Paul Chryst out at wisconsin!

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GophersInIowa said:
I take it as they are thinking it might be Leonhard but they aren't 100% sold on him. So here's his chance to see what he can do first before investing in a guy that has never been a head coach before. Now he'll get his chance. If it doesn't go well, they look elsewhere.

If they're going to look outside for someone, I feel like keeping Chryst through the regular season would have made more sense.

I live in Madison and I can tell you some people are pissed that he was fired mid-season (or even at all in some cases).
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Now we know GopersInIowa is a fraud. He doesn't even live in Iowa. What else is he lying about! Sarc
 

Dances With Gophers said:
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I flipped between games on Saturday, and from what I saw I would have left if I were a student too. Their offense looked downright horrible.

From what I'm reading/hearing, the Interim title on Leonhard is just BS, and that he's the guy moving forward. We'll see if that pays off for them or not. From what I know he's a great defensive mind, but there's a lot more to head coaching. I was shocked that they fired Chryst mid season. Just seems like something "un-Wisconsin" that wouldn't typically happen. who knows, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of this year plays out.
 

cjbfbp said:
Agreed. Ferentz has been at Iowa for over 20 years. Iowa has had their down times during his tenure and Iowa diehards have called for his head on a number of occasions but the AD always extended him. The AD probably was right. It is very questionable whether someone else would have delivered as many solid seasons during that time span.

There may not be room for another perennial powerhouse like Ohio State and Michigan in the upper midwest and rustbelt these days. Even as storied of a program as Notre Dame hasn't been able maintain its former status consistently.

Of course, like most around here, I would love to see Wisconsin go the Nebraska route.
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Coach Fitzerald at NW quietly had two B1G West titles in the last four years. They aren't calling for his head. Be careful what you wish for in a coaching change. Just ask Nebraska fans.
 

Dave H said:
Then Leonhard is gone...he is not going to go from DC to Interim Head Coach back to DC just cause he loves the school. They did this as a try out...because if they hired him in the offseason and he flamed out badly they are stuck with him for at least 3 years and likely paying him for 5. He is an unknown quantity as a head coach.
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100%. Leonhard would be gone if he doesn't get the HC job.

I get that but I don't think Leonhard turned down other jobs to have a shot at the Badger job. He had a shot at the Badger job even if he went to the Packers or went to another school. Most of us thought he was essentially the coach in waiting. There is a drastic difference between being a coach-in-waiting and getting a "tryout" with a bad Badger team, running an offense you didn't design, during a season where the HC is fired. It's not really a great tryout.

I don't blame him WI for opening it up to other candidates. If I'm WI, Leipold would probably be my frontrunner (for the reasons you listed).
 



Gophers1992 said:
I see a lot of posts talking about whether the new hire will be as successful as Chryst, or match his win %, etc. That's a little misleading as Chryst was on a clear downward trajectory. He had some great seasons from 2015-2017 that are boosting his numbers, but there's nothing in that program that suggests Chryst was going to return them to those levels. You could argue he should get a chance to ride out some down years, but trajectory matters IMO.
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"Down years":

2019 — 10-4, 7-2 L Rose Bowl

2020 — 4-3, 3-3 W Duke's Mayo Bowl

2021 — 9-4, 6-3 W Las Vegas Bowl

2022 — 2-3, 0-2

Totals in the so-called "down years": 25-14, 16-10... 2-1 in bowl games.
Chryst had a 9 win season in his most recent complete year, less than 12 months ago.

So, there's your awful "downward trajectory."

What I'm seeing is, even if we (inexplicably) throw out his earlier years, what remains is still a very sold record. Do the folks in Mad Town know what they're doing? Do they think they're in Columbus?
 

hungan1 said:
Coach Fitzerald at NW quietly had two B1G West titles in the last four years. They aren't calling for his head. Be careful what you wish for in a coaching change. Just ask Nebraska fans.
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Minnesota fans who remember 2002-2011 should probably get it too.
 

Paul Chryst Falls Victim to College Football’s New, Ruthless Way of Life​

Wisconsin fired its coach Sunday after a 2–3 start, casting aside the Madison native who oversaw seven successful seasons. It’s the latest example of college football’s increasing callousness.

---

It’s a cold, cold business, cloaked in rhetorical puffery. Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh did his part by delivering a few platitudes in the school’s release announcing Chryst’s firing: “After a heartfelt and authentic conversation with Coach Chryst about what is in the long-term best interest of our football program, I have concluded that now is the time for a change in leadership. Paul is a man of integrity who loves his players. I have great respect and admiration for Paul and the legacy of him and his family at the University of Wisconsin.”

Funny way to demonstrate that respect and admiration, firing him Oct. 2. The annual autumnal administrative panic started to pick up three years ago, and now it’s reached a new peak.

www.si.com

Paul Chryst falls victim to a new, ruthless way of life - Sports Illustrated

Wisconsin fired its coach Sunday after a 2–3 start, casting aside the Madison native who oversaw seven successful seasons.
www.si.com www.si.com
 

JayBobDobbins said:
I flipped between games on Saturday, and from what I saw I would have left if I were a student too. Their offense looked downright horrible.

From what I'm reading/hearing, the Interim title on Leonhard is just BS, and that he's the guy moving forward. We'll see if that pays off for them or not. From what I know he's a great defensive mind, but there's a lot more to head coaching. I was shocked that they fired Chryst mid season. Just seems like something "un-Wisconsin" that wouldn't typically happen. who knows, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of this year plays out.
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Chryst AFAIK was very good as an offensive coordinator (and as a head coach but who’s keeping track….), but Wisconsin has stumbled on offense in recent years. That did seem to coincide with when they kicked Jack Coan to the curb in favor of the Golden Arm - who may or may not pan out (seems to be improving to Coan-like levels this year. Edit: still well below Coan level production).

So what gives? Teams have ups and downs. Trouble with the AD? Recruiting issues? Rest of Big Ten getting better? Is it really just Chryst not being silver-tongued and not 30-something? Maybe doesn’t gel with the new-era kids and their needs. Just spitballing. Head scratcher.
 



RememberMurray said:
"Down years":

2019 — 10-4, 7-2 L Rose Bowl

2020 — 4-3, 3-3 W Duke's Mayo Bowl

2021 — 9-4, 6-3 W Las Vegas Bowl

2022 — 2-3, 0-2

Totals in the so-called "down years": 25-14, 16-10... 2-1 in bowl games.
Chryst had a 9 win season in his most recent complete year, less than 12 months ago.

So, there's your awful "downward trajectory."

What I'm seeing is, even if we (inexplicably) throw out his earlier years, what remains is still a very sold record. Do the folks in Mad Town know what they're doing? Do they think they're in Columbus?
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My point wasn't that Chryst is a bad coach (he's not), or that the program was totally tanking (it isn't), it's that Chryst was not showing any signs of getting them back to 2015-2017 levels, so using his overall record as a gauge for the next guy is misleading.

Whether or not he should be fired is a very complex question with a lot of layers to it, but all I'm saying is that 12-13 win seasons were unlikely to return under Chryst, just as they are unlikely to be accomplished by the next coach.
 

RememberMurray said:

Paul Chryst Falls Victim to College Football’s New, Ruthless Way of Life​

Wisconsin fired its coach Sunday after a 2–3 start, casting aside the Madison native who oversaw seven successful seasons. It’s the latest example of college football’s increasing callousness.

---

It’s a cold, cold business, cloaked in rhetorical puffery. Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh did his part by delivering a few platitudes in the school’s release announcing Chryst’s firing: “After a heartfelt and authentic conversation with Coach Chryst about what is in the long-term best interest of our football program, I have concluded that now is the time for a change in leadership. Paul is a man of integrity who loves his players. I have great respect and admiration for Paul and the legacy of him and his family at the University of Wisconsin.”

Funny way to demonstrate that respect and admiration, firing him Oct. 2. The annual autumnal administrative panic started to pick up three years ago, and now it’s reached a new peak.

www.si.com

Paul Chryst falls victim to a new, ruthless way of life - Sports Illustrated

Wisconsin fired its coach Sunday after a 2–3 start, casting aside the Madison native who oversaw seven successful seasons.
www.si.com www.si.com
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Chryst probably took the buyout and skipped out of the AD office.
 

Gophers1992 said:
My point wasn't that Chryst is a bad coach (he's not), or that the program was totally tanking (it isn't), it's that Chryst was not showing any signs of getting them back to 2015-2017 levels, so using his overall record as a gauge for the next guy is misleading.

Whether or not he should be fired is a very complex question with a lot of layers to it, but all I'm saying is that 12-13 win seasons were unlikely to return under Chryst, just as they are unlikely to be accomplished by the next coach.
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Huh? When, exactly, were all these legendary 12-13 win seasons you're referring to?

Chryst himself had one 13-win season.

Before him, Gary Anderson had a 10-win and a 9-win season. That's his entire record at Wisconsin.

Before Anderson, Bielema had one (count 'em) 12-win season in his 7 years at Wisconsin.

Before Bielema, Alvarez coached Wisconsin for 16 years, and never won 12 games in a season!

So from 1990-2021 ( a span of 31 years), Wisconsin has had one 13-win season and one 12-win season... and the 13-win season was Chryst's!
 
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Panthadad2 said:
Chryst probably took the buyout and skipped out of the AD office.
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Given his (my ten cent judgment) personality, it’s possible an old(er)-school coach looks at the new CFB landscape, the media tapdancing, the this that and the other thing with players and says F this and rides into retirement with a big smile on his face. It’s become a PR world more than ever before and some of us aren’t equipped for that. He probably just wants to teleport back 25 years, coach and be around people that respect that rather than the BS factors.
 



WI is seen as an "old-fashioned" program in terms of its offensive approach. And, I suspect, it may be also "old-fashioned" in terms of adjusting to the changing landscape of P5 FB - especially NIL, the transfer portal and how that has changed recruiting.

you can change offensive and defensive schemes, but you have to have the athletes. in today's world, that means having the NIL game needed to land top recruits, and hitting the portal to fill any gaps in recruiting.

a new coach may have a different approach to using the portal, but the coach cannot do the NIL piece without a lot of help from boosters and local businesses.

warning - speculation: Is it possible that some of the fat cats said they won't kick in for NIL unless a coaching change was made?
 

RememberMurray said:
Huh? When, exactly, were all these legendary 12-13 win seasons you're referring to?

Chryst himself had one 13-win season.

Before him, Gary Anderson had a 10-win and a 9-win season. That's his entire record at Wisconsin.

Before Anderson, Bielema had one (count 'em) 12-win season in his 7 years at Wisconsin.

Before Bielema, Alvarez coached Wisconsin for 16 years, and never won 12 games in a season!

So from 1990-2021 ( a span of 31 years), Wisconsin has had one 13-win season and one 12-win season... and the 13-win season was Chryst's!
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Sorry, I should have said 10 win seasons to be more reasonable. My point is that the next head coach can't be compared to 2015-17 Chryst in terms of whether the firing was a good move or not, because it's very unlikely Chryst himself was going to return to that form.
 

Gophers1992 said:
Sorry, I should have said 10 win seasons to be more reasonable. My point is that the next head coach can't be compared to 2015-17 Chryst in terms of whether the firing was a good move or not, because it's very unlikely Chryst himself was going to return to that form.
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And why is that?

Why is it "very unlikely" that Chryst would return to winning 10 games a year, when he won 9 games just last season?
 

Leonhard is the odds on favorite to get the job, but this is a tryout as well. If he flops or not, Wisconsin will open it up just to see who is interested. Legally, they have to post the job of a state paid position in Wisconsin. If a good P5 coach in a conference that's being decimated by expansion wants to jump ship, they'd be dumb not to listen. But I'd say there's an 85% chance Leonhard gets the job unless he loses every game from here on out.

Most Wisconsin fans I talk to are neutral to glad Paul Chryst the coach is gone. Most are also disappointed it happened to Paul Chryst the person. He was a stand up guy, ex player, his dad was a coach there, and he had no scandals at UW, but his offense has become stale in the college football landscape of today.

Lot of people pointing out Paul's success as a whole but seem to be ignoring his recent lack of offensive output. Luckily for him, Jonathan Taylor covered up many years of mediocre offensive game plans. For a guy who was considered an offensive guru, he sure hasnt shown it lately. It seems UW AD is making the correct call on getting rid of the coordinator of the worse unit. Leonhards top ranked defenses have been what is keeping UW relevant.

I wouldn't point to Leonhard's lack of success this year as a sign of bad things to come. He replaced 9 starters on defense and his unit has still been the strong point this year, which isn't saying a ton for the UW offense. I saw UW hasnt scored in the second half of two of their three losses. Again, a sign of poor offense, which is Chryst's forte.
 

I'm A Maroon 2! said:
Leonhard is the odds on favorite to get the job, but this is a tryout as well. If he flops or not, Wisconsin will open it up just to see who is interested. Legally, they have to post the job of a state paid position in Wisconsin. If a good P5 coach in a conference that's being decimated by expansion wants to jump ship, they'd be dumb not to listen. But I'd say there's an 85% chance Leonhard gets the job unless he loses every game from here on out.

Most Wisconsin fans I talk to are neutral to glad Paul Chryst the coach is gone. Most are also disappointed it happened to Paul Chryst the person. He was a stand up guy, ex player, his dad was a coach there, and he had no scandals at UW, but his offense has become stale in the college football landscape of today.

