For All Fans Who Want A New OC, Who Did You Have In Mind?

Submitted by Santa Clause on

I keep seeing comments about how Harbaugh needs to go out and find the next Don Brown but for offense. It is my opinion that Don Browns don't grow on trees and are pretty hard to come by. So, is there a specific coach that any of you have in mind or are you all just talking out of your asses?

Inman

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^

Is the OC. If you don't believe this you are I don't even know what to,say cause I'm not trying to be a prick. I'm not trying to be rude, I just don't know how else to say it. No way he is not the primary OC, sure other guys have input.

RockinLoud

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^

That's not what numerous people have said though. Drevno is primary play-caller with input from Pep, and Harbaugh signals in all plays and has final ok on the playcall. Very similar to what Rich Rod, Meyer, and other offensive minded HC's do.

DrMantisToboggan

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^

As I said in another thread, Mario Cristobal. He's a man who wants to be a head coach again. He was an excellent OL coach and recruiter at Alabama. He coached TEs at Miami, including Greg Olsen. In his first year at Oregon, their offense has moved from 36th to 13th in both total yards per game and rushing yards per game. Give him a salary offer he can't refuse and the Urban Meyer 2 year commitment, let him coach two talent-loaded teams in 2018 and 2019 and go be a head coach somewhere else. Get Oregon's WR coach Michael Johnson as well, who we almost hired this year anyways, giving us a bonafide WR coach, and groom him to take over OC duties when Cristobal leaves. Johnson has been an OC before.

PutInPeters18

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:56 AM ^

My top choices: 1. Jedd Fisch (UCLA) seems like the best realistic candidate. Familiar with the players, schemes already in place. Most likely to be a seamless transition. 2. Jake Spavital (West Virginia), granted he’s very very spread/air raid oriented but he’s coached and developed some incredible QBs having worked w/ Manziel, Jared Goff, Will Grier. I think he could do a lot to help our inept passing game. 3. Jonathan Smith (Washington), doubt he’d come, as he seems likely to take over at Oregon State, and even then Washington to Michigan isn’t a big enough step up to ensure it’d happen. That being said, he’d be a tremendous hire. Other possibilities... - Eli Drinkwitz (NCSU) - Mike Bloomgren (Stanford) - TJ Weist (USF) - Jeff Scott (Clemson) - Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M)

DrMantisToboggan

October 23rd, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^

If Mora is let go at the end of the season and Harbaugh would pardon or reassign Drevno to give Jed full control of the offense, that would be completely satisfactory in my mind. Just seems like a long shot.

Any interesting candidate could be OC and RB coach Thomas Brown at Miami. He's young as hell (31), played in the NFL, from Georgia, and has a solid track record. Miami is currently 11th in total offense in S&P+, 3rd in rushing, and 17th in passing. Might be hard to get him out from under Richt, however, as that's who he played for at Georgia. He coached Wisconsin's RBs in 2014, so he's not necessarily adverse to coming north.

PutInPeters18

October 23rd, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^

Well Manziel did win the Heisman in college, Jared Goff was the #1 overall pick, and Will Grier has thrown for nearly 4x as many yards as our leading passer. Grier might be a stretch; but relatively they most definitely are incredible compared to what we’ve gotten at the position the last 5-10 years.

DrMantisToboggan

October 23rd, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^

Not sure! Some of it may be attributed to Taggart himself, he's a QB and Offensive-minded guy.  Yes, they have fallen off offensively since losing their starting QB as most teams do, and they've also hit a brutal stretch in their schedule with Wazzou, Stanford, Utah, Washington.

 

However, I do know that good offensive lines and running games have followed Cristobal everywhere. I also know that Cristobal was Alabama's best recruiter and would be a recruiting upgrade over Drevno, which, that alone would make him desirable if he was at least as good of an OL coach.

RockinLoud

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:48 AM ^

I still think a power-spread is the best offense for college in B1G country. Would have the flexibility to lean on the run or the pass depending on the oponent. We all saw how OSU and Clemson were able to light up 'Bama's vaunted defense. Not sure how power oriented PSU is, but they obviously lit up our own vaunted defense. 

So whoever the best OC for that is.

ijohnb

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^

would kind of like to know how involved Harbaugh is in the play-calling.  I know that I will in all likelihood never find out, but it would be interesting to know.  Based on what I know about him, or at least what I have heard, Harbaugh has always been heavily involved in offensive scheme.  It is almost impossible to know as fans right now who is the primary voice in play calling and offensive game theory on the coaching staff.  I am quite sure Harbaugh is the one with final say.  I really don't know that we will see Drevno leave anytime soon because it is difficult to ascertain how much of the offensive scheme is even his doing.

One Armed Bandit

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:50 AM ^

In points per game this year: UCF, SMU, USF, Arkansas State, Ohio University, Memphis, FAU, Toledo.

If Jim can convince Don Brown to leave BC to head up the defense, why wouldn't we be able to pull an OC from one of these teams? Wouldn't Jim calling them up and asking," How would you like to come to Michigan and make a million dollars a year" be enough of a sell?

DrMantisToboggan

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:58 AM ^

Well for many of the schools you just listed, the real OC is the Head Coach: Frost at UCF, Norvell at Memphis, Kiffen at FAU, Chad Morris at SMU, and Blake Anderson at Arkansas State.

 

Ohio has Co-OCs in Tim Albin and Dave Johnson. Albin is interesting - he's the RB coach and Passing Game Coordinator. Albin has also been a head coach, winning the NAIA national championship with a 13-0 record at Northwestern Oklahoma. His backfields at Ohio seem to be pretty effective. I specifically remember the Tettleton-Blankenship combo.

DrMantisToboggan

October 23rd, 2017 at 12:25 PM ^

I'm not sure what the "Funny how that works" burn is directed at here? But, do the people who say both "Jim is our true OC, he's to blame" and "Losing Fisch calling the offense killed us" realize that these are incompatable thoughts? If you are someone who thinks Fisch was the reason we've fallen off, then your ire should be directed at Pep, not Jim. Passing Game Coordinator is the only thing that has changed in terms of Head Coach-Coordinator dynamics.

DrMantisToboggan

October 23rd, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^

So, when offensive numbskull Urban Meyer had an incosistent offense with great talent, it was entirely his fault, as simply being an offensive-minded head coach is sufficient to make you solely in control of the offense. Of course Urban just improved his approach to improve his offense, and did not in fact let his OC go and go out and hire Kevin Wilson, a great OC, as his new OC. The pitfalls and improvement are 100% on Urban, and the change in offensive coordinator means nothing. 

Wolvmarine

October 23rd, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^

At this point, I think paying Drevno too much is our downfall. The Rumor that he was supposed to take the SJSU job was posted two weeks ago or so. Jed Fisch was supposed to be OC. SJSU probably offered what would have been a significant reduction in Drevno’s pay. So he stayed, and Fisch had to leave.

Jed was creative. Drevno is not, and I have no idea what Pep even does. Jay is not a RB coach and all you need for evidence of that is the RB pass pro. It’s awful.

Maybe if Mora gets fired we can ged Jed back to be OC. Shed Drevno and Jay. Get a real WR and RB coach.