Tracy Claeys Hired as Washington State DC

[GophersInIowa]

Glad to see that TC has found a new place to coach at WSU. Happy for him and hope he does well there.

Happy for him as well.

As to the Coyle statement: challenges in recruiting - Only class signed by Claeys was one of the best we had ever had. The class he was working on wasn't highly rated at the time but the recruiting season wasn't finished. Also, the recruiting philosophy of JK/TC was different and it worked for them. The only challenges were in the minds of those who wanted to win a mythical top __ recruiting ranking and not actually win on the field.

They did well at certain positions. The issue is they failed at recruiting and developing at other positions, including the most important position on the field.

Ticket Sales - Winning games sells tickets and as has been discussed on here quite a bit, the donation amounts were the reason for the ticket sales problem, not the product on the field. If the HC was the reason for the ticket sales decline, then why didn't those sales skyrocket this past season?

Donation was part of it, but I think it still takes long term, consistent winning to win over the casual fans. And a few wins over Wisconsin would help too.

As the AD, he is just as responsible for the culture of the program, as he sets the tone for the entire athletic department. A great AD would have helped a first time head coach get through the incident from way back in Sept. and all the way through the entire process. Don't really feel that he did that.

Agreed. I think Coyle didn't want Claeys as the coach either way, but the incident gave him the perfect time to get rid of him.

 

[Iceland12]

Better we all just leave it at "Good Luck to Tracy and the Cougars".

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

Better we all just leave it at "Good Luck to Tracy and the Cougars".

Yup

 

[lmh839]

Great opportunity for Tracy Claeys to get a fresh start.

WSU is a decent program in a power 5 conference.

Leech has been a successful head coach and is outspoken and vocal which will bode well for Tracy Claeys. Claeys can sit back and focus on the defense and the x's and o's and not have to worry about being the face of the program as the head coach.

Nice fit for both WSU and Tracy Claeys.

 

[edma0012]

How is a middle to low tier DC job in the Pac12 a great job for a former B1G head coach? It might be a great job for him, but let's not pretend this is almost a lateral move, it's several pegs lower.

The three hires Maturi made with respects to our football program have not, nor will not, be head coaches ever again. Think about that.
Brewster is forever a recruiting coordinator- hasn't even sniffed a HC job since he left.
Kill- while true he had health issues, he thought he had them beat, and took an OC job (at the worst program in the B1G) did nothing with it and then finally admits his health prevents him from coaching.
Claeys- takes a year off (why, I've never heard) and lands the Wazzou job because the guy there left to be a co-DC in the BIG.

Wazzou was ranked 13th in yards given up and 47th in pts last year. What in TC's resume suggests he'd be able to improve markedly on that? His last year as Gophers DC had us ranked 32nd in yards and 59th in pts.

TC is an average to adequate DC at the Power5 level. That's an accomplishment, nothing to be sad about this, but can we please stop pretending he's some defensive genius he's never shown to be?

Can we get over these guys already? Who honestly thinks an AD firing a coach is suppose to go on and on about "positives" about the fired guy in the press conference? Nobody does that.

 

[dpodoll68]

The three hires Maturi made with respects to our football program have not, nor will not, be head coaches ever again. Think about that.

Most head coaches who get fired from Power 5 jobs are never head coaches again. So what?

Claeys- takes a year off (why, I've never heard)

He took a year off because he was fired very late and there were almost no jobs available in January. He had made plenty of money and could afford to wait until the right job opened up for him. Again, so what?

Who honestly thinks an AD firing a coach is suppose to go on and on about "positives" about the fired guy in the press conference?

He didn't have to gush over him, but he could've at least refrained from making up BS rationales for firing him. The real reason he fired him was because he didn't hire him and he had somebody lined up who he felt was better. Just say that.

Nobody does that.

Actually, lots of people speak in positive terms at press conferences about people whom they've fired.

 

[gopherveteran]

Johnson - Georgia
Sawvel - Wake Forest
Claeys - Washington State (All teams played in bowl games)

Minnesota paid approximately $7,000,000 to get Fleck this year, and there will be additional employer federal taxes on his salary in the future.

Why is Coyle still employed at the U?

 

[GopherPD]

Claeys is the prototypical small town guy. He should be very happy in Pullman.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

Everyone clammored for Sawvel but the coach I wanted kept was Phelps

If Grinch is going to tOSU to be a Defensive Coordinator he certainly is getting a better job. If, as is rumored, he's gonna be the 10th assistant at tOSU it isn't.

Most people out in Washington gave credit to Jeff Phelps for the improvement in the Defense this year. Phelps was on Claeys staff here at Minnesota if you didn't remember.

From the Spokane Spokesman-Review

This isn’t the first time Leach has gone to the 2016 Minnesota staff for help on the defensive side of the ball. Weeks after the Holiday Bowl loss to the Golden Gophers, WSU hired ex-Minnesota defensive line coach Jeff Phelps to lead the same position group in Pullman. Phelps’ first season in charge of the Cougars’ D-line was a major success. WSU finished 20th in the FBS with 2.85 sacks per game and the Cougars were tied for ninth nationally with 7.9 tackles-for-loss per game. Phelps worked under Claeys for six years at Minnesota and was Claeys’ D-line coach at Northern Illinois for two years before that..

I said it before in the retain Sherels or Sawvel threads last year, but the coach I was most impressed with on the previous staff was Jeff Phelps. Always thought that guy was a really good D-line coach.
Good recruiter, and his players seemed to show improvement from year to year. Phelps is a quality football coach, and Claeys will be a success at WAZZU with Phelps. Hopefully Phelps moves up the ladder some day.
Congratulations to coach Tracy Claey's, and continued success.

 

[Some guy]

Wouldn’t it be a little more accurate to say if 5 or 6 of Lynch’s teammates were suspended and nobody up to and including the AD and president could competently explain the appeals process and the team subsequently boycotted and Pitino supported his player’s right to get answers via 140 characters then he should be fired? I mean, what nuanced situation can’t be explained in 140 characters? And then, lacking common sense and already prejudiced vs the sender the peanut gallery draws their own silly conclusions while ignoring any offered clarifications. Pompous indignation ensues.

Is that what you meant to say?

Nope. It is pretty simple.

Boss says this is what we are doing.
You publicly go against boss and draw national attention to a situation that makes University look bad.

You’re gone.
Regardless of coach and AD.

There are probably only a couple of coaches in college football history who could publicly go against their AD and survive.

 

[edma0012]

It might be the case that run of the house Power 5 coaches don't coach the year following being fired, it is often the case they are recipients of massive buyout payments, which both serve as a deterrent (if there is off set language in the clause) to obtaining a new position. In the case of a buyout sans offset, if you just got a 8 million dollar check, maybe you can sit a season out.
TC had a very small 500k buyout.

TC just took a DC job yesterday to replace a guy that just left. The timing of his old firing would not have precluded him from getting another coaching gig. The guy likely wanted to take a year off, I'm not gonna fault the guy- but it is also fair to say it wasn't like Power5 teams were clamoring to get him.

When you only coach with the same set of dudes from your time at FCS, you really don't have the same network of coaching pals as others. It is the often ignored heavy downside to the Kill model, especially for his assistants.

Your example was one in which you wanted the AD to gush over the guy (and his predecessor too!) for laying such a great foundation- which of course would first need to be true, but second, again, not how these things go.
If you don't think the brand of the program isn't substantially different under Fleck than it ever was going to be under TC you have clue as to the big business of college football.

can't wait to read about how when Fleck start getting even more and more 4* recruits and starts winning more and more games with more talent, how it is all owed to Kill and Claeys for not being as bad as Brewster. Can't wait for Jerry to take credit for the future success of the program- obviously he and supporters like you feel he is entitled to it after all.

 

[Hates Monikers]

How is a middle to low tier DC job in the Pac12 a great job for a former B1G head coach? It might be a great job for him, but let's not pretend this is almost a lateral move, it's several pegs lower.

The three hires Maturi made with respects to our football program have not, nor will not, be head coaches ever again. Think about that.
Brewster is forever a recruiting coordinator- hasn't even sniffed a HC job since he left.
Kill- while true he had health issues, he thought he had them beat, and took an OC job (at the worst program in the B1G) did nothing with it and then finally admits his health prevents him from coaching.
Claeys- takes a year off (why, I've never heard) and lands the Wazzou job because the guy there left to be a co-DC in the BIG.