Lot of people pointing out Paul's success as a whole but seem to be ignoring his recent lack of offensive output. Luckily for him, Jonathan Taylor covered up many years of mediocre offensive game plans. For a guy who was considered an offensive guru, he sure hasnt shown it lately. It seems UW AD is making the correct call on getting rid of the coordinator of the worse unit. Leonhards top ranked defenses have been what is keeping UW relevant.

I wouldn't point to Leonhard's lack of success this year as a sign of bad things to come. He replaced 9 starters on defense and his unit has still been the strong point this year, which isn't saying a ton for the UW offense. I saw UW hasnt scored in the second half of two of their three losses. Again, a sign of poor offense, which is Chryst's forte.
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Wow.

So, they fired Chryst because his offense was too stodgy and old-fashioned, and they are going to fix all that by hiring the defensive coordinator as head coach?
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Given his (my ten cent judgment) personality, it’s possible an old(er)-school coach looks at the new CFB landscape, the media tapdancing, the this that and the other thing with players and says F this and rides into retirement with a big smile on his face. It’s become a PR world more than ever before and some of us aren’t equipped for that. He probably just wants to teleport back 25 years, coach and be around people that respect that rather than the BS factors.
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Chryst, shortly after receiving the check:

 

RememberMurray said:
Huh? When, exactly, were all these legendary 12-13 win seasons you're referring to?

Chryst himself had one 13-win season.

Before him, Gary Anderson had a 10-win and a 9-win season. That's his entire record at Wisconsin.

Before Anderson, Bielema had one (count 'em) 12-win season in his 7 years at Wisconsin.

Before Bielema, Alvarez coached Wisconsin for 16 years, and never won 12 games in a season!

So from 1990-2021 ( a span of 31 years), Wisconsin has had one 13-win season and one 12-win season... and the 13-win season was Chryst's!
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Makes you wonder if they are really that delusional that Chryst isn’t good enough for them or if perhaps there were other factors at work there that caused his dismissal.
 

I'm A Maroon 2! said:
Leonhard is the odds on favorite to get the job, but this is a tryout as well. If he flops or not, Wisconsin will open it up just to see who is interested. Legally, they have to post the job of a state paid position in Wisconsin. If a good P5 coach in a conference that's being decimated by expansion wants to jump ship, they'd be dumb not to listen. But I'd say there's an 85% chance Leonhard gets the job unless he loses every game from here on out.

Most Wisconsin fans I talk to are neutral to glad Paul Chryst the coach is gone. Most are also disappointed it happened to Paul Chryst the person. He was a stand up guy, ex player, his dad was a coach there, and he had no scandals at UW, but his offense has become stale in the college football landscape of today.

Lot of people pointing out Paul's success as a whole but seem to be ignoring his recent lack of offensive output. Luckily for him, Jonathan Taylor covered up many years of mediocre offensive game plans. For a guy who was considered an offensive guru, he sure hasnt shown it lately. It seems UW AD is making the correct call on getting rid of the coordinator of the worse unit. Leonhards top ranked defenses have been what is keeping UW relevant.

I wouldn't point to Leonhard's lack of success this year as a sign of bad things to come. He replaced 9 starters on defense and his unit has still been the strong point this year, which isn't saying a ton for the UW offense. I saw UW hasnt scored in the second half of two of their three losses. Again, a sign of poor offense, which is Chryst's forte.
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I think the job is open to all regardless of the interim tag. Being interim just allows him to pad his resume a bit before he interviews the same as any others they interview.
 

RememberMurray said:
Wow.

So, they fired Chryst because his offense was too stodgy and old-fashioned, and they are going to fix all that by hiring the defensive coordinator as head coach?
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So is your official stance on this that they should have retained Chryst? I'm not sure if you have a position or if you're just looking to argue with people.
 

RememberMurray said:
Wow.

So, they fired Chryst because his offense was too stodgy and old-fashioned, and they are going to fix all that by hiring the defensive coordinator as head coach?
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The rationalizations of fans are endless. I’m guilty as charged at times as well.

Panthadad2 said:
Chryst, shortly after receiving the check:

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LOL, not sure I can see Paul Chryst doing THAT but….🤣

Nobody likes to feel unappreciated. Let’s all hope Wisconsin fans get exactly what they deserve for the next 40 years.
 

