 12th, 2018 at 4:52 PM ^

Letting his voice be heard doesn't mean he thinks he's bigger than the university.. Think about how silly that is.

I'm sure he doesn't think he's in a position to dictate anything. But if speaks out and lets people know how he feels, just maybe that will generate support among fans and boosters. I'm not sure what else he can do about something that's obviously very important to him.

Mr Miggle

January 12th, 2018 at 7:01 PM ^

with him? Maybe they'll start speaking out too. I know, players should keep their mouths shut and be grateful they have a scholarship. 

Have a little empathy. Those players are looking at either losing the coaches who recruited and worked with them or keeping most of them if the DC is promoted. There's a lot of uncertainty about their roles with a new staff, especially one coming from across the country with a completely new system.

OwenGoBlue

January 12th, 2018 at 5:07 PM ^

I don't see players wanting continuity as an out of control special interest. Not saying Arizona should only listen to him, just that players are stakeholders with voices that should be heard as much as the next person.

The tweet doesn't hurt him in any way. If they do hire Ken and Tate wants to stay I'm sure this could get ironed out in a sitdown. If he wants to transfer he transfers either way.

Killer Khakis

January 12th, 2018 at 3:51 PM ^

He is a really good coach, it'll be interesting to see if he brings the triple option out west and if it works if he is hired. I rewatched the Army-Navy game and I've noticed he's adapted his offense and they have ran less triple option and have been a well rounded offense as of late. Can't be worse than RR.