How will Claeys do at the helm?

Donate To GopherHole
Hire Claeys. Promote Sawvel to DC. Promote Dom Barber to DB coach.

For the staff opening, bring in an experience offensive guy to serve as passing game coordinator / Co-OC. Let Limegrover focus on his duties with the OL.
 


<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
Hire Claeys. Promote Sawvel to DC. Promote Dom Barber to DB coach.

For the staff opening, bring in an experience offensive guy to serve as passing game coordinator / Co-OC. Let Limegrover focus on his duties with the OL.
Click to expand...

Close, but from my perspective - promote Claeys, promote Sawvel and keep him as DB coach. Hire a new OL coach and let Limegrover focus on his duties as OC.

Your plan wouldn't work, btw. Too many coaches. We are full right now (counting Kill) and a new DB coach plus a new co-OC would be a net new of one. Also, Jim Zebrowski is already the passing game coordinator.
 

Remember that Claeys coached from the box and Sawvel was the sideline coach. Claeys may not even want to be the coach. He might like his X and O position. It will be interesting. Maybe Sawvel becomes DC and it will all work out. I'd like to see a dynamic coach like Kill on and off the field get the gig and best case mold with current staff.
 


Rescooter said:
In his news interview he had earlier this spring, the question came up about a "Head Coaching Job". Claeys stated he would like to one day be a head coach, but it had to be the right situation. I can't see it being any more right for the guy. Here's why: 1) Been with Coach Kill for over 20 years. Would have instant credibility. 2) Would have Jerry as a consultant because of his relationship and loyalty 3) Jerry requested he take the reigns of the program 4) He would be in a culture that he's been with his entire coaching career. 5) He's had a practice run several years ago. Did well! Yes, there are "sexy" coaches available right now, but none that could be plugged into the program like Coach Claeys. Our recruiting has been for this particular program and we have the infrastructure to be successful right now and into the future. A Claeys hire would be ideal.
Click to expand...

And I don't think those sexy coaches are coming here either. I mean, Lane Kiffin has been brought up for the Miami job.

If you looked at Claeys resume, coordinator at. BCS school, quality interim head coaching record, his D consistently performs. It's not like we'd be reaching for some unqualified coach or anything just because he's already here. My biggest question with him is how well can he recruit and could he beef that up a bit with some members of his staff.
 

I was pleasantly surprised of how Claeys and Limegrover and the team performed when Kill was out on his leave of absence. Let's keep continuity and take a huge step backward.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Remember that Claeys coached from the box and Sawvel was the sideline coach. Claeys may not even want to be the coach. He might like his X and O position. It will be interesting. Maybe Sawvel becomes DC and it will all work out. I'd like to see a dynamic coach like Kill on and off the field get the gig and best case mold with current staff.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've posted/asked this before. I don't pretend to know what Claeys thinks, but I can't imagine every coordinator in FBS wanting to be a head coach. Very different job requirements. More in the pressure cooker, more time-consuming PR and community duties, etc. Maybe the guy likes to be the mad scientist behind the curtain.
 

scher215 said:
And I don't think those sexy coaches are coming here either. I mean, Lane Kiffin has been brought up for the Miami job.

If you looked at Claeys resume, coordinator at. BCS school, quality interim head coaching record, his D consistently performs. It's not like we'd be reaching for some unqualified coach or anything just because he's already here. My biggest question with him is how well can he recruit and could he beef that up a bit with some members of his staff.
Click to expand...

lol, we hopefully don't want Kiffin calling plays, do we?
 



I'm pretty sure Claeys has been groomed for this for a while, and really I'd have no qualms about it, the guy can coach, and with the work he's done with the defense here, I'm a fan of his. Obviously there's a difference from interim vs. permanent, but I feel like he's ready for this step. With an interim AD also in position, I'm guessing they take a wait and see approach to things. But I don't think we'll see much drop off with him in the short term, like in 2013, where we actually saw things take a step up.
 

I would be happy naming Claeys as permanent hire in the near future (to do so this week would be disrespectful to Coach Kill in my opinion). I would bet that it would be a contract that is more beneficial to the U than to Claeys, though, like a 3 year contract with small-ish buyout. If things go exceedingly well, they renegotiate; if not, then they part ways without a huge financial loss.
 

