Steve Addazio hired as HC at Colorado State
Brian mentioned the other day that OSU offensive coordinator and former IU head coach Kevin Wilson had a good shot at this job, but it was not to be.
And, for those who don't know/remember, Wilson has a history of abusing players, support staff, and non-football members of the campus community, plus a not-so-secret drinking problem. So don't expect him to find an upgrade anytime soon.
December 11th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
Wow...CSU fans are not going to be happy about this.
As an Air Force fan, this news is fantastic!
December 11th, 2019 at 9:45 PM ^
Yeah - from the CSU POV (I loosely follow them, I live in Denver), this is 100% uninspiring.
I was at the season finale when CSU hosted Boise State. There was nobody there. Things have bottomed out and that program desperately needs a shot in the arm. But hiring Addazio to go 6-6 every year with trips to the New Mexico Bowl: that's not really going to do it.
I have no idea why CSU is listening to Urban Meyer so much. Yeah, he coached in Fort Collins for a few years in the early 90s (back when he still had his ridiculous porn-stache). But so what?
Urban cares about Ohio State 1000000000000x more than he cares about Colorado State. And that's exactly why Addazio has this job, as opposed to Tony Alford (who WAS a candidate).
December 12th, 2019 at 9:18 AM ^
I live in Denver and follow all the Colorado teams. I actually think it’s a solid hire for them. Look CSU is a dumpster fire right now. This job has usually just been a stepping stone for people who won’t stay long. Addazzio is a solid coach who did a good job at a non traditional football school. If he can get 6-7 wins a year with an occasional win over CU and win a lesser bowl game that is success at CSU
December 12th, 2019 at 11:42 AM ^
I'm in Denver too, been following CU a lot. Disappointing season overall. Which neighborhoods are you both in? I'm in the Sloan's Lake area
December 12th, 2019 at 11:55 AM ^
Live in centennial. Actually have some inside connections to the CU program so get a good feel for what they are doing
December 12th, 2019 at 12:53 PM ^
You ever see Witchitan Wolverine out there? His usual routine is usually to get after some DIPA at Lone Tree, wake up, boot/rally and shred some gnar while wearing scarlet and grey.
December 12th, 2019 at 12:52 PM ^
I used to live in Sloan's Lake - nice area that has rapidly gentrified (that part of town used to be pretty rough as recently as the mid-2000s).
I recently heard someone say "Sloan's Lake and the Highlands are the fastest growing suburbs of San Francisco." There is a lot of truth to that statement.
A year back, I migrated out to Broomfield. Cheaper, and puts me equi-distant between Denver & Boulder.
I don't miss the geese at Sloan's Lake. They are the true creatures that "run" Sloan's Lake (or at least they think they do).
December 12th, 2019 at 1:41 PM ^
I live on Sloan’s Lake! I frequent the brewery in a Michigan hat, uh, frequently.
December 13th, 2019 at 12:53 AM ^
nittanyFan, I definitely get the geese. They still act like they own the place but as soon as my dog gets near, they may hiss, but they move (cattle dog so nothing scares him). I have heard that the area has been heavily gentrified especially the Highlands and Sunnyside
Wolverine in 312, I go to joy ride all the time ( II latelyactually won their 'veEuchre tournament like a month ago with an old UM friend who moved here in the summer, every Monday!) been heading to Little Machine cause it's usually a little more chilled out, although can't bring the pup. I usually have a Michigan something or other on. Either a Jordan hat or my new "cleaned up" Brand '47 hat
December 11th, 2019 at 8:34 PM ^
Fort Collins is a great town though.
December 12th, 2019 at 9:28 AM ^
Fort Fun!
December 12th, 2019 at 7:11 PM ^
Fuck yes!
Love Old Town, especially the Crown Pub on South College!
December 11th, 2019 at 8:44 PM ^
The coaching carousel ride isn't over.
December 11th, 2019 at 8:48 PM ^
Brown to BC?
December 11th, 2019 at 8:48 PM ^
Seems like BC really wants Al Washington or Jeff Hafley from OSU. Don Brown is also in their possible list. Will be interesting to see who they can nab.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:14 PM ^
That Washington rumor seems like total bullshit. The guy has never even been a coordinator. A good high school HC would be more qualified.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:34 PM ^
I could see them wanting the two as a package deal. Washington may not have been a DC, but he’s coached under Brown, Mattison and Hafley. If Hafley has success and moves on, Washington is an easy promotion. Makes some sense to me.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:50 PM ^
I think Brown as HC and Washington as DC makes a ton of sense. When this first came up, those roles were reversed, which is crazy.
December 11th, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^
I saw the Brown-HC, Washington-DC first. I don’t think I ever saw Washington as HC with Brown as DC.
December 11th, 2019 at 10:20 PM ^
If Al Washington was to become the next head coach he would need to get very experienced and season offensive and defensive coordinators to help support him. Mark Blaudschun mentioned that Don Brown could come with him as assistant head coach, but take that with a grain of salt.
A lot of these are Al as HC and Brown backing him up.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:09 PM ^
All the rumors seems to stem from this Mark Blaudschun guy. Browsed a few pieces by him and his twitter. Don’t think he’s an insider or anything like that.
December 12th, 2019 at 1:04 AM ^
I think the question is,,, would Brown choose Washington as DC. I figure whoever gets the HC gig would then get to pick his staff. Is that who DB would pick? Dunno.
December 11th, 2019 at 8:53 PM ^
OSU’s RB coach was also rumored to be a leading candidate. He’s their lead recruiter for Donovan Edwards too. If he would’ve left, it might have eliminated them from contention. It looks like Edwards is leaning towards the good guys but I read a quote where he said he’s visited OSU 4 or 5 times (which can’t be good). He’s a must get guy in 2021. There’s not a ton of national top 50 guys in Michigan and we can’t let OSU steal half of them.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:05 PM ^
OSU had 5 big RB targets right now in the 2021 class, and I know UM is in for at least 3 of them: Donovan Edwards, Corey Kiner, and Lovasea Carroll (the other two for OSU are Evan Pryor and Will Shipley). Given OSU's misses on Bijan Robinson and Jaylon Knighton this cycle with questions around Miyan Williams's ability to be an every-down back, RB is the top priority for the 2021 class for OSU, and they will take two. It's going to be extremely interesting to see how all these head-to-head battles shake out.
December 11th, 2019 at 10:01 PM ^
It's interesting that despite churning out nice NFL backs recently, and given how well they recruit every other position, that OSU has really kind of been mediocre recruiting running backs.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
From a pure rankings perspective, they have signed 5 4-star RBs over the last 3 cycles (Dobbins in 17, Snead and Teague in 18, and Chambers and Crowley in 19). Snead leaving the program and then missing on their three top prospects this year is what changed that narrative. If Alford swings and misses with all of the top targets in 2020, then there will be some serious concern.
December 11th, 2019 at 8:56 PM ^
Addazio is a fraud.
The guy rode Urban Meyer's coat tails in Florida to the HC job at Temple (where he basically drove the success Al Golden had achieved into the ground). He then took all that momentum to Boston College where he got crushed repeatedly until he got fired. I feel bad for the people of Fort Collins.
As to Kevin Wilson, that guy seems like a dirt ball so he probably fits in perfectly in Columbus.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:30 PM ^
The article mentions that Urban, who got his start as an assistant at CSU in the early '90s, helped choose the candidates. That's why Wilson and Addazio were the finalists.
December 12th, 2019 at 8:26 AM ^
Addazio is also a known asshole. Dude demoted Matt Rhule at Temple and would throw shit at him during meetings just to degrade the guy. Safe to say Rhule quit and took an NFL job before coming back to salvage Temple from Addazios mess and is now a hot commodity coach at Baylor while Addazio is coaching CSU lol.
December 12th, 2019 at 11:08 AM ^
I’m still kinda sad Rhule took the money at Baylor, tbh.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:29 PM ^
Colorado St loves them some conservative offenses. McElwain-Bobo-Addazio. Are they trying to be the most boring program?
December 11th, 2019 at 9:37 PM ^
McElwain's offense was pretty explosive. Dee Hart was the third best player on his final team's offense, behind Garrett Grayson and Rishard Higgins (who both got drafted). Don't know as much about Bobo, but Michael Gallup put up nearly 3,000 receiving yards in two seasons.
I find it strange that they keep hiring southern and eastern guys. It seems like it would be an attractive job for a westerner. Why not try a Boise State assistant, for instance? It's not an easy place to recruit to. Fort Collins is a great town for the middle-class white guys (like me) who predominantly populate this board, but I doubt cold weather, craft beer, and public lands in the mountains go as far when recruiting football players.
December 11th, 2019 at 9:43 PM ^
All this time, I never realized A-Train was white!
December 11th, 2019 at 9:49 PM ^
Only had two offenses in the S&P top 40 during the last two coaches. One for each. Had three that were outside the top 60. I can buy they had some playmakers, but it doesn’t seem like they did much else.
But yeah, very strange hires IMO, all of them. Boise, Washington, Stanford, Utah - a lot of Mountain and West Coast programs with success the last decade where they could be poaching from. Heck, any Big 12 assistant makes more sense than Addazio.
December 11th, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
CSU's best coach ever was Sonny Lubick. Lubick was the DC at Miami FLA for a few years during their glory days but he had his roots in the Mountain West. Grew up and coached in Montana, had a stint at CSU, and a stint at Stanford.
It really is inexplicable. Addazio is a 60-year-old coach who has never coached west of Indiana!!! CSU needs to recruit California, Colorado, Texas and the Mountain West (in that order) to be successful. Addazio has recruiting roots in, well, none of those.
December 12th, 2019 at 7:15 PM ^
Agree with this 110%.
CSU could be a respectable 7-5, 8-4 program with the right hire. I think that right hire is west of the Mississippi and north of AZ/NM. I am also mystified why they keep going east and south with their hires.
December 11th, 2019 at 10:54 PM ^
I live in Denver. Very uninspiring. Why hire a .500 60-year old coach?
December 12th, 2019 at 3:44 AM ^
2022 Steve Addazio brings his mediocre brand of football to Ann Arbor. Can't wait.
December 12th, 2019 at 6:50 AM ^
Wow. Kevin Wilson sounds like the PERFECT OSU assistant coach. Boozer who works in the Natty Daddy consumption capital of the world. Guess the only things we don't know if on his resume are hitting titty bars while recruiting and beating his spouse? All pre-reqs for OSU success.
December 12th, 2019 at 7:27 AM ^
With successful programs at Washington, Boise State, BYU, Utah, and Oregon in CSU's general region, why in hell would they choose a .500 guy who's spent his entire career out east? Just because Urban Meyer recommended him?
JFC. Athletic directors make bizarre hiring decisions every day, and get paid pretty damn well to do so.
December 13th, 2019 at 5:05 PM ^
Urban pulls strings to get one of his most mediocre and shitty ex assistants another gig he can under achieve at!