Gophers1992 said:
So is your official stance on this that they should have retained Chryst? I'm not sure if you have a position or if you're just looking to argue with people.
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He's doing a poor job as well. However, when you stump him, he'll ask if you're a Badger fan. For all intents and purposes, this is essentially UW firing their offensive coordinator after years of poor offense. It's fairly simple. They gave him the opportunity to turn it around in a poor B1G West last year and lost in every game vs a quality opponent even with a top ranked defense. The B1G West is even worse this year and he's off to a worse start. Illinois may be improved but that was more than just a simple loss on Saturday for the Badgers.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
As a Gopher fan, I'm torn. I'm ecstatic that WI is struggling enough to fire their head coach, but I'm also pretty sure they will upgrade their coaching. I was hoping WI would hang onto Chryst too long (another year or two). It's similar to Brian Ferentz at Iowa, I love the idea of his dad firing him but not as much as him continuing as Iowa's OC.

So, I think this move likely makes WI better in 2-3 years.

That said, the really interesting piece is what will happen next. If I'm Jim Leonhard, I'd be pretty pissed that I'm not getting more than just an audition. He turned down numerous NFL DC jobs, numerous SEC-level DC jobs, and likely head coaching positions. His defense has always been good.

Maybe the interim title is just a show but I don't get that sense. From following WI, I get the sense that a lot of the fans are sick of the same ole group of people (Chryst, Rudolph, etc.) and while they like Leonhard. . .is that really bringing in new blood?

I think they'll look long and hard and Lance Leipold.
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As a state employee, I think there is a process they need to follow? I feel that happened with Chryst?
 
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Bob_Loblaw said:
As a Gopher fan, I'm torn. I'm ecstatic that WI is struggling enough to fire their head coach, but I'm also pretty sure they will upgrade their coaching. I was hoping WI would hang onto Chryst too long (another year or two). It's similar to Brian Ferentz at Iowa, I love the idea of his dad firing him but not as much as him continuing as Iowa's OC.

So, I think this move likely makes WI better in 2-3 years.

That said, the really interesting piece is what will happen next. If I'm Jim Leonhard, I'd be pretty pissed that I'm not getting more than just an audition. He turned down numerous NFL DC jobs, numerous SEC-level DC jobs, and likely head coaching positions. His defense has always been good.

Maybe the interim title is just a show but I don't get that sense. From following WI, I get the sense that a lot of the fans are sick of the same ole group of people (Chryst, Rudolph, etc.) and while they like Leonhard. . .is that really bringing in new blood?

I think they'll look long and hard and Lance Leipold.
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This more or less sums up my thoughts, I was plenty content to have Chryst slowly bring their program into mediocrity, but if they nail this hire my fear is it will revive that program. Of course it could go the other way and accelerate their downfall, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much.
 

CentralGopher said:
I think the job is open to all regardless of the interim tag. Being interim just allows him to pad his resume a bit before he interviews the same as any others they interview.
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I think you’ve described it nicely. Badger fans are calling it an audition.

I look forward to watching a lot of arguing and in-fighting about whether or not he’s worthy to be the next HC all season.

This ongoing debate has some potential to divide the fan base, the locker room, the administration, the coaching staff, boosters, etc.

And the losers of these debates never go away quietly. They’re always ready to happily emerge to remind everyone how right they were (and how smart they are) anytime the program stumbles.

This move could work out nicely for Wisconsin in the end. But it definitely has all of the necessary ingredients of a nice slow-burn dumpster inferno.
 

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet in the thread (and I'm too old and too lazy to go back and check), but I remember Chryst and Kill were the finalists to replace Brewster. Maturi was Chryst's junior high coach or some such thing, so there was that connection. Clearly, after Brewster they wanted someone with head coaching experience so Kill was the choice, but I always wonder how Chryst would have done (and whether he was ready for the job).

Anyway, not an attempted hijack, but the search to replace Brewster had to be one of the more clumsily executed searches in the history of the FBS.
 

Gophers1992 said:
So is your official stance on this that they should have retained Chryst? I'm not sure if you have a position or if you're just looking to argue with people.
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My official stance from the beginning of this is that Wisconsin has screwed the pooch. It's a shame for Paul Chryst, but as a Gopher fan I'm enjoying it.

Here's what you yourself said, and I couldn't agree more:

"Whether or not he should be fired is a very complex question with a lot of layers to it, but all I'm saying is that 12-13 win seasons were unlikely to return under Chryst, just as they are unlikely to be accomplished by the next coach."

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You've come right out and admitted the next coach is unlikely to improve on Chryst's record. That leaves me wondering just what it is that Wisconsin was hoping to accomplish by firing Chryst. The only thing I can see is: they're actually delusional enough to think they can be Ohio State.

It's hard not to compare this situation to Nebraska's delusional thinking when they decided to fire Bo Pellini. We have seen how that turned out.
 

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