Mangino is available now, kidding. The restaurants in dinkytown would love that hire
 

"everyone in the program will fight their b*lls off"
I think Coach Clays understood then and will know now what it takes.
Kill has mentored many...
 



People realize Claeys currently recruits?
 

Interesting that Claeys got his start under Mason at Kansas. Maybe he can bring in Glen as a consultant to stir things up a bit...
 


ESPN: Interim coach Tracy Claeys can help ease transition at Minnesota

The unexpected retirement of Minnesota coach Jerry Kill caught most of the college football world by surprise Wednesday morning, but the Gophers won’t be scrambling for a solution as they head into the most daunting stretch of their 2015 schedule.

Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys will step in as the interim head coach, a role he has played before. Claeys ran the program for seven games during the 2013 season, when Kill took a leave of absence to deal with epilepsy and seizures. The Golden Gophers won four of those seven games under Claeys.

The transition, while a shock, should be made easier by a staff that has worked together for a long time. Kill said he’s confident they will keep the program rolling in a positive direction during the final five games of the season.

“They will because Tracy stepped into a very difficult situation, and I think everybody knows how good of a coach he is and how smart he is,” Kill said Wednesday morning during an emotional news conference. “It’s not like we just hired coaches. We’ve got a family over there. … They’ll do all right, just wait and see. They’ll do all right.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...laeys-can-help-smooth-transition-at-minnesota

Go Gophers!!
 

dpodoll68 said:
Close, but from my perspective - promote Claeys, promote Sawvel and keep him as DB coach. Hire a new OL coach and let Limegrover focus on his duties as OC.

Your plan wouldn't work, btw. Too many coaches. We are full right now (counting Kill) and a new DB coach plus a new co-OC would be a net new of one. Also, Jim Zebrowski is already the passing game coordinator.
Click to expand...

Agred Sawvel can handle both as I think Clays would still call the plays on Defense. Obviously when Kill is off the payroll there will be a staff opening. May be promote Trevor Olson from GA to O line coach?
 

That is a tough question. Coaching wise I think he'd do great. He's proven he can put a game plan together, practice it and properly motivate the team. He's an affable guy and doesn't seem to be a liability personality wise. I just wonder if he's a big enough personality to coach in the Big Ten. Then again Chryst and Ferentz aren't exactly effervescent personalities.
 

gopher56 said:
Even Limegrover? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I hate to be that guy, but I think Limey thrives if he's running his own offense, instead
of compromising with Kill, just my $.02

I love Kill and what he's done, the respect he's earned is well deserved, but when he
took leave of absence, and Claeys took over, we did just fine and I think we will moving
forward, and we will because of Kill and the foundation he layed, he made these coaches
who they are just like the effect he's had on his players.

This program will be just fine as long as we retain Claeys HC, Limegrover OC, Sawvel DC
 

I don't think there is anything that could tell us what Claeys is going to be like as a HC.... I hope he does well.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I don't think there is anything that could tell us what Claeys is going to be like as a HC.... I hope he does well.
Click to expand...
At least Claeys comes out of the gate with three, pretty easy games to start...
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I don't think there is anything that could tell us what Claeys is going to be like as a HC.... I hope he does well.
Click to expand...

I think we got a peak of his playcalling when we beat Nebraska 2 years ago. Gutsy 4th down call up the middle to Engel. That was genius.

If he really is auditioning for the HC spot, I'm expecting similar against Michigan. It should be fun!
 

Rescooter said:
I think we got a peak of his playcalling when we beat Nebraska 2 years ago. Gutsy 4th down call up the middle to Engel. That was genius.

If he really is auditioning for the HC spot, I'm expecting similar against Michigan. It should be fun!
Click to expand...

Hard to say though. Jerry was still around, team was playing well. Maybe not quite the same as when the team is HIS, maybe not even see that this year.
 


I like Claeys as the HC. He has the experience to do it. I would be most interested in what he changes with the offense, if anything.
 

Logically and emotionally it makes sense to keep the staff. Obviously they can add someone, maybe an OL coach?
 

My gut reaction is that Claeys will be a great head coach, and he will emerge as our permanent head coach. Time will tell. I think we'll be as surprised and impressed with Claeys as we all were with Kill. May Kill find good health and rest soon!
 


Name Claeys the head coach. Give him a 4 yr deal with a low buyout and see how he does next year. He and the staff deserve it. Then keep an eye on Bob Nielson if the next year or two doesn't go well.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom