Should Harbaugh promote Warinner so he'll stick around?
Despite the disappointing O-line performances at the start of the year, I think it has become clear that Warinner is an invaluable component to this program for both the O-line and the running game. But could we count on him sticking around if he's just a position coach?
I would propose that he be offered either a Co-OC position or an assistant-HC position, along with a pay increase to at least Gattis's level of $900K/year. If we don't, some OC position or NFL position is going to be offered to him after this year (I'd be shocked if those offers don't come), and no one could blame him for taking those calls.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:01 AM ^
Harbaugh shot his load at Gattis. Warinner is better suited off just coaching the O line and having some influence on the run plays. His OC days at OSU didn’t go super well.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:38 AM ^
Totally agree but also agree we need to keep him. Keep him in the same capacity and pay him whatever it takes. Seems like he likes the area in the summer, and his son plays at MSU.
November 4th, 2019 at 11:13 AM ^
So are you saying MSU is in play?
/s
November 4th, 2019 at 3:28 PM ^
That's being kind. He is a great line coach. Nothing more . Can't recruit or call play's. But he can coach the o line for sure
November 4th, 2019 at 10:02 AM ^
I’d definitely pay him like an OC. However my understanding is that his track record as OC at OSU wasn’t great, plus Gattis is now the OC (like it or not). There’s not much room to promote Warriner and it’s not even clear that he’d do well in an elevated role.
November 4th, 2019 at 11:55 AM ^
Michigan needs a consistent OL coach. They should give him whatever title he wants and make him the highest paid OL coach in the country.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:02 AM ^
You can't create a Co-OC position 1 year after you Hire Gattis. You do that, and you're basically cutting Gattis's nuts off.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:22 AM ^
Correct. You have to give a new system a little bit of time though Warriner has definitely earned his pay if not a good sized raise.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:30 AM ^
You also can't pay him the same (or more) than the OC for the same reason.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:02 AM ^
paythatmanhismoney.gif
Worth every penny.
If we are making the comparison between Gattis and Warriner, I think the issue is how much Gattis was paid off the bat. I understand UM had to offer that much to get him away from Bama/Maryland but the results don't warrant that salary at the moment.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:05 AM ^
No, but Larry you deserve a promotion for this bye week post. You will see a little extra in your check this week and the dessert of the month club as a holiday bonus.
November 4th, 2019 at 12:54 PM ^
It’s jelly of the month club or nothing. especially if you’re taking away Christmas bonus this year. That’s pretty low mister.
November 4th, 2019 at 4:07 PM ^
If I had a rubber hose I would beat you........
November 4th, 2019 at 10:07 AM ^
Not that their opinion matters to our decision-making but I can tell you the folks down here at OSU think Warriner was the worst OC they had during the Meyer era and were thrilled when he left.
FWIW I think he's done a good job as O line coach but the knock on him at OSU was always concerning his ability to recruit top-shelf offensive lineman. Not sure we've exactly mastered that one either to be honest.
I think i'd keep things the way the are.
November 5th, 2019 at 2:36 AM ^
OSU fans don’t think much of Ed. Notre Dame fans don’t either. They called him “Mr. Personality” because no one liked him.
Good OL coach, below average recruiter.
Urban fired him at baggage claim after Clemson ate that offense alive.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:08 AM ^
Just lock him in one of the suites at the stadium. Then he really won't be able to leave.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:09 AM ^
If he's offered Co-OC here with a "run game coordinator" role he's still going to leave for better offers. Pay him what you can afford and let the chips fall where they may. Assistant coaches leave programs and then you have to replace them. Unless, of course, you're an assistant who is taking advantage of being aided and abetted by an institution that allows you to commit criminal acts on its campus. I feel like assistants moving up for better gigs is a sign of a healthy program. (See Alabama.)
November 4th, 2019 at 12:04 PM ^
He's already the run game coordinator, perhaps even in name. OL coaches often are, and the run concepts Michigan ran last year and recently this year (why they dropped them at the beginning of the season is as mystifying as the OL's incompetence was at the same time) are Warinner staples.
