Shama: Maturi Mum on Names But Here’s a Guess

[BleedGopher]

http://www.shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Early January? What the?

 

[MaxyJR1]

It's called worst case and anything before that is gravy.

 

[mkAz]

If it's stretched out to January the guess would have to be that the coach is still coaching into January, that's probably not such a bad thing.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Not the best thing for recruiting however. If we wait until early January and name Chris Petersen or Gary Patterson, then I am fine with it!

 

[howeda7]

Not the best thing for recruiting however. If we wait until early January and name Chris Petersen or Gary Patterson, then I am fine with it!

Yeah, because that's so likely. If we wait until January it's going to be because Maturi horribly screwed up. There's zero reason for it not to be done by early December at the latest.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Yeah, because that's so likely. If we wait until January it's going to be because Maturi horribly screwed up. There's zero reason for it not to be done by early December at the latest.

Could not have said it better myself.

 

[gold04]

I think it may take longer than people realize. Maturi is going to check out all his options before he makes a move. It may take until mid-December before there is an announcment. Maturi is going to make sure he gets this one right.

 

[gopher_alum_2005]

Yeah, because that's so likely. If we wait until January it's going to be because Maturi horribly screwed up. There's zero reason for it not to be done by early December at the latest.

Excellent point. Look at Rich Rod. He left West Virginia before their BCS bowl because good coaches need time to recruit. If this thing gets dragged out to January the announcement will be "Ladies and Gentlemen, the next coach of the Golden Gophers is Marc Trestman"

 

[RodentRampage]

It's pretty common when coaches take new jobs that they either leave the team after the regular season, leaving the team to an interim coach, of if they coach in the bowl game, to have announced well in advance of the bowl game that they will be leaving.

I'm certain that the U has been checking people over and over for weeks already. Waiting a month isn't going to help the process.

 

[Ole]

This.
If we do not have a coach by Jan, we are in dire trouble. An early December hire should be the expectation, before the holidays and bowl season.
I have an expectation of the new coach to bring in at least a few quality recruits, to do this the hire needs to be made before Jan.
The listed names are all the right types IMO, Schiano and Edsall worry me, they haven't proven anything but mediocre in a very weak Big East. Nimatalolo also would worry me as I think bringing the Triple Option here could cause mass exodus from the offensive players currently here.
Calhoun, Golden, Hoke, Mendenhall, Sumlin, and Mullen are all great candidates.

 

[RodentRampage]

I think talking about January is just giving as wide a window as possible. If the U said by the middle of December, people would be tearing out theur hair if it took 1 day longer than the middle of December. I really don't think it will take that long.

 

[CrocShots]

This.
If we do not have a coach by Jan, we are in dire trouble. An early December hire should be the expectation, before the holidays and bowl season.
I have an expectation of the new coach to bring in at least a few quality recruits, to do this the hire needs to be made before Jan.
The listed names are all the right types IMO, Schiano and Edsall worry me, they haven't proven anything but mediocre in a very weak Big East. Nimatalolo also would worry me as I think bringing the Triple Option here could cause mass exodus from the offensive players currently here.
Calhoun, Golden, Hoke, Mendenhall, Sumlin, and Mullen are all great candidates.

I doubt he'd bring it here. The only reason it's being run is because it's been run at Navy for years.

 

[BleedGopher]

This.
If we do not have a coach by Jan, we are in dire trouble. An early December hire should be the expectation, before the holidays and bowl season.
I have an expectation of the new coach to bring in at least a few quality recruits, to do this the hire needs to be made before Jan.
The listed names are all the right types IMO, Schiano and Edsall worry me, they haven't proven anything but mediocre in a very weak Big East. Nimatalolo also would worry me as I think bringing the Triple Option here could cause mass exodus from the offensive players currently here.
Calhoun, Golden, Hoke, Mendenhall, Sumlin, and Mullen are all great candidates.

I'm curious what makes Sumlin a "great candidate." Let me preface that by saying that I was very interested in his resume early on, but he's 5-5 this year and he hasn't proven he can build a defense. So what makes him a "great candidate"?

I'm just looking to be sold a bit on him. Thanks.

Go Gophers!!

 

[RodentRampage]

I doubt he'd bring it here. The only reason it's being run is because it's been run at Navy for years.

That's not why it is being run there. The service academies run the triple option because it mitigates their disadvantages. It relies more on quickness and precision than blasting the opponent off the line.

 

[Wheaton]

Bronco Mendenhall?

Why on God's green Mormon earth would Mendenhall's name be even mentioned in this conversation?

The guy has coached his entire career out west, including most of it in Utah and BYU is about to go independent in Football.

At this point I can't believe he has even an inclining to move ANYWHERE, let alone Minnesota.

Side note: I really believe Harbaugh's next job is in the NFL.

 

[CrocShots]

That's not why it is being run there. The service academies run the triple option because it mitigates their disadvantages. It relies more on quickness and precision than blasting the opponent off the line.

Thats what I mean. It wouldn't be run here by Ken N or Calhoun.

 

[RodentRampage]

It got Georgia Tech a conference championship. I'd love to see the option come here. We would have first or second pick from a different set of players instead of being way down the pecking order for the players that everyone is after.

 

[Rosemountian]

It got Georgia Tech a conference championship.

It won the ACC in a year in which the ACC was as down as it ever has been. In the Big Tens 100+ year history, it has never been as down as the ACC was last year. To win the Big Ten with a triple option attack, you need to recruit studly FBs, Multiple elite option QBs (because it is likely they will get banged up in the Big Ten), fast wings that can turn things into homeruns off the pitch, and you also have to get lucky by having your best teams catch the conference in down years.

I think the triple option would be a very effective offense in terms of getting 7-9 wins a year in the Big Ten. It would be extremely difficult to win the Big Ten with the triple option (moreso than almost any other offense). In a conference that has such physical defenses, you need to have the option to throw the ball, and while GT has one of the highest yards per completion of any offense in the country, it is extremely difficult to throw out of, and very easy to stop (the passing game).

 

[Ole]

I'm curious what makes Sumlin a "great candidate." Let me preface that by saying that I was very interested in his resume early on, but he's 5-5 this year and he hasn't proven he can build a defense. So what makes him a "great candidate"?

I'm just looking to be sold a bit on him. Thanks.

Go Gophers!!

-He's coached here before, so he'd at least be prepared for the situation, I always felt Brewster came in expecting Texas like support from the media and fans.

-He's been around some very successful programs and came up through the ranks the right way, earning it slowly, Purdue under Tiller, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and now a head gig at Houston.

-He's got recruiting ties to Texas and Oklahoma already set up, his only problem has been selling a conference USA program to prospects getting offers from BCS-AQ schools. He could sell that now to all the kids that have been interested, but want to play in a bigger conference.

-He's shown the ability to change his gameplans and team identity to his personnel, when his Heisman candidate QB went down this year along with his backup, he was forced to play a true frosh, he went to the ground game and has won a few games even with a bad defense.

-I fully expect him to hire a Big Ten caliber defensive coordinator, he got rid of his d-coordinator from last season that he originally hired for the Houston job and brought in a 3-4 guy from the dallas cowboys, Stewart. Seems to me like he'd try to find someone who's had success in the Big Ten, and possibly even bring back David Gibbs. Anyway, he's shown the ability to score points, he'd be given money to spend on finding a top coordinator to run the D.

That's how i see him, maybe he's not the best candidate, but I think he's a realistic choice and he'd bring alot of experience in the college game at top programs to the table.

 

[howeda7]

I think it may take longer than people realize. Maturi is going to check out all his options before he makes a move. It may take until mid-December before there is an announcment. Maturi is going to make sure he gets this one right.

He's not buying a freaking car here. There's only about 6-8 good coaches who 'fit' our sometimes arbitrary criteria. There are going to be at least that many other schools looking for coaches. Dithering around 'checking out all his options' will only leave him taking the 1 that's left rather then selecting the one he wants. Brew's been gone a month. He's had far longer to research this then anyone else (and should have been doing it quietly since the day after USD.) The idea that he needs 3-4 weeks after the season ends is ridiculous. He should be down to the final touches already with the only the formal interviews standing between us and a press conference. He did it with Tubby (hired 4 days after his season ended), so he's not totally incapable of it. But I'm not filled with confidence.

 

[SMU GOPHS FAN]

I'm curious what makes Sumlin a "great candidate." Let me preface that by saying that I was very interested in his resume early on, but he's 5-5 this year and he hasn't proven he can build a defense. So what makes him a "great candidate"?

I'm just looking to be sold a bit on him. Thanks.

Go Gophers!!

He has actually done pretty well this year considering he lost Case Keenum and his back-up in the second week of the season. They ended up having to play a true freshman who was supposed to redshirt.

 

[BleedGopher]

-He's coached here before, so he'd at least be prepared for the situation, I always felt Brewster came in expecting Texas like support from the media and fans.

-He's been around some very successful programs and came up through the ranks the right way, earning it slowly, Purdue under Tiller, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and now a head gig at Houston.

-He's got recruiting ties to Texas and Oklahoma already set up, his only problem has been selling a conference USA program to prospects getting offers from BCS-AQ schools. He could sell that now to all the kids that have been interested, but want to play in a bigger conference.

-He's shown the ability to change his gameplans and team identity to his personnel, when his Heisman candidate QB went down this year along with his backup, he was forced to play a true frosh, he went to the ground game and has won a few games even with a bad defense.

-I fully expect him to hire a Big Ten caliber defensive coordinator, he got rid of his d-coordinator from last season that he originally hired for the Houston job and brought in a 3-4 guy from the dallas cowboys, Stewart. Seems to me like he'd try to find someone who's had success in the Big Ten, and possibly even bring back David Gibbs. Anyway, he's shown the ability to score points, he'd be given money to spend on finding a top coordinator to run the D.

That's how i see him, maybe he's not the best candidate, but I think he's a realistic choice and he'd bring alot of experience in the college game at top programs to the table.

Good thoughts and analysis. There are certainly question marks on his resume, as there will be for almost anyone we bring in.

Go Gophers!!

 

[dpodoll68]

He's got recruiting ties to Texas and Oklahoma already set up

In 3 recruiting classes (4 if you count the abbreviated 2008 class), he has signed one prospect from Oklahoma, and that one being a 2-star OT who had no other offers. This despite the fact that Houston is much closer geographically to Oklahoma than is Minneapolis.

his only problem has been selling a conference USA program to prospects getting offers from BCS-AQ schools. He could sell that now to all the kids that have been interested, but want to play in a bigger conference

Do you think the opportunity to play for a low-end Big Ten team would outweigh the chance to play in your home state? I don't - and Sumlin has beaten out a lot better BCS schools than Minnesota for recruits, because a lot of them want to play in their home state. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think the Texas recruits Sumlin is now getting would rather follow him to Minnesota than play for his replacement at Houston.

I agree with the rest of your points, but it's difficult to ascertain Sumlin's worth as a recruiter. Looking at it superficially, it seems he is pretty much able to convince Texas kids to stay home over better offers out-of-state, and he has signed Texas kids almost exclusively. He will obviously be able to do neither as Minnesota's head coach.

 

[Hates Monikers]

He's not buying a freaking car here. There's only about 6-8 good coaches who 'fit' our sometimes arbitrary criteria. There are going to be at least that many other schools looking for coaches. Dithering around 'checking out all his options' will only leave him taking the 1 that's left rather then selecting the one he wants. Brew's been gone a month. He's had far longer to research this then anyone else (and should have been doing it quietly since the day after USD.) The idea that he needs 3-4 weeks after the season ends is ridiculous. He should be down to the final touches already with the only the formal interviews standing between us and a press conference. He did it with Tubby (hired 4 days after his season ended), so he's not totally incapable of it. But I'm not filled with confidence.

Exactly. I'm sure Maturi has been using the past few weeks to do background on candidates. By now, the interested candidates should have had a little back-and-forth with the search firm on questions they may have about Minnesota. Before Dec. 4, Maturi should two or three guys he wants and who he knows have a level of interest in coming here. ALL the other legwork that might cause a coaching search to drag on should be done. Have face-to-face conversations with the top two -- or maybe just one. Hire him that week.

 

[Ole]

In 3 recruiting classes (4 if you count the abbreviated 2008 class), he has signed one prospect from Oklahoma, and that one being a 2-star OT who had no other offers. This despite the fact that Houston is much closer geographically to Oklahoma than is Minneapolis.



Do you think the opportunity to play for a low-end Big Ten team would outweigh the chance to play in your home state? I don't - and Sumlin has beaten out a lot better BCS schools than Minnesota for recruits, because a lot of them want to play in their home state. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think the Texas recruits Sumlin is now getting would rather follow him to Minnesota than play for his replacement at Houston.

I agree with the rest of your points, but it's difficult to ascertain Sumlin's worth as a recruiter. Looking at it superficially, it seems he is pretty much able to convince Texas kids to stay home over better offers out-of-state, and he has signed Texas kids almost exclusively. He will obviously be able to do neither as Minnesota's head coach.

I shouldn't have assumed he could recruit oklahoma without checking it out, my bad. I'd think he still have some contacts there though from his days at OK.

I will say he strikes me as the type of guy a top recruit would like to play for, but maybe is interested in bigger lights. Yes, we are a low end Big Ten team, but if he's able to sell national exposure and playing time against the likes of USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Penn State(depending on the rotation of non divisional opponents), then yes, I think he can convince top Houston kids he's already had contact with to consider Minnesota over a conference USA team. Even Brewster was able to do some of that. National exposure matters to recruits, big time players want to play in big time conferences IMO.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Not an imposing list...

 

[gold04]

Maturi has everything under control. He's got a plan and it takes time to see this master plan come forth!

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

In 3 recruiting classes (4 if you count the abbreviated 2008 class), he has signed one prospect from Oklahoma, and that one being a 2-star OT who had no other offers. This despite the fact that Houston is much closer geographically to Oklahoma than is Minneapolis.

Do you think the opportunity to play for a low-end Big Ten team would outweigh the chance to play in your home state? I don't - and Sumlin has beaten out a lot better BCS schools than Minnesota for recruits, because a lot of them want to play in their home state. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think the Texas recruits Sumlin is now getting would rather follow him to Minnesota than play for his replacement at Houston.

I agree with the rest of your points, but it's difficult to ascertain Sumlin's worth as a recruiter. Looking at it superficially, it seems he is pretty much able to convince Texas kids to stay home over better offers out-of-state, and he has signed Texas kids almost exclusively. He will obviously be able to do neither as Minnesota's head coach.

This is a fair concern on Sumlin because although he has proven to be a good recruiter he has never had to recruit in a situation like the U. I know he is considered a top noth recruiter and he did well at Oklahoma, A&M, and Houston the hope is that would translate.

I think you are right that a lot of these kids wouldn't be interested in leaving Texas but I would imagine that there would be a few that would prefer playing in the Big 10 over playing in Conference USA.

So for me, the important part about him having recruiting ties to Texas isn't so that you can automatically assume he'll get the exact same recruits that are going to Houston. It's that here is a guy who is respected within the state of texas, has done well by and with Texas recruits, so I'd imagine that he would have a good relationship with a slew of coaches and that would translate into nabbing some recruits that other coaches wouldn't.

 

[50PoundHead]

I don't know if the triple-option as run by Georgia Tech, Navy, and Air Force would work in the Big 10. It might, but it would have to be run with absolute precision because 8 or 9 guys in the box in the Big 10 would be extremely imposing on a physical level.

I think we're seeing with Georgia Tech this year that after Nesbitt got hurt, that offense has had its consistency problems. Not that losing your starting QB wouldn't hurt with other offenses, it's just that the option as run by those schools really relies upon precision and astute decision-making by the quarterback. There's not a lot of wrinkles one can put into that system.

That said, Ken N. and Calhoun are solid football guys and I don't doubt they could implement parts of that offense in a wider scheme if they wanted to do that. It would a kind of "you'll have to show me" situation though and I don't know, especially with Ken N., if we're in the position to take that level of risk.

Golden and Bellotti are 1 and 1A on my list and I'm guessing, given the wait, that the guy we are most interested in hiring is still actively coaching a team.

I wouldn't have that big a problem with Sumlin. I'd probably like Mullen a bit better, but Sumlin knows the area and has had some success.