Wazzou was ranked 13th in yards given up and 47th in pts last year. What in TC's resume suggests he'd be able to improve markedly on that? His last year as Gophers DC had us ranked 32nd in yards and 59th in pts.

TC is an average to adequate DC at the Power5 level. That's an accomplishment, nothing to be sad about this, but can we please stop pretending he's some defensive genius he's never shown to be?

Can we get over these guys already? Who honestly thinks an AD firing a coach is suppose to go on and on about "positives" about the fired guy in the press conference? Nobody does that.

There's a lot to unpack here.

• Not one person here is pretending this is an "almost lateral move."
• Maturi didn't hire Claeys as head coach.
• Kill could have continued to be a head coach at Minnesota or another school if his health issues weren't an issue. Are you criticizing Maturi or Kill for that?
• Claeys will likely never be a P5 head coach again but could get a chance at a lower level. We'll see.
• First you say Washington State is a "middle to low tier DC job in the Pac12," then you say they were ranked 13th in yards given up and 47th in points last year (a good defense). Which is it? Is this a crap team proving Claeys isn't good or a team that's so good Claeys can't possibly help?
• Who said the AD should go on and on about "positives" about the fired guy in the press conference?

 

[Spoofin]

One year later and people still can't move on. Unreal

So true. A couple posters on here have even been called out many many times for bringing TC up over and over. They can't let him go. #31


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Spoofin]

"I made a difficult decision today on behalf of the University of Minnesota. With the support of Board of Regents’ leadership and President Eric Kaler, I have decided to take the Gophers football team in a different direction with new coaching leadership. I determined that the football program must move in a new direction to address challenges in recruiting, ticket sales and the culture of the program. We need strong leadership to take Gopher football to the next level and address these challenges."

This was Coyle's opening statement. What more should he have said to "be up front"?

Also, very happy for Claeys. This is a perfect situation for him at WSU.

You might want to revisit the entire press conference rather than stopping at the opening statement.


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[Cruze]

.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

So, this coach who left WSU for Ohio State. Grinch. Is he a mean one?

 

[Cruze]

Nope. It is pretty simple.

Boss says this is what we are doing.
You publicly go against boss and draw national attention to a situation that makes University look bad.

You’re gone.
Regardless of coach and AD.

There are probably only a couple of coaches in college football history who could publicly go against their AD and survive.

You nailed it. Claeys might still be the Gopher's head coach if he had supported the decision by Kaler and Coyle to suspend the players prior to the bowl game and acted like a head football coach who was in control of his team. Glen Mason said on KFAN that he would have warned every player on the team their Gopher football career would be finished if they followed through with the boycott. The whole sorry mess happened on Claeys' watch. It never would have happened if Kill or Fleck where leading the team. His behavior made it much easier for Coyle to make a change.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

This seems like a good situation for Claeys.

He's a good defensive coach and I figured he wouldn't be unemployed for very long.

 

[Some guy]

This seems like a good situation for Claeys.

He's a good defensive coach and I figured he wouldn't be unemployed for very long.

Agree.
I actually do think he may get another shot at a head job if he is willing to take a bad one.

 

[STPGopher]

Most head coaches who get fired from Power 5 jobs are never head coaches again. So what?



He took a year off because he was fired very late and there were almost no jobs available in January. He had made plenty of money and could afford to wait until the right job opened up for him. Again, so what?



He didn't have to gush over him, but he could've at least refrained from making up BS rationales for firing him. The real reason he fired him was because he didn't hire him and he had somebody lined up who he felt was better. Just say that.



Actually, lots of people speak in positive terms at press conferences about people whom they've fired.[/QUOTE]

Yes, agree.

"He didn't have to gush over him, but he could've at least refrained from making up BS rationales for firing him. The real reason he fired him was because he didn't hire him and he had somebody lined up who he felt was better. Just say that."
Agree. All he needed to say is that he chose to move in a different direction, and maybe thank Claeys for what he did to keep the football program going when Coach Kill retired.

 

[e.bigelow]

Agree.
I actually do think he may get another shot at a head job if he is willing to take a bad one.

Same. I think he can be pretty successful at WSU. And I can't rule out him getting another shot at being an HC. He is definitely a talented football mind when it comes to defense.

It will be interesting to see how there personalities mesh, that is for sure. I actually really enjoy listening to Mike Leach any time he speaks.

 

[dpodoll68]

The timing of his old firing would not have precluded him from getting another coaching gig.

It didn't? There was one Power 5 defensive coordinator job available - Wake Forest, which went to Sawvel. You assume that teams (plural) weren't "clamoring" to get him, based on the one school that didn't hire him and who he may have not even had any interest in?

 

[Cruze]

Most head coaches who get fired from Power 5 jobs are never head coaches again. So what?

"He didn't have to gush over him, but he could've at least refrained from making up BS rationales for firing him. The real reason he fired him was because he didn't hire him and he had somebody lined up who he felt was better. Just say that."

Agree. All he needed to say is that he chose to move in a different direction, and maybe thank Claeys for what he did to keep the football program going when Coach Kill retired.

Pitino almost got fired because of the behavior of several basketball players on this team. People who think the football scandal and Claeys failure to support the administration didn't play a role in his firing are fooling themselves. Claey's failure to control his team on and off the field played a significant role in Kaler and Coyle's decision. Yes, Kaler wanted Claeys gone before he hired Coyle and long before he ever heard of Fleck.

 

[dpodoll68]

People who think the football scandal and Claeys failure to support the administration didn't play a role in his firing are fooling themselves.

People who think the football "scandal" provided anything more than a convenient narrative to support a decision already made long ago are fooling themselves. Good God man, you argue against yourself in your own post - "Kaler wanted Claeys gone before he hired Coyle and long before he ever heard of Fleck." This directly contradicts the "point" you're attempting to make as quoted here.

 

[hungan1]

Congrats to Coach Claeys. He'll do a good job for Wazzu.

Time to move on from his firing.

 

[Ski U Mah 55]

Johnson - Georgia
Sawvel - Wake Forest
Claeys - Washington State (All teams played in bowl games)

Minnesota paid approximately $7,000,000 to get Fleck this year, and there will be additional employer federal taxes on his salary in the future.

Why is Coyle still employed at the U?

I hope you aren't serious...

If Fleck hasn't panned out after year 4 or 5 then Coyle should absolutely be held to account, but after one year you can't be mad at Coyle for Flecks performance after 1 year.

 

[STPGopher]

Pitino almost got fired because of the behavior of several basketball players on this team. People who think the football scandal and Claeys failure to support the administration didn't play a role in his firing are fooling themselves. Claey's failure to control his team on and off the field played a significant role in Kaler and Coyle's decision. Yes, Kaler wanted Claeys gone before he hired Coyle and long before he ever heard of Fleck.

You are missing the point. All Coyle needed to do was say he was moving in another direction. Airing dirty laundry and throwing coach Claeys under the bus is what made him look bad. AD's fire coaches all of the time. Most just give a generic "Thanks for time served" speech then move on to how excited they are to either announce the new coach or begin the search for said new coach.

 

[STPGopher]

People who think the football "scandal" provided anything more than a convenient narrative to support a decision already made long ago are fooling themselves. Good God man, you argue against yourself in your own post - "Kaler wanted Claeys gone before he hired Coyle and long before he ever heard of Fleck." This directly contradicts the "point" you're attempting to make as quoted here.

Yep Coyle wanted to replace Claeys in September 16'. My guess is even before that.

 

[leadpipegopher]

Happy for Claeys. Hoping he does well there, it will be fun to follow.

 

[Word]

Yep Coyle wanted to replace Claeys in September 16'. My guess is even before that.

Yep and he had every right to replace the coach. He was hoping to sell the savior aspect of cleansing the program so he trashed Claeys while firing him and used the scandal as the excuse. The public ended up seeing right through it though. Fleck was a good hire on paper and may well turn out to be a great coach. Coyle didn't need to trash Claeys and his staff in the process.

I actually won't be shocked if Coyle is gone within a couple years. The fact that he can't speak publicly without quivering is not a good sign. As AD he should be the face of the athletic department and doing PR work. He rarely does, and when he does, he doesn't do it well.