People talk about the "Harbaugh running game," but what we've seen the last two years is the "Warinner running game." And the concepts are good.
I hope Michigan holds on to Warinner. But, as others have said, not as a co-OC or something like that.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:13 AM ^
Is there a rumor of Warriner leaving? If he wants more money, not an issue because UM prints their own, but if he wants to be an OC, he may have to let him go. If there isn't a rumor, stop starting shit dude.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:13 AM ^
Give him a pay raise, but as has already been stated, he was a crap OC at OSU and I doubt Gattis will want to share the role now that he has it to himself.
Unless he's set on being an OC or HC, paying him as one should get him to stick around for a while. He's light years better than both of his predecessors.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:14 AM ^
I like Warriner alot. Enjoy his interviews and seems to be a great O Line coach. Seems to like Michigan and Harbaugh as well. Pay him competitively and I'm sure he's happy to stay and pump out some good O-lines.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:19 AM ^
Threadjack, but if Warinner bounces, who are the OL specialists we'd hope to see replace him?
November 4th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
His son is at Staee. So minimum Michigan needs to keep him from going there.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:05 PM ^
Yeah, my only worry is Dantonio retiring and the new guy luring Warinner with another OC position, now that he's proven to be a good run game coordinator in addition to a great OL coach. We should throw the checkbook at him and make him feel as valued as Ohio State does with Larry Johnson, who could easily get a DC spot but stays on the DL
November 4th, 2019 at 10:39 AM ^
Despite the disappointing performances???
Warriner was teaching guys a new technique because its a new offense, AMIRITE???
Didnt we call this transiton cost or something?
November 4th, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
And then there’s Chris Partridge. He doesn’t get the kudos Brown and Warriner gets but think he’s a valuable coach.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
I think Partridge takes over DC duties when Brown retires/leaves. He's coached just about every defensive position, has done great things with the special teams, is an elite recruiter, and was contacted by just about everybody the last few offseasons. I think he's been studying under Don Brown and should probably take over in his absence, though hopefully that's a few years away.
And Harbaugh gave him a shot at the college level while he was killing it in High School, so we've essentially earned a bit of loyalty in keeping him around, even while Alabama calls.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:45 AM ^
Really? WTF?
Our Oline has not been the dominant force that we were expecting, listening to all the pre-season hype. We actually still struggle running between the tackles. I'm not saying Warinner needs to go, by any means, but FFS people...
November 4th, 2019 at 11:05 AM ^
You do understand we are running a completely new offense this year, and these guys were recruited to run a power O zone blocking scheme.
It's a square peg in a round hole thing and I think coach Warriner has done an admirable job of adapting our guys to be effective in this scheme.
November 4th, 2019 at 11:22 AM ^
Yeah, if you pay attention to discussion here, i've been saying that all season while people piled on how terrible our offense has been and how Gattis should be fired.
I'm not saying he hasn't done a good job, but lets let the season play out before we give the guy a raise and a promotion. If we struggle to run against MSU or ohio state, people will be calling for his firing, i'm certain.
Keep in mind, this is the same crowd who wanted Don Brown fired, when he consistently fields a top 10 defense.
November 4th, 2019 at 1:03 PM ^
Don't worry... many of the people on here that were previously asking to fire Gattis, are now giving him a hand-job just because the offense has put up a few points on one quality opponent (ND) in the rain; ND looked horrible, wasn't prepared at all. Using that one game and a couple other cup cake games as a statistical basis for how amazing our offense is... just stupid.
MSU won't be a good gauge for the O either... if we put up 28 or more against OSU, then I'll believe we've hit a turning point.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
Pay him more and keep him as line coach.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
I don’t really think that’s his strong suit. He was the OC at Minnesota for a time, and I believe he was a Co-OC for a year or two at OSU. Those offenses didn’t do very well. Or at least at OSU, they didn’t do well relative to expectations.
