Five Possible Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Auburn (Mike Sanford Jr. (Minnesota Offensive Coordinator))

[BleedGopher]

per College and Magnolia:

Mike Sanford Jr. (Minnesota Offensive Coordinator)

Numbers

Summary
Sanford played QB for the Broncos while Harsin was on staff in the early 2000s. He spent three seasons at Stanford before getting the nod as Harsin’s offensive coordinator in 2014 when Auburn’s new head coach returned to Boise to take over for Chris Petersen. After putting together a high scoring attack, he headed east to join Brian Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame. Those two years were productive enough to earn him the head gig at Western Kentucky where things didn’t go great. He’s bounced around since being fired, most recently serving as offensive coordinator for P.J. Fleck at Minnesota. The last time Harsin took a head coaching job he called up Sanford. Might he do so again?

Five Possible Offensive Coordinator Candidates

Some Christmas Eve light reading.

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Go Gophers!!

 

[BroncoRedux]

It seems everybody likes him but posters on GH. Who would thunk?

 

[GO4INLALALAND]

Is this something the school tells these news organizations or do they pull it out of their ass? I mean, Jebidiah Fisch got hired at U of A despite never holding down a job, so I guess anything is possible, but if Sanford is hired, I will have to pick my jaw up from the floor.

 

[Rickman55]

I sure hope he stays and proves all of you who think he should be gone.....WRONG.

 

[Yah-E]

Please the more programs consider him, the more likely he’ll be bought out

#TeamMattSimon

 

[#2Gopher]

It seems everybody likes him but posters on GH. Who would thunk?

This is what I'm thinking. People are so quick with their judgments.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

This seems crazy. I've heard here over and over that Sanford is clueless and doesn't know what he's doing.

For those pining away for Sanford to get another gig and move on, you may want to consider a few things; one, why is he even being considered for some of these other positions if he's so damn incompetent and, two, do you REALLY want this team to have a 3rd Offensive Coordinator in 3 years? Does that really make much sense?

 

[Yah-E]

This seems crazy. I've heard here over and over that Sanford is clueless and doesn't know what he's doing.

For those pining away for Sanford to get another gig and move on, you may want to consider a few things; one, why is he even being considered for some of these other positions if he's so damn incompetent and, two, do you REALLY want this team to have a 3rd Offensive Coordinator in 3 years? Does that really make much sense?

Not if Simon takes over full time. Same OC really. And Simon deserves and have earned it.

Hopefully Sanford goes and PJ doesn’t hire another OC or Co-OC

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

Not if Simon takes over full time. Same OC really. And Simon deserves and have earned it.

Hopefully Sanford goes and PJ doesn’t hire another OC or Co-OC

And why do we love Simon so much? I'm not in the building every day, and neither is pretty much everyone here (for the most part). There's a reason Simon wasn't handed the job.

IIRC, KC didn't leave for Penn State until less than a week before the Auburn game. Perhaps almost the entire game plan was in place by that time? The phrase we like to use with players and just about everyone else is Small Sample Size. I do believe that applies here?

Don't get me wrong, Simon could be an awesome OC if given the chance. But the chance was there and it went to someone else. There's gotta be a reason, and I certainly haven't been in that building every day for the last 2-3 years to know otherwise. If every coach that ever had a part in winning a big game got promoted, where would we be?

 

[WAGopher]

And why do we love Simon so much? I'm not in the building every day, and neither is pretty much everyone here (for the most part). There's a reason Simon wasn't handed the job.

IIRC, KC didn't leave for Penn State until less than a week before the Auburn game. Perhaps almost the entire game plan was in place by that time? The phrase we like to use with players and just about everyone else is Small Sample Size. I do believe that applies here?

Don't get me wrong, Simon could be an awesome OC if given the chance. But the chance was there and it went to someone else. There's gotta be a reason, and I certainly haven't been in that building every day for the last 2-3 years to know otherwise. If every coach that ever had a part in winning a big game got promoted, where would we be?

A reason posted on GH some time ago was that Simon is not a QB coach and Fleck wanted his OC to also coach the QBs.

I like Simon because he called a pretty good game against Auburn and he seemed to the get the plays in quickly, something that Kirk C didn’t always do.

I’m not yet sold on Sanford, and he could turn out to be pretty good. Just not enough time this year for him to show what he’s got.

 

[EG#9]

This seems crazy. I've heard here over and over that Sanford is clueless and doesn't know what he's doing.

For those pining away for Sanford to get another gig and move on, you may want to consider a few things; one, why is he even being considered for some of these other positions if he's so damn incompetent and, two, do you REALLY want this team to have a 3rd Offensive Coordinator in 3 years? Does that really make much sense?

I am personally not pining for him to be replaced, but I wasn't impressed with his first year as coordinator. Playing Bateman inside when he was by far our best outside receiver/deep threat was questionable at best. The significant decrease in both attempts and success with the deeper passing game was noticeable and disappointing. The issues with looking over to the sideline as the play clock was dwindling down to zero were maddening. How any times this year did Morgan run up and hurry the snap up in the last second to avoid a delay? None of those plays were successful and some came at key moments (4th quarter vs Wisconsin and Nebraska). Other things I am not sure you could blame Sanford for such as the play calling in the 4th quarter of multiple games. The run calls against Maryland and Purdue were simply never going to work given the defensive look they were showing us. Derek Burns (former Gopher OL) did a breakdown of the Wisconsin game and showed how the Gophers running game was successful when Wisconsin didn't have +1 in the box and when they did it was the unblocked guy mostly making the tackle to destroy the play. He noted we had man opportunities on the outside to throw the ball in those situations and didn't go to them. Some of this could be directive from Fleck to keep it conservative and some of these issues showed up last year too (I remember Wisconsin giving us opporunities to throw last year too though the weather wasn't great). Morgan regressing in the same manner that Love regressed at Utah State under Sanford is also noticeable although they are different players in different circumstances.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's good next year, but nothing I saw from Sanford this year gives me confidence in that either. Your point about 3 coordinators in 3 years is also a great one and that's something that would be better to avoid.

 

[hello-world]

I sure hope he stays and proves all of you who think he should be gone.....WRONG.

I would like nothing more than to be proven wrong. In this forum, we all want the same thing.

 

[hello-world]

This seems crazy. I've heard here over and over that Sanford is clueless and doesn't know what he's doing.

For those pining away for Sanford to get another gig and move on, you may want to consider a few things; one, why is he even being considered for some of these other positions if he's so damn incompetent and, two, do you REALLY want this team to have a 3rd Offensive Coordinator in 3 years? Does that really make much sense?

He's considered for other positions due to pedigree and connections. Just like in life, the most talented coach is not usually the one that gets hired (just ask U of A fans). Instead, it's the one who is friends with his potential boss.

His years at Notre Dame were enough to keep him employed for the next decade. If you look at what he's done since, it's not pretty, but he worked for Notre Dame so he must be good.

Nobody wants a revolving door at OC, but I would also like Morgan to have a competent QB coach. Sometimes the decisions you face in life have two bad options. Pick the least worst option.

 

[Pete smith]

I i have written several times on how maddening it became to look, then look again, sometimes three times before the ball is snapped. After watching reruns, I have changed my mind. I am convinced that all the “relooks” is just a way to buy time and give the defense the impression that the Gophers are changing the play to take advantage Of the defensive alignment. In actuality, PJ is following the Jim Tressel process of winning the time of possession game. Which,as we found out doesn’t always mean winning the game. Also convinced that all that time the offensive linemen are in their stance harms them getting off the ball. From my track coaching days, I know first hand how sprinters are affected when a starter holds them in the blocks an extra long time.
I am also convinced that our OC has to run everything through PJ before it gets signaled in. PJ has Control of everything in the Gopher program. That includes play calling.

 

[Word]

I i have written several times on how maddening it became to look, then look again, sometimes three times before the ball is snapped. After watching reruns, I have changed my mind. I am convinced that all the “relooks” is just a way to buy time and give the defense the impression that the Gophers are changing the play to take advantage Of the defensive alignment. In actuality, PJ is following the Jim Tressel process of winning the time of possession game. Which,as we found out doesn’t always mean winning the game. Also convinced that all that time the offensive linemen are in their stance harms them getting off the ball. From my track coaching days, I know first hand how sprinters are affected when a starter holds them in the blocks an extra long time.
I am also convinced that our OC has to run everything through PJ before it gets signaled in. PJ has Control of everything in the Gopher program. That includes play calling.

I do think we take a little too long to snap the ball. I do like us milking the clock, but I think we cut it too close. We should shoot for snapping with 5 seconds on the clock, not 2 seconds. Wondering if it would be good to snap quickly every now and then to keep the defense on it's toes.

Don't know about how the o-linemen feel about it. Would be curious to hear from former lineman.

I highly doubt PJ is making the play calls run through him on a regular basis.

 

[MplsGopher]

A reason posted on GH some time ago was that Simon is not a QB coach and Fleck wanted his OC to also coach the QBs.

I like Simon because he called a pretty good game against Auburn and he seemed to the get the plays in quickly, something that Kirk C didn’t always do.

I’m not yet sold on Sanford, and he could turn out to be pretty good. Just not enough time this year for him to show what he’s got.

Bolded: I simultaneously buy this as a fair point, while also am incredulous that PJ Fleck could hold this position .... as a man who only ever was a WR's coach, never given the opportunity to be an OC, and instead just went straight into being a HC.

And he says his goal is to help Simon become an OC, if that's what he wants. Sheesh

I mean, KC never played QB himself. He was a DB in high school and juco before retiring due to injury, then was a WR coach until he got to be a QB coach/OC.

I guess Simon should decide to coach QBs, too.