with Golden leaving (per ISD and Thamel)
by HumanRobot , Cybertron, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:22 (15 days ago)
edited by HumanRobot, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:29
It's sort of a tough time to be in the market for a DC
PSU and Oklahoma are also in the market for a while, which is interesting. Guys like Bryant Haines just got an extension, likely with an extended buyout -- before the CFP you would have sent IU maybe $2m but now that's closer to $4m. I think it would be a bit out of budget to pluck that type of guy.
Otherwise you're looking maybe "in-network" for a guy like Mike Tressel, who's in the Cincy/OSU mafia. Bad news there is his work at Wisconsin has been less than great.
An option might be to bring in an experienced guy like Doug Belk while elevating Mickens to DC.
I'm not seeing a Golden type of hire floating around the NFL.
It's also tough because you're looking at Spring Ball starting up pretty soon, which accelerates the timeline. You might have to let 2025 play out with deck you have and make a play down the road if it doesn't work out.
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I'm a bad take machine!
Hire Mickens --
by omahadomer, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 19:03 (15 days ago) @ HumanRobot
he's learned from two of the best (Freeman and Golden) and he's done a fantastic job with the DBs. We don't need someone bringing in a new system. We're going to have good defenses as long as Freeman is HC.
Where HCs run into trouble is hiring coordinators on the other side of the ball who don't fit. Davie's offenses were pitiful. Jim Colletto? TW didn't have a side of the ball and his coordinators sucked. Weis had disastrous DCs. Kelly's weren't great until he got on the Elko-Lea-Freeman train.
I saw this pointed out elsewhere
by Pat, in the cloud, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 16:14 (15 days ago) @ HumanRobot
The last four Notre Dame DCs are currently a head coach in the SEC, a head coach in the SEC, the head coach at Notre Dame, and a DC in the NFL.
That's pretty impressive.
On top of that, Golden was getting paid likely at the very top end of college coordinators.
On top of that, we just finished #2 in the nation and return the best CB tandem in the country to go along with a lot of other young talent. Great corners make all sorts of defenses work.
The timing may not be great, but ND has likely never had more leverage to land the very best. We all like Mickens, but the program owes it to itself to start with the moonshot candidates.
Freeman disagrees with you
by hobbs, San Diego, CA, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 16:32 (15 days ago) @ Pat
edited by hobbs, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 16:39
Within the last week or so, it might have been on HCTI, Freeman broached this subject while talking about culture. To paraphrase 'I'm not going to hire a resume. I'm hiring someone that I know who fits my culture.' He might have even included 'someone who I've worked with before' in that statement.
no he doesn't
by Pat, in the cloud, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 21:48 (15 days ago) @ hobbs
What you wrote isn't incompatible with what I wrote. I'm pretty sure Anthony Weaver would be a culture fit at Notre Dame. Jesse Minter was a GA at Cincinnati when Mike Mickens was an All-America cornerback. He also coached at Notre Dame and we all know his dad's history with Lou. I'm sure there are more connections with other well regarded defensive coaches that aren't obvious (chatgpt was pretty useless here. Lots of hallucinations)
Some people will have both the resume, the personal connections, and the personality to be the right fit. All I'm saying is that ND shouldn't limit the potential candidate pool prematurely.
Ah, I took what you wrote the wrong way.
by hobbs, San Diego, CA, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 22:18 (15 days ago) @ Pat
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bet it’s somebody nobody’s mentioned before
by Jay , San Diego, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:47 (15 days ago) @ HumanRobot
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Brian VanGorder might be looking for a job
by Jeff (BGS) , A starter home in suburban Tempe, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 15:30 (15 days ago) @ Jay
I'll see myself out.
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At night, the ice weasels come.
Matt Eberflus
by Tim, Chicago, IL, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:48 (15 days ago) @ Jay
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this isn't a Bears board
by HumanRobot , Cybertron, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:55 (15 days ago) @ Tim
That would actually be a good external hire. From his wiki bio entry for his time at Missouri "Eberflus proved as big an asset as a recruiter as he did as a defensive tactician". Excellent defensive playcaller. His press conferences would be Diaco-ish.
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I'm a bad take machine!
It's not?
by Jack , Thursday, January 23, 2025, 06:10 (15 days ago) @ HumanRobot
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Gregg Poppovich?
by HumanRobot , Cybertron, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:48 (15 days ago) @ Jay
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I'm a bad take machine!
There's little reason not to promote Mickens
by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:34 (15 days ago) @ HumanRobot
unless Freeman doesn't believe that he's capable of being a great DC. Kind of 'now or never' at this point. I have zero interest in hiring any of the names you mentioned. I guess the wildcard would be someone like Jim Leonhard, but I have no early idea if that would be a good fit and the odds of any outsider not being one are probably at least 75% for us.
Or will be like BK and Elston?
by JD in Portland , Portland OR, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 15:05 (15 days ago) @ KGB
I think Mickens is worth a shot given his relationship with his players and on the field results. He’s got Free as a mentor for game planning and in game play calls. This doesn’t feel like a G Parker desperation and placeholder move.
Unless Free knows that DC will never be Mickens skill set. However, Free’s public statements would suggest he thinks he’s DC material for sure.
Some coaches are pretty honest and forthright. Free seems like he’s one. I take him at his word here.
It was interesting to me how enthusiastic, unconditional, and specific Dan Campbell was about Aaron Glenn’s readiness and what little he had to say about Ben Johnson. That raised eyebrows among Lions fans.
I’ll be surprised if it’s not Mickens. But I also trust Freeman. He knows what we need and he wants.
It's clearly the dominant strategy
by Mike (bart), Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:46 (15 days ago) @ KGB
worst case you've Gerard Parker'd the DC position while keeping the most respected DB coach in the country in the fold for another year. Cultural continuity, schematic and semantic continuity, knows the personnel and the players and other coaches, etc.
Best case you've set yourself up for another great 3 year DC run before he goes off and gets a head job.
“Names”
by Dallasdomer, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:46 (15 days ago) @ KGB
Don’t really make any sense outside of a specific scheme and philosophy that Freeman wants. Recall when he hired Golden he made a big point about alignment with what they were already doing. Unless there is some unknown red flag about Mickens, he’s getting promoted and by all accounts is a very talented coach ready for the added responsibilities.
Kind of curious if Freeman can give Mickens a Co-DC title
by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:38 (15 days ago) @ KGB
...and look for another candidate. This is all moot if he really believes in Mickens. I just want to avoid the promotion merely to keep him.
If you have Co-DCs then you don’t have a DC
by San Pedro , Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:46 (15 days ago) @ Domer99
Come on 99! Don’t you remember Corwin Brown?!?
and I *really* want to avoid co-DCs
by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:43 (15 days ago) @ Domer99
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Agree. The only name that is intriguing to me is…
by River, Hell of the Upside Down Sinners, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 13:38 (15 days ago) @ KGB
Anthony Weaver. But the guy isn’t leaving the NFL as long as he is considered a potential HC candidate in that realm.