Hate to say it but if he wants to be an OC I think it’s best to let him do that elsewhere. Based on experience it’s not worth keeping him just so the offense can go back to underperforming. He’s among the best there is when it comes to coaching an OL, but taking in the whole offense just really isn’t for him.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^
The answer is yes.
Mainly because Warinner sent lots of OL guys to the NFL, including 3 this year for sure (Bredeson, Onwenu and Runyan). This helps with UM recruiting. Michigan needs stability in the coaching staff.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
I could see a Run Game Coordinator position that has input in game planning and a pay bump.
He's a valuable asset from an O-line standpoint.
November 4th, 2019 at 2:34 PM ^
We have our Run Coach Coordinator as our Head Football Coach. Don't need that title. If he is not happy as OLine Coach, say goodbye. My opinion. Be happy to be in A Squared. GO BLUE
November 4th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
Make him co-OC while Gattis calls plays? Or slap the RGC on him and give him a raise?
November 4th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
Would love for you to make him full-time OC.
November 4th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
As others have said, keep him away from being the actual OC. OSU fans were not happy Michigan hired him because of his ability to develop scary OLs. The one thing they all said was keep him away from play calling (and a bit of recruiting).
Keeping him on staff is going to be hard if he has aspirations of returning to the OC position. Allowing him to maintain some control of the running game is a good thing.
I don't know how they keep him around for long unless they can pay him enough and he doesn't want to coordinate again.
November 4th, 2019 at 11:25 AM ^
Making Warinner a co-OC is the worst idea. Keep the responsibilities as they are now. Even if you make him co-OC in name only, it's horrible. It just makes him more attractive to other programs looking for a new OC. Right now I doubt any major program would consider him for that role.
A pay raise is fine, but does Michigan need to pay Warinner far more than other OL coaches make?
November 4th, 2019 at 11:52 AM ^
does Michigan need to pay Warinner far more than other OL coaches make?
Depends on if you think Warriner is a better OL coach than most every other OL coach in the country. If he is a top 5 OL coach, then pay him as such. OL coaches have generally accepted salary ranges so pay him appropriately within that range.
November 4th, 2019 at 10:12 PM ^
I think he's top 5. After all, how many OL coaches can you name? Notre Dame had a great one, but he left for the NFL. Ohio State replaced him with Greg Studrawa, who is at least keeping their elite recruits at expected results. Other than Wisconsin, almost every team complains about their o-line, so finding a good one is like finding a needle in a haystack. And we clearly have a good 1.
His only knocks were recruiting and playcalling, and he's seemingly improved his recruiting here, and his run game plans have been phenomenal, so I don't see how he's not elite at his job.
November 4th, 2019 at 11:38 AM ^
Or Assistant TO the Regional Manager.
November 4th, 2019 at 12:39 PM ^
we do need to hold onto him for dear life but i doubt it's a sustainable thing. i think about how greg mattison jumped ship-- we brought in someone from the outside, promoted them over him, and he left to get his ass paid. some major program is gonna take a swing at warinner, OSU failings notwithstanding. my concern is the staee connection -- his kid plays there and i have a hunch they'll be doing a lot of hiring soon.
November 4th, 2019 at 12:47 PM ^
Beat Ohio State and give him what he wants.
November 4th, 2019 at 1:14 PM ^
Redact this post...
Pay him "what we can"...
November 4th, 2019 at 1:33 PM ^
I respect EW as an OL coach. He is really good. As an OC, I believe I can vouch for thousands of OSU fans that I hope you guys promote him.
He was also a disappointment in recruiting. I haven't followed who he has brought in at UM. Does he have a good track record?
November 4th, 2019 at 2:48 PM ^
I don't really think that moves the needle much. We are going to be 9-3 until we fix/utilize the passing game.
November 4th, 2019 at 4:49 PM ^
No need for promotion, give him more on the bottom line